In summer 2025, Green Allotments completed the purchase of 7 acres of agricultural land on the edge of Morpeth, an independent market town in Northumberland. Purchased from a local landowner, the land has been agricultural since at least the 1870s and possibly earlier.
The land is fertile Grade 3 Agricultural Land, which has been used for sheep grazing and is ideal for cultivation as allotments. Situated on the northern periphery of the town, which has seen large scale house building in recent years but no new allotments, our land has a pleasant open aspect and is situated at the start Morpeth’s northern Green Belt close to new housing estates and the established older town.
The land includes a burn (stream) and a small wooded area to the rear. We also (possibly) have the widest hedge in Morpeth! At over 2 metres thick, this is a dense hawthorn and gorse linear feature which separates the land from the public highway, providing a haven for local birds and other wildlife. We regularly see Hares in the vicinity. Local people tell us they have a strong affection for the hedge and we agree this is an important feature that should be retained.
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Planning the new allotments
Green Allotments is in the process of planning a small number of allotments on this tract of land. This particular allotment site will have a ‘village allotment site’ appearance, to respect and blend with this area where town meets countryside. For example, we don’t allow internal fencing and we opt for grass paths between plots – all of this encourages an ‘open’ appearance that is fitting with the Green Belt location. Our focus is on food growing and biodiversity, as well as the all-important social and community aspects of allotments.
We will not use all 7 acres for allotments, the remaining land will be used to conserve, enhance and increase biodiversity. We chose our name ‘Green Allotments’ to emphasise our greener gardening aims, we do not allow chemical-based fertilisers and pesticides.
Local community and landowners
Our aim is to be good and respectful neighbours wherever we have allotment sites. As soon as the charity’s offer was accepted on the land, our CEO Deborah spent a lot of time knocking on doors in the vicinity and introducing Green Allotments to members of the local community. This way, we met our landowner neighbours too, who have been welcoming of the charity and kindly shared their detailed local knowledge of the land, area and community, with us.
Households and businesses in the area each received a detailed letter – along with an invitation to give feedback and ideas – so that our plans were not secret, as we welcome input from the local community. We also wrote to the Parish Council, neighbouring Town Council, Ward Councillor, and even the local Vicar, to share our ideas and ask for feedback.
By seeking to proactively engage with the community from the start, we have been able to begin shaping our plans so that they fit with local aspirations, practicalities, and restrictions. For example, people have sought reassurance that we do not plan to put 100s of mini-allotments on the land, which we were happy to explain we do not intend to do as we agree this would be unsustainable. And, by meeting a neighbouring landowner in the early days of our planning, we were happy to agree to have a ‘No Dogs’ rule on this particular allotment site, as there are often sheep grazing in neighbouring fields.
Local Planning Authority
There has been criticism in recent years about some private allotment providers creating allotments first then seeking retrospective planning permission later. This is not how our charity works.
Green Allotments has paid for detailed pre-application planning advice, under the minor development category, from the Local Planning Authority (LPA). Green Allotments is working in this way to ensure we are working within the law at our land.
The LPA has, so far, advised that our plans could be supported under “Special Circumstances in the Green Belt” as long as considerations are taken into account. This planning clause permits the creation of allotments in the Green Belt, as long as certain conditions are met to maintain the openness of the Green Belt aesthetic. The National Planning Policy Framework (December 2024) firmly recognises the benefits of allotments to local communities.
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Green Allotments Morpeth Starter Group
After getting to know the neighbourhood and wider Morpeth, the charity began actively recruiting for members of a “Green Allotments Morpeth Starter Group”. Within a few days, we had seven enthusiastic Morpeth residents keen to get involved, plus many more enquires about how to obtain a plot. There is certainly demand for a new allotment site in Morpeth!
Starter Group members play an important role in the setting-up of a new allotment site, helping to connect future gardeners with the land, the charity, and our vision for the new allotment site.
Members usually go on to have a plot on the new allotment site.
Starter Group members have participated in a “Walk the Land” session with the charity and we are regularly meeting to develop the group and our plans further, e.g. sharing ideas on how the site could look and what sort of layout would work best.
Some of our Starter Group members are from new-build housing estates nearby. It has been heartening to learn that their involvement with Green Allotments is also helping to develop new friendships. New housing estates can be isolating places for new residents, however, our charity’s plans are bringing people together, forging new communities and combating isolation.
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