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The allotments here have been in existence for over a hundred years from the
time when the mill on Dean Street and the surrounding streets of
terraced houses would have been built. Prior to this the land formed part of the
estate belonging to The Firs, a regency villa built in 1826 (hence the name).
With increasing industrialisation and population growth the area was
developed as part of St Lukes parish in the 1880s. The site is still owned by the same
company which developed the area all those years ago, Derby Land, Building and Investment Company and leased to us through
their agents DTZ Holdings plc. Little is known about the company today other than they appear to be registered offshore on Jersey rather than at Companys House in London. All seems to have gone well over the years until in1972 the owners applied for planning permission to develop the site for housing. Permission was refused but the owners appealed against the decision and a public enquiry was held in March 1974. The appeal was dismissed in a letter from the Secretary of State dated 18 July 1974. In October 1989 the owners again applied for planning permission for residential development of the site. In December 1989 the application was refused, this time on two grounds. One was a highway objection, the other was that the proposal would be contrary to the local plan as laid down by the city council. However the owners went ahead and served a notice to quit against the tenants, requiring that possession be given up on 31 October 1990. The tenants were not going to go down without a fight and continued to occupy the site. The owners said they would move in to take possession on 1 February 1991. The tenants kept a vigil at the site from 31 January 1991 until midday on 8 February 1991, changing the locks on the gates to prevent the owners gaining access. The tenants continued to enter the site and cultivate their plots, albeit unlawfully. Demonstrations were held outside the offices of the company's agents in Derby and campaigners enlisted the support of local councilors and MPs. The owners appealed against the council's refusal to grant planning permission and another public enquiry was held in April 1991. The appeal was dismissed by a decision letter dated 13 May 1991. During the course of this enquiry the owners representatives made it clear that they would not reinstate the land for allotment use in the event of the appeal being dismissed. However they eventually relented, perhaps fearing compulsory purchase by the council, and in August 1991 they offered the association a new lease. We have recently entered negotiations to renew the lease for a further 10 years and have received verbal assurances from the owners agents that they will not be objecting to this going ahead. We now feel that the site is secure, even more so with the recent introduction of government guidelines to protect allotments sites and the strengthening of planning guidance in the local plan. (For more information click here). Hopefully this turbulent period is now over although the battles of the past couple of decades have left their mark. The uncertainty caused by the owners efforts to sell the site for development led to some gardeners giving up their plots or moving to other sites. Happily many stayed on and many more have joined them. Now ninety per cent of the plots are let. The campaign to keep this precious resource safe from the hands of the developers has brought us closer together as a community. New sheds and greenhouses are going up, derelict plots brought back into cultivation. We look forward to the future with a renewed sense of optimism. Allotments are an integral part of the heritage of working people. Long may they remain so!
Click on an image to enlarge. The latest on the lease saga as of May 2008 is that it still hasn't been renewed although we are still paying rent to DTZ and the lease is being held over.
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