Welcome to the allotment service

We own nine sites in the borough, plus a tenth one near Morden Cemetery. We directly run eight of the sites, covering over 360 plots with the other two leased and managed by the Roehampton Garden Society. 
Find out:

• where the allotment sites are
• the cost of allotments in Wandsworth
• advice about time commitment
• how you can apply
• the current situation as regards the waiting lists
• the letting agreement
• advice on cultivating and maintaining plots
• and some useful contacts

Locations
We directly manage eight allotment sites. The links below go to maps provided by Streetmap.co.uk. You can apply online, or phone (020) 8871 6441 for information. 

• Ravenslea Road, SW12
• Stag Lane, Putney Vale, SW15
• Herlwyn Gardens, SW17
• "Beatrix Potter", Magdalen Road, SW18
• Garratt Park (Steerforth Street), SW18
• King George's Park (Burr Road), SW18
• "Sailor Prince", Duntshill Road, SW18
• Arthur Road, Motspur Park, Surrey (near Morden Cemetery)

Contact Paula Alderson, Secretary of the Roehampton Garden Society, on (020) 8789 5836, or see www.roehamptonallotments.co.uk for a plot at either of these sites: 

• "The Pleasance", Roehampton, SW15
• Dover House Road, Roehampton, SW15
  

Size of allotments and prices
Rents are due on 1 October.  Prices are revised each year.  The concessionary rate is available to plot-holders aged over 60 years on 1 October, and to people with disabilities. 

Time commitment
Allotments can be enormously satisfying but please be aware that keeping one is a major time commitment. Allotment holders spend from 10-15 hours a week during the summer, to 2-3 hours a week during winter, regularly tending their plots. The rewards may be fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers, and good social contacts with other gardeners - or a weed-grown wilderness and mutterings from neighbours if you cannot find the time to maintain it.

Likewise, in making your application, either the distance or the convenience of your journey must be a consideration. 

Application
To apply for an allotment plot, please download an application form.

Waiting lists and the availability of allotments
Due to demand, we can only accept applications from residents of the borough of Wandsworth.  There is a separate waiting list for each allotments site. For most sites, you can expect to wait several years from now for an allotment. 

The Roehampton Garden Society maintains the waiting list for the sites in Roehampton (contact details as above). 

Below are the number of plots at each council-run site and the numbers already waiting (figures updated 2 September 2008). 

When a plot becomes available we will write to the person at the top of the list with an offer and suggest you make arrangements with the plot manager to view it. Please remember to tell us if you change address within the borough.

We will also be interested to hear from you if you know of any potential plots of land within the borough that may be suitable for temporary allotment use. 

The letting agreement
The letting of allotments is subject to rules. Download the details in pdf format.

 Allotment letting agreement (36 kb)

Cultivation and maintenance of the plots 
Keeping an allotment is a leisure activity. We do not demand rigidly straight rows of vegetables but it is only fair to expect a reasonable standard of cultivation. Exactly what this 'standard' means is left to the local association on site, you and your neighbours, to decide what you can live with. If a plot-holder fails to cultivate the plot, we will contact them about it.  Mostly this is a temporary phase and people get back to work.  If not, the reminder prompts them to give up and the plot is offered to the next person waiting.   

Useful contacts
Allotment site managers - at each site one of the plot holders is appointed by the council as the contact person for the council and the plot holder.

The allotment service is part of the parks and leisure service.  See the Parks service pages for information about parks, commons and open spaces. 

For information about other boroughs and allotment associations, see London Allotments Network www.londonallotments.net. 

We are a member of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd, www.nsalg.demon.co.uk

The allotments office is staffed on Wednesdays. Contact the Allotments officer, Battersea Park Staff Yard, SW11 4NJ.  Phone (020) 8871 6441; fax (020) 8871 7533; email allotments@wandsworth.gov.uk.