On Saturday, September 15, 2012 2:52:58 PM UTC+1, Bob Hobden wrote:
NT wrote
I'm not sure what to think of this... what would you make of it? An offer
from a private landowner of an allotment, of size whatever I want upto 2.5x
the standard old allotment size, or 5x the new half size plots. No water
supply, price the same per given area as local council plots without water
supply. Lenient terms when it comes to growing small trees and tidying up
the grossly overgrown plot. No shed permitted but lockup tool stores ok.
Access paths already in place. No restriction to just one plot as with the
council. The biggest issues as I see it are that some of the land is
steeply sloping, and I do mean steep, and probably only therefore fit for
bushes and trees, plus the fact that its grossly overgrown, and will need a
quantity of small trees cleared.
Feedback welcome 
With a Council plot you have a certain security of tenure unless you do
something wrong, what security will you have on that plot? You don't want to
clear it all, set it all up, and then get chucked off.
No water supply could be a serious problem, in fact I know it would not be
worth having a plot here without water. Even this year we have spend hours,
days if you add it up, carrying watering cans back and forth. No stream you
could chuck a solar powered pump in to fill some barrels?
Small trees have big roots, might be a big job to remove, the ground might
also be depleted but a good dose of well rotted cow/horse manure would cure
that. The slope could be terraced.
Planting fruit trees is a long term project so we are back to my first
point.
I've not questioned the security of tenure yet.
Re water, at one end the sloping patches could be guttered to collect muddy water. The rest of the plot's flat though.
I forgot to mention the first year would be free on account of the clearing needed, but its a big job to clear.
Re trees, I was only thinking in terms of chopping them down. Digging up the roots of lots of trees is too much work I think.
thanks
NT