AN allotment holder who’s turned part of his plot into a hard stand parking space is to be told to make it good or face the consequences – and the bill.
The order comes from the Studley parish council amidst fears that failure to act could result in a precedent being set.
At a general purposes meeting councillors heard that the plot holder had not only broken allotment rules by installing a parking space but had also put a gated entrance in the fence to his property.
“Putting a parking space on an allotment is just not acceptable – we have stopped people doing the same in other areas and installing a gate and using it for access is a non-starter,” said parish chairman Coun Paul Beaman.
Coun Sandra Croft added: “The plot is not being looked after anyway, the main part seems to be hard standing and it’s clearly being used a lot.”
The situation has arisen at the Dunstall Allotments on Redditch Road, a busy thoroughfare between the village and the new town.
Regulations
However councillors heard that using the land for parking purposes was against regulations and that other people who had applied to have parking there had had their requests denied.
“We have to give him some time to get the work done but if it is not we will terminate his allotment agreement and reinstate the allotment at our cost and bill him for it,” said Coun Beaman.
Councillors voted by seven to one with two abstensions to give the car owner 28 days to do remedial work, including removing the gate and making good the fence, and to stop parking over night.
