Value of allotment land

Me and a friend share an allotment for a peppercorn rent. It is on a large nearby site of privately owned allotments, all belonging to different people, some of whom can't be traced. For this reason it is unlikely anyone will ever get planning permission for housing on the land, as happened to an adjacent piece of land.

Our allotment landlord owns about 6 plots altogether and has now offered us the opportunity to buy our plot. I haven't been told if he has mentioned a price.

Does anyone have any idea what the going rate is for allotment plots? It has no water supply, BTW.

I love having access to the site because it is a beautiful oasis in the city but I'm trying weigh up the pros and cons against likely outlay. There is a big demand for allotments on that site so it would probably be easy to sell on in the fullness of time.

Not sure if it would be easier to wait for a plot down on the council site which is less convenient but at least would have a nice tap!

Any comments?

 

This might be a question worth putting to NSALG (National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners) http://www.nsalg.org.uk/

I've never heard of single plots being sold before, just whole sites.

Steve...

 

I've known of a single 10 pole plot being sold to the owner of an adjoining house (that had a tiny garden) for about £10,000. As there's adjoining housing (especially if it borders plots) it could be worth more to the owners of those properties than to existing tenants.

 

I might pay that if I was offered a plot that could be incorporated into my garden. There are some adjacent houses which could access the plot through a back gate and across a lane. However, I assume we've been offered first because we have already been cultivating it for 8 or 10 years.