[alwayshopeful]

Finally decided that not enough room at the top of garden anymore for all the veg I want to plant!  My name is now on a waiting list for a lottie - have been told I need to be patient - how long did you have to wait for yours? 

[BobandJack]

Over 5 years 

[alwayshopeful]

Over 5 years 

Okay not what I really wanted to hear    I was expecting 6 months or so!! Looks like may need to extend garden plot for now. Well done you for not giving up, unfortunately I am not known for my patient nature 

[BobandJack]

Oh sorry, didn't mean to depress you  I do live somewhere where there just aren't allotment sites available, let alone vacant plots.  It was in the local paper this week that there are 60 people on the waiting list for the site I'm on - the Council seem to be saying that the uncultivated plots are to blame but since there are only about two in that condition I think this is unlikely.  I also live 18 miles away from the plot whcih shows you the level of my desperation......

[Caretaker]

Five years ago I put in for a allotment as I new in 5 years I would be retiring.
In two weeks I had the keys to the site and was wondering what had hit me.
Now it is about a year but as the rents are due about now we see new people coming on site as some give up.
I have noticed that more ladys are taking up allotments, yippy.
 
Reg

[pawsnclaws]

i was really lucky and was waiting a week i have a huge plot and only 4 other people are on there

[Yorkie]

On my site the waiting list is 60 long, which is a wait of about 2 years.  That's because we have 150-odd plots of various sizes.

Waiting lists' length really depends on so many factors, such as: number of plots, demographic of the plotholders, how overgrown the site is (i.e. how many get kicked off or give up), other reasons for turnover (e.g. are you a stable population or quite transient), how pro-active the owner / association / council are at enforcing the rules, other provision locally, artificial inflation of length of lists through duplication (I 'lost' 6 people from my list in 30 minutes as they had got plots elsewhere and not had the courtesy to tell me) or people moving away and not telling, etc etc

[mumofstig]

After 2 years i was number seven on list but 2 big plots were given up/taken back this year and divided into half plots.........so i'm a bit nearer the top

[min200]

I waited 3 months

[Elcie]

Mine was somewhere between 2 and 3 months.  I had registered with 4 local sites and out of some amazing coincidence I was offered 2 plots at two different sites on the same day!  I went for the smaller site which was nearer to me.  No regrets so far.

[nicchick]

Don't just rely on the council sites, there are parish sites too. We are lucky to have a parish one and the rules are very relaxed with regards to animals, sheds and water butts all of which our local town council site ban. Nic.

[peapod]

16 months for me though I was told two years, I did send an email every 3months to jog their memory ( a nice one just saying I was still interested in any plot in any condition)

Its a five year waiting list now..in the space of less than a year!

[strangerachael]

I  put my name on the list in january 07 and got my plot in March the same year  It is a private site, not a council one. I think where I am it is perhaps not quite the trendy 'must-have' it is in some areas, but things might have changed since then.

[paintedlady]

I was lucky that my site had no waiting list when my friends & went to look at plots to share and could pick & choose.  After 18 months I realised a half plot was not big enough, phoned the town clerk & asked if I could take a full plot on as well as keep the half plot and nearly had my hand snatched off - they were very eager to get the plots filled.  12 months later there is a huge waiting list and everyone are now being restricted to maximum 400 sq metre per household, multiple plots are no longer allowed, and some are being asked to give up half their plot to help reduce the waiting list  :blink: 

[Rangerkris]

3 days for mine due to it being in such a mess and knowing what i was taking on. Its been worth every bit of work there so far and going to get better.