PLEAS from petitioners for extra allotments have been rebuffed – despite there being dozens of residents on the waiting list.
More than 80 people signed a petition asking Tandridge District Council to provide allotments at Stafford Road Park in Caterham and at Manor Park, off Burntwood Lane in Caterham – but their request was rejected last Thursday.
Stafford Road Park was designated a Queen Elizabeth II Playing Field last year and as such is protected in perpetuity as a public open space, the council's community services committee heard.
And Manor Park is being considered for a Special Site of Scientific Interest, so is deemed unsuitable for allotments.
A petition was originally started last year by Stafford Road resident Martin Creasey.
It has since been taken up by Christine Greaves, who lives off Court Bushes Road in Whyteleafe. She said: "The petition was only a small survey to ascertain the views of those living adjacent to Stafford Park. I have no doubt that a broader survey, especially of residents in Tandridge Court in Caterham, Green Acre, Whyteacre, Whyte Bushes, Well Farm Heights and the monster blocks of flats in Court Bushes Road, Whyteleafe, would see a flood of requests for allotment plots."
She added that outdoor recreational facilities, such as allotments, are "sadly lacking" in Caterham Valley.
Joe Perera, who has a plot at Westway, in Caterham, has won Caterham Horticultural Society's Murray Bowl – the group's top annual award – 20 times in the last 23 years.
Mr Perera, 70, said: "We need more allotment plots, particularly for those living in flats who have no gardens.
"When I'm on my allotment I can forget all my worries and enjoy some nice exercise in the open air, while working among friends. It's one of the best therapies there is."
There are currently 79 residents on the waiting list for allotments across the district.
Richard Woodward, the council's director of community services, said: "We have worked hard to reduce the numbers waiting for allotments but it seems there is still strength of feeling from those waiting.
"We are looking to split the size of plots to make more available. This is being done at allotment sites at Church Road in Whyteleafe, and the Caterham sites at Heath Road, Westway and Rosedale."
He added that developers could be encouraged to provide allotments alongside any future housing schemes in the district.
