Waiting Lists Policy

Waiting List Policy

Rationale: - after many years of short and easily managed waiting lists, we experienced a

huge increase in demand in the 2020 lockdown. A more formal policy was required and the

policy below agreed by the committee.

Relevant Rules

(Rule 8) Tenants may not assign, sub-let or change possession or control of all or part of an allot-

ment. E.g. passing on your allotment to a friend, plotholder or family member.

(Rule 11) The maximum holding for a tenant is thirty poles in area (approx 750 sq metres).

(Rule 16) Tenants have no right to pass on a tenancy. However, the committee will treat sympathetically any request from next of kin to continue to manage a plot. (See Rule 8 and Waiting Lists Policy

for more detail).

Policy

1. Each of our 4 fields has a separate waiting list, managed by stewards.

2. To join a waiting list, contact the relevant steward and provide contact details; name, address, email and mobile number.

3. The field stewards' contact details are published on our website www.ketteringallotments.co.uk

4. Kettering Town Council also has details of other allotments in the town (Southend- Whiteford Drive) that are not in our Society and North Northamptonshire Council has details of allotments in towns and villages in the area.

5. Applicants may be on more than one waiting list if they have no preference for location, on condition that they will rent the first available plot. Once they rent a plot on one of our fields, they will be removed from the other waiting lists.

6. Applicants and tenants must be adults resident in Kettering. Those from other places will be directed to the relevant Council for their residence.

7. The tenancy conditions are such that applicants must be named adult individuals, who may represent a household/family or named organisation. The named indiviudal remains responsible for the tenancy.

8. Waiting lists are chronological, with no queue jumping.

9. When an applicant reaches the top of a waiting list they will be contacted by the steward. If there is no response within one week, the steward may contact the next person on the list. If there has been no response after 28 days, the name will be removed from the waiting list.

10. If the application declines the plot they are offered but wishes to remain on the waiting list, then this will be treated sympathetically. It may be necessary to move the applicant to the bottom of the waiting list.

11. Applicants on the waiting list may be contacted from time to time to determine whether they wish to remain on the waiting list. If there has been no response after 28 days then their name may be removed from the waiting list.

12. New tenants will be restricted to one 5 pole plot (approx 125 square metres) per household Existing tenants with more than 5 poles will not be affected. 

13. Existing tenants who wish to apply for additional land will be treated sympathetically. When demand is low and there is no waiting list it may be possible to rent additional land. Such requests will only be granted when there are vacant plots and the tenants’ current plot is fully cultivated and compliant with our Rules and Policies.

14. We understand that tenants with small plots might like to apply for an additional plot next to them, but this may only be possible subject to the waiting list dynamics and the above restrictions.

15. This Policy may be reviewed and amended by the committee.