Allotments open for business - Telegraph For many city-dwellers, allotments have become a frustrating mirage: great in theory, impossible to get hold of in practice. The past few years have seen plenty of stories about long waiting lists, council closures and plots sold off for development, and rather fewer causes for optimism. Yet as National Allotments Week begins on Monday, with events around the country, all is not gloomy in the allotment world. According to a new study by the National Allotment Society and Transition Town West Kirby, published in July, waiting list figures have fallen 15 per cent in the past two years. The report surveyed 152,432 plots, at all 323 English principal authorities. It found that there are now 78,827 would-be plotters waiting for an allotment: that's 52 people per 100 plots. In 2011, when the last survey took place, there were 57 per 100 plots. So why have numbers fallen? There are certainly some myths knocking around the grow-your-own "community." One fantasy is that councils are selling off loads of plots to make ends meet. All the allotment groups I spoke to said that this has more-or-less stopped, because there is so much pressure on councils to keep plots as growing spaces. What's more, their allotments are now productive and not the neglected spaces they were a decade ago. In fact, many councils are expanding their holding of allotments: over the past two years, 51 councils have created a total of 2,000 new plots, or 30 hectares of growing space across 65 new sites. Another myth is that recent immigrants are causing longer waiting lists. I've found little evidence of this. In Boston, Lincolnshire, for example, where nearly five per cent of the population is Polish, waiting lists have fallen (though prices per plot per year are going up). In reality, two seasons of bad weather may have put off some newcomers. And for others, the recovering economy is making growing their own food less of an imperative. More surprisingly, perhaps, councils have become more efficient. Budget cuts have meant that more sites are now under self-management. Zealous committee members are quicker to evict allotment-holders who aren't pulling their weight, meaning much faster turnover of plots. This local approach means that some areas have shorter waiting lists than others. Either way, National Allotments Week could be the kick-start you need to realise that dream of your own plot. For more information about National Allotments Week (August 5-11), visit nsalg.org.uk For the full report on allotment waiting lists, visit transitiontownwestkirby.org.uk Long waiting lists Slough, Berks Harrow, Gtr London Camden, London NW1 Wirral, Merseyside Sunderland, Tyne & Wear Merton, Gtr London Shorter waiting lists Dacorum, Herts Thurrock, Essex Reigate, Surrey Middlesbrough, N. Yorks Epsom & Ewell, Surrey Boston, Lincs