It may have taken nearly a decade but vegetable growers in Bromyard can breathe a sigh of relief now a set of allotments for the town are up and running.
The allotments, which are located on a patch of land near the village of Munderfield, just outside the town, were set up earlier this year and now have a healthy number of twelve tenants occupying the site.
But the project has not been without its problems which have delayed the opening of the site for a number of years and forced a number of local residents to wait.
Initially a piece of land at Broadbridge was deemed unsuitable for the project and even when another plot became available at Munderfield problems of vehicle access, parking, water supply and the lease agreement continued to dog the scheme.
Town Councillor Judi Wooland who headed the Allotment Working Party said: “I have been on the council for ten years and I started the project eight years ago at the request of someone in the town and I said I would try to find and find somewhere.
“I consulted with people and they said they did not mind going out of town.”
“When I started looking for a bit of ground, someone approached me who had a field at Munderfield. He said he was willing lease it but he would not agree to a five-year lease.”
It was this stipulation that prompted the town council to remove their support for the project, leaving Cllr Wooland to take on the project independently with the backing of the allotment association.
The association has leased the land until 2013 upon which they will seek another five-year agreement.
Cllr Wooland said: “The allotments are now up and running, we’ve got twelve people and we are all fully paid up, it’s a wonderful position and the soil is excellent.”
Two sheds are due to be constructed and a water supply has already been established.
“We have broad beans, leeks, swedes to name just some, it’s quite exciting to see because they have just gone out there and gone for it.”
The facilities put Bromyard on par with the likes of Leominster and Ledbury, both of whom have allotment facilities, although both projects encountered logistical issues.
