Waiting lists for allotments have almost doubled in the past 12 years.
The most recent figures, obtained by independent artists and supported by Greenpeace through freedom of information requests, show there are now at least 157,820 applications sitting on English local authorities’ allotment waiting lists, up 81% from 12 years ago when researchers found the figure was 86,787.
The research suggests the true figure could be 174,183.
The artists have demanded that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities provide more allotments, unveiling a 30m-long artwork before the department’s offices which spelled out “We the 174,183 demand allotments” in seeds and ash from burned portions of the Amazon rainforest.
