Milton Street Allotments Expands with Council Investment, Doubling Plot Availability for Local Gardeners

Article date: 15 August 2024

Completion of the site's redevelopment comes as the country marks National Allotment Week (12-18 August) celebrating these green spaces and the benefits they bring.

And it's no surprise that their popularity continues to grow, given the wealth of benefits that come with managing a plot - fresh air, home-grown produce, a healthy lifestyle, a social community of people with similar interests and wonders for the local environment and biodiversity.

Parts of the site at Milton Street had fallen out of use over the years, with redundant sheds, buildings and fencing sitting on land that could house more allotment plots.

The site has now been redeveloped with monies from the council's open spaces development budget and local councillor improvement fund.

Grounds maintenance officers removed more than 100 tonnes of debris from the site, creating a more welcoming environment for plot holders, alongside installation of new land drainage and footpaths.

The number of individual plots on the site more than doubled from 22 to 59, granting many of those on the waiting list the joy of their own space for growing.

And the site has been made safer for allotment holders with the installation of new secure perimeter fencing and lockable access gates.

Around 150 tonnes of soil improver and compost has gone back into the site, provided by SED Services Ltd which handles the material collected through the council's garden waste service, meaning residents' garden waste is being repurposed sustainably in the borough.

Milton Street grower Ste, 46, has worked on a plot with another member of the allotment community for just shy of a year now.

Ste said: "Without a garden of my own, the plot I share is an important space where I can find peace and quiet, and growing is a big thing for me now. He's passed now, but my uncle had a plant nursery. Between him and my dad who's helped me out with the plot, I've found a real passion for it.

"It's been great to see the site expand and help more people on the waiting list. And I'm able to expand to a neighbouring plot now, focusing on growing strawberries. It's a great little community we've got there, where we can chat and help each other.

"There's some hard work involved, and you get out of it what you put in, but it's been really rewarding to see the plot develop over the last 11 months."

Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron MBE, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: "Allotment gardening is great for your physical and mental health, and an ideal opportunity to get outdoors and be active throughout the year. Allotments can provide valuable community spaces, where you can connect with other people and nature, and a way to get the freshest fruit and veg to your table.

"So it's no surprise that their popularity has grown over the years, unavoidably leading to longer waiting lists. Understanding this, in partnership with existing plot holders at Milton Street and local ward councillors, we've invested in the redevelopment of this historic mining community site, more than doubling the number of available plots and significantly reducing the waiting list."

St Helens Borough has more than 650 plots at 11 council-owned and four self-managed allotment sites.

Due to their popularity, all local allotment sites have waiting lists. You can go on up to three waiting lists of your choice, but you are only entitled to one plot.

Find out more at www.sthelens.gov.uk/allotments.