Common sense, safety awareness and consideration for others, whether they are other plot holders or the site's neighbours, can go a long way. However, both Haringey Council and the GCAA have rules which, when we all sign our rental agreements, we agree to and are bound by.

 

These rules are very important. You will lose your plot if you do not comply with them. 

 

General Site Rules

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1. You can enter and leave the site via the Winton Avenue gates, or the Bidwell Gardens gates. All gates must be locked after entering and leaving the site, at all times. Site security is the responsibility of all tenants. 

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2. Bonfires are allowed ONLY once a month, and only on the first Saturday of    October, November, December, January, February and March.

 Never leave a bonfire unattended. 

 Do not leave the site without making sure your bonfire is completely out. 

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3. Dogs must be kept on leads at all times. Any dog fouling must be picked up and taken off site. You may not exercise a dog on the allotment site.

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4. Only you, the named tenant, may use your site keys. You may not copy, share or allow others to use your keys. 

For further explanation and detail, please see Haringey Council's documents:

​Guidance Note on Sole Tenants, Joint Tenants, Casual Helpers and Co-Workers at:

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https://irp.cdn-website.com/d01c0186/files/uploaded/Guidance_Note_on_Sole_Tenants_Joint_Tenants_Co-Workers_and_Casual_Helpers_V11_200423​

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5. All guests or helpers must be accompanied by the named tenant at all times. Do not allow any visitors to cause any nuisance.  Anyone who comes on site with you to help out does so as a volunteer and is not entitled to a plot of their own.

If you bring children on site, remember the site is not a public park or garden: you are responsible for their safety and behaviour. Do not allow them to wander around the site. Ball games of any kind are not allowed.  

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Anti-social behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated. For an explanation of what constitutes anti-social behaviour, see Haringey Council's document Allotment Service Guidance Note on Anti-Social Behaviour at:

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https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/d01c0186/files/uploaded/ASB Guidance Note - Final.pdf

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6. The speed limit for vehicles on site is 5 MPH at all times. Parking on site is a privilege not a right: do not block roads, gates, pathways or anyone's access to their plot. There is always parking space on both Blake Road and Winton Avenue if needed.

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You are advised to keep your cars locked at all times, to keep valuables out of sight and to take all expensive equipment home with you. 

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7. You must not bring any asbestos, carpet, corrugated metal, metal sheeting, or barbed wire onto any part of the site. Carpets on paths are hazardous: they become slippery when wet and eventually break down, potentially leaking toxins into the soil. Please consider using porous black membrane (on sale from the Allotment Shop) or compost / manure bags turned inside out, and wood chip (available on site, for free). 

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8. You must not use any cement, nor build any brick walls.

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9. You must not use the allotment for any commercial or illegal purposes.

 

10. You must not sub-let any part of the allotment site. 

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11. You must not create any gates or gaps through the boundary structures. All access must be made through the main gates. 

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Rules for Maintaining Your Plot

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1. All plots must be clearly numbered. If you rent more than one plot then they must all have individual numbers. The only exception is where you rent BOTH sections of a previously divided plot, e.g: 17A and 17B - then you have only to display 17. 

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2. All plot holders must maintain at least 75% of their plot in a good state of cultivation, and free from weeds. Unplanted, but clean and dug beds, and the areas beneath beneath fruit trees and bushes count towards your cultivated area. Well-tended flower beds, trimmed grass paths and weed-free gravel, paved or wood chipped paths also count towards your cultivated area. 

Large areas of wood chip, gravel or other materials are not cultivation. Lawns, sheds and patios are not cultivation. 

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The key point of this rule is FREE FROM WEEDS. If your plot is completely filled with fruit bushes but also covered in weeds, then it is not cultivated. 

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3. All paths around your plot must be kept trimmed, in good order, and measure at least 2 feet across. Do not obstruct pathways. If you rent a plot on a roadside edge or on a boundary edge of the site then you are also responsible for maintaining these. Hedges and brambles must be cut back regularly so that pathways are kept clear. 

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4. Trees, hedges and shrubs on your plot must not exceed 3 metres (10 feet) in height. All branches must remain within your plot boundary. Nothing should cast shade over any other plot. For further explanation please see Haringey Council's document  Trees on Allotment Plots at:

https://irp.cdn-website.com/d01c0186/files/uploaded/Trees_Document_Oct2024.pdf

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5. Plots are inspected throughout the year by Haringey Council's Allotment Officer and / or the Site Secretary and Chair. Not keeping your plots, paths and verges tidy and well-cultivated is the quickest way to lose your tenancy. 

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6. Use water carefully and remember that it is a shared resource. Do not leave taps running or hoses connected to the water supply after you have finished watering. Hoses should be hand-held. Any hose pipes left unattended will be turned off. Sprinklers should only be used when you are on site.

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Do not allow your children to play with water or hoses, even in hot weather - this can quickly reduce paths and plots to mud baths. During drought periods water may be restricted - it is a good idea to place water butts around your plot. 

The mains water is turned off at the end of October, and back on again in the spring (weather permitting). 

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7.You must not keep diseased or infected plant material on your plot. Such material will be removed to prevent the spread of disease. 

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Rules re. Buildings and Structures

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The part of your tenancy agreement with Haringey Council that relates to buildings and structures is summarised below:

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1. Each plot may have ONE wooden shed OR greenhouse with maximum dimensions of 8 feet 3 inches by 6 feet 6 inches (2.5m x 2m).

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2. Once a plot has one shed or greenhouse, as above, then it may not have any other structures without written permission from Haringey Council.

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3. If this permission is granted then the following size restrictions apply:

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- a shed of no more than 8 feet 3 inches by 6 feet 6 inches (2.5m x 2m)

- a poly tunnel of no more than 16 feet and 5 inches by 9 feet 9 inches (5m x 3m).

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Structures built before December 2009 are exempt from the above. If a pre-2009 structure needs to be replaced then the replacement must comply with the dimensions given above.

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Small verandas and covered (roofed) areas should be completely open on at least 2 sides, and measure no more than 5m by 3m. 

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