Allotments
Allotments in Swale
Allotments are a great place to grow your own produce, whether its fresh fruit, vegetables or flowers, free of pesticides and chemicals. Allotment gardening is a very efficient form of exercise, a couple of hours a week spent digging, raking, planting and weeding increases strength, flexibility and muscle tone as well as burning off excess calories.
Swale Borough Council has 13 allotment sites, 4 in Faversham, 5 in Sittingbourne, 2 in Sheerness and 2 in Queenborough. The majority of the sites are run by self management groups. There are also allotment sites run by Parish Councils. Details of Parish Clerks.
Faversham Allotments
View the Faversham Allotments Location Map
| No. | Location | Responsibility/ Contact | Plots | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stonebridge Ponds | Stonebridge Ponds Allotment Society Mr B Clayton (Secretary) 62 Westgate Road Faversham Kent ME13 8HE |
83 | Full |
| 2 | North Preston | North Preston Allotment Society Mr Ian Castle (Chairperson) 61 Goldfinch Close Faversham ME13 7EP |
14 | Full |
| 3 | Millfield | Millfield Allotment Society Mrs S Todd (Chairperson) 54 Cheyney Road Faversham Kent ME13 8DG |
68 | Full |
| 4 | St Nicholas Road | Swale Borough Council Swale House East Street Sittingbourne Kent ME10 3HT01795 417850 (Customer Service Centre) |
0 |
Currently unavailable |
Sittingbourne Allotments
View the Sittingbourne Allotments Location Map
| No. | Location | Responsibility/ Contact | Plots | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Riddles Road North and South | Sittingbourne Allotment Holders and Gardeners Society Mrs Pauline Clark |
146 | Full |
| 6 | Bayford Court | Sittingbourne Allotment Holders and Gardeners Society Mrs Pauline Clark |
40 | Full |
| 7 | Staplehurst Road | Swale Borough Council Swale House East Street Sittingbourne Kent ME10 3HT 01795 417850 (Customer Service Centre) |
10 | Full |
| 8 | Homewood Avenue | Swale Borough Council Swale House East Street Sittingbourne Kent ME10 3HT 01795 417850 (Customer Service Centre) |
4 | Full |
| 9 | East Hall Farm | Swale Borough Council Swale House East Street Sittingbourne Kent ME10 3HT 01795 417850 (Customer Service Centre) |
28 | Full |
Isle of Sheppey Allotments
View the Isle of Sheppey Allotment Location Map
| No. | Location | Responsibility/ Contact | Plots | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Park Avenue, Queenborough | Swale Borough Council Swale House East Street Sittingbourne Kent ME10 3HT 01795 417850 (Customer Service Centre) |
20 | Full |
| 11 | Coronation Crescent, Queenborough | Swale Borough Council Swale House East Street Sittingbourne Kent ME10 3HT 01795 417850 (Customer Service Centre) |
6 | 100% uptake |
| 12 | Medway Road, Sheerness | Sheppey Horticultural Society Mrs S Underhill 41 Swale Avenue Queenborough Isle of Sheppey ME11 5JX |
123 | 80% uptake |
| 13 | Nursery Close, Sheerness | Sheppey Horticultural Society Mrs S Underhill 41 Swale Avenue Queenborough Isle of Sheppey ME11 5JX |
90 | Full |
Allotment Fees
View our most up to date Allotment Fees and Charges.
History of Allotments
The origins of allotments can be traced back to Elizabethan times, where pieces of common land were allotted to individuals -"a portion of land or a field given to a cottager for their personal use".
Allotments as we know them now began to evolve during Victorian times, due to high density housing and the need to "provide an alternative to drink and other unworthy pursuits of the poor".
During the two world wars, there was a huge growth in the number of allotments, as they were a major food provider. Following on from the Second World War and the end of rationing, allotments started to fall into decline.
Since the sixties and the evolution of modern farming techniques, food has become plentiful and inexpensive, leading to a decline on the popularity of allotments, so much so that in Britain, more than half of all allotments have been lost in the last forty years.
Recently, however, there has been renewed interest in allotment gardening.
