Tony Baldry (Con, Banbury) introduced a ten minute rule motion to bring in a Bill to “encourage local authorities to make provision for allotments; to require them to consider imposing duties on developers to provide land for statutory allotments when determining planning applications; and for connected purposes.”

He stated that the demand for allotments has increased and the number of available plots is decreasing.   Although allotments have some statutory and regulatory protection “all too many allotments are disappearing and even fewer new ones are being created.”

Baldry’s Bill seeks to redress the balance, it proposes that under the Planning and Compensation Act 1991, developers “are obliged to consider, akin to the 1925 legislation, whether there is a need for the developers to make provision for allotments either on that site or on land elsewhere.”

He concluded that “allotments are in big demand for growing fruit, flowers and vegetables, or just as a great way to chill out.”  Therefore he hoped that the House and the government would support the Bill.