Calderdale Council needs your help to fully develop new allotment plots.
Planning permission has been granted for a new allotment site with around 24 plots at Cemetery Fields off Sowerby New Road, Sowerby Bridge.
The Council has allocated some initial funding for the allotment plots, but more will be needed to fully use the site. To assist with this, Calderdale Leisure Gardeners Federation is helping to set up a group to help raise funds to complete the development.
Anyone can join the group, and be as involved as they like. They will work together with other organisations to apply for grants and further funding for the site. It is hoped that in the future the group will help manage the allotments.
Allotments are becoming increasingly popular, and the creation of the new site in Sowerby Bridge is part of the Council’s work to reduce the amount of time people wait for a plot in Calderdale, and to give more people the opportunity to grow their own food.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Pauline Nash, said:
“This is a great opportunity for people to improve their local community. More and more people are taking an interest in growing their own food, and allotments are a great way of doing this whilst also bringing communities together.
":I encourage as many people as possible to get involved in the group, to help make the new allotment plans a reality.”
The Council currently owns 36 allotment sites and over 700 plots across Calderdale. The new site is part of the playing fields adjacent to Sowerby Bridge Cemetery, but the lower area has never been used as a sports pitch due to the sloping ground. The area has previously been used for allotments and is shown as such on Ordnance Survey maps from the period 1961 – 1980.
Anyone who is interested in being part of the group or who would like to go on the waiting list for a plot should contact the Council on 01422 284401 or email parks@calderdale.gov.uk