PETITION LAUNCHED TO SAVE TEDDINGTON ALLOTMENTS
A petition has been launched to urge Richmond Council to ‘reconsider its decision’ to reclaim the Shacklegate Lane Allotments to extend Teddington Cemetery, it was announced today
The petition has been started by allotment owner, Paul Cuff, aged 79, who lives in nearby Church Road and depends on his allotment to provide a year-round flow of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit as well as keeping him and his wife Joy physically fit.
The petition will run until 12 April 2026 in the hope of reaching over 390 signatures when the Council will have to consider the petition.
The petition states: “The Shacklegate Lane allotment site was established over 120 years ago and is the last remaining site in Teddington.
“The provision of allotments in Teddington was greatly reduced when the cemetery was last expanded. The London borough of Richmond has the best allotment provision (1,223 plots per 100k residents) in London, but despite this, demand for allotments across Richmond is huge, with all sites in the borough having long waiting lists of several years.
“With new land for this purpose being difficult to find, it does not make any sense to let an existing site go.
“Although we acknowledge that there is a need for further burial spaces, we believe that claiming back the Shacklegate Lane allotment site is just a short term solution to the longer term problem of burial space.
“We would like to see our council do what some other London boroughs have done and develop a long term and sustainable burial plan, including exploring options for creating burial space, that do not involve taking away allotment land.
“This once beautiful allotment site has become run down as the council has not rented plots (as they became vacant) to residents on the waiting list. This is in contrast to the councils declared allotment policy.
“3.14 The Local Plan includes policies to: protect existing allotments ….” and
“3.17 Healthy Allotments: The primary purpose of allotments is food production, and this fits well with the Borough’s policy of promoting sustainability. But they also provide their plot holders with exercise and contribute to increasing bio-diversity while enhancing individual and social wellbeing.”
“Please help our community to keep Teddington’s last remaining allotment site by signing this petition. Once these allotments are gone, they are gone forever. Thank you very much for your support.”
You can sign the petition here: Richmond Account – London Borough of Richmond upon Thames