PLANS have been revealed to restrict city allotments to those living in Exeter and limit their size.
And rents are set to rise, to £63 per year for a full-size plot.
Pensioners taking on a plot will also have to pay the full rental, as discounts are to cease, the city council has revealed.
But those already with an allotment – and there are currently 413 tenants aged 60 or over – will keep the discount.
In addition, those renting a plot are to be encouraged to form associations to take more responsibility for the management of the entire site as the city council looks to cut down on its costs.
It currently costs the city council more than £43,000 to run the allotment service, but it has a projected budget of just under £7,000 for the next financial year. Mains water will still be provided.
The proposed changes have been welcomed by current plot holder Christine Fraser. She said: "When it was issued in June, the consultation document caused consternation among many existing plot holders and a lot of work has been done both with them and the council to clarify the council's intentions.
"Was it to whack up rents to nearly £100? Was it to put allotment land at risk? Was it to cut off the water supply?
"In the event, my personal view is that the officers and our councillors have heard these concerns and have produced recommendations which are sound and which enable closer collaborative working to ensure the future of this important provision across the city."
Ms Fraser added: "Officers have clearly reviewed their own administration and management costs and found significant savings through, in particular, how rents are collected.
"The arcane, rather quaint, method of having allotment-holders queue up on a gloomy September evening to pay the annual rent by cheque or cash has had to give way to modern methods, such as direct debit.
"If the recommendations are adopted, and if we get good 'smart working' in the council plus strong volunteer administration support on the ground at the allotment sites, we should be on track for what we all want – to secure allotment provision for the next generations."
The new arrangements for allotments in Exeter follow a public consultation held over the summer months and will be presented to the city council's scrutiny committee for approval next week, before going on to be debated by the executive.
A further review will be undertaken in two years' time to assess how successful the changes have been.
