Final victory for allotment holders in long running fight against Duke of Northumberland as LB Hounslow secures lease

Park Road Allotments, Isleworth

Park Road Allotments’ future secured as Council signs lease for at least 24 years

The long-term future of Park Road Allotments in Isleworth has been secured after Hounslow Council signed an agreement with the Northumberland Estates, to lease the land and preserve it as allotments.

The land the allotments are on has been the subject of a battle between the allotment holders and Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland, for the past ten years. It is part of the Duke’s Grade I-listed Syon Park estate in Hounslow but has been in use as allotments by local people since 1917, when the allotments were vital for the survival of families whose menfolk were wounded in the First World War.

The Duke wanted to develop the land to build residential flats when the previous lease ran out in 2015 but local residents put up a strong case for Park Road Allotments’ preservation as important community heritage.

Ruth Cadbury MP joined local councillor Salman Shaheen in a chorus of opposition from a wide coalition from community members, allotment holders, and local organisations. LB Hounslow’s Planning Committee voted overwhelmingly to reject plans to build 80 properties on the three-acre site in October 2021.

READ ALSO: Park Rd Allotments development rejected by Hounslow planners

Northumberland Estates appealed the decision, and it went to a Public Inquiry, which they also lost.

READ ALSO: Duke of Northumberland loses bid to build on green space in Isleworth

The Planning Inspectorate rejected the plans on grounds that it would harm protected local open space and heritage assets, and would be detrimental to allotment provision in an area where demand outstripped supply.

Park Road Allotments, Isleworth

“As much as we need places to live, we also need quality of life” – Cllr Salman Shaheen

The Duke of Northumberland is one of a handful of aristocrats richer than the King, with a net worth estimated at £370 million. He also owns Alnwick Castle and 120,000 acres in Northumberland and the Albury Estate in Surrey.

The importance of the allotments to local people was highlighted recently during the Covid pandemic, as a place where people without gardens could get outside for their physical and mental health.

The long lease will see the management of the site in Isleworth return to Hounslow Council for at least the next 24 years. It will give current allotment holders the security to grow fruit and vegetables on plots some have tended for decades, and will allow the Council to restore the site, re-let vacant plots to alleviate its allotment waiting list, and protect the abundance of wildlife and biodiversity.

Cllr Salman Shaheen

Cllr Salman Shaheen, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Public Spaces at Hounslow Council, said:

“We want to thank Northumberland Estates for working with us to secure a long-term future for Park Road Allotments. This historic agreement preserves a site tended by generations of plot holders and loved by the people of Isleworth for over a century. The Estates’ decision will be celebrated by residents and allotment holders alike.

Cllr Shaheen also thanked the Council Leader, Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, for showing the Council’s commitment to protecting the green spaces:

“As much as we need places to live, we also need quality of life and allotments bring so much joy to so many people. They are a green sanctuary, a little patch of paradise in our urban environment where people can come together to connect with nature, grow healthy food, and work land they can call their own.”

Cllr Salman Shaheen with allotment holders

A “haven” for wildlife

Stephen Hurton, Chair of Park Road Allotment Association, said:

“We are over the moon that the future of our local allotments has been secured for at least the next 24 years. It is a great resource, and now its future is secure, we look forward to continuing to grow fruit and vegetables, and welcoming new growers. We would like to thank Hounslow Council and our local councillors for their support, and Northumberland Estates for agreeing to lease the site to the council.”

Dr Val Snewin, Committee Member of the Isleworth Society, said:

“The Isleworth Society is delighted the future of the Park Road Allotment gardens is assured for the next 24 years, through this agreement between the Northumberland Estates and Hounslow Council.

“This will protect an area of local importance in Isleworth, a designated Asset of Community Value which the Isleworth Society has long campaigned for.

“In his ruling, the Planning Inspector recognised important heritage and history around the site, in the Riverside Conservation Area. This triangle of open green space benefits the local community, providing recreation and food-growing, as well as being a haven for nature, providing habitat for protected species such as bats, badgers, hedgehogs and nesting birds.

“Over a thousand local residents showed their appreciation of this precious local asset while the site was under threat of housing development. The Isleworth Society welcomes the opportunity for wider community benefit now the future of Park Road Allotments is secured for the next quarter of a century.”

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