This document discusses the future of allotments in the UK and outlines a project to create an online allotment finder tool and map allotment locations and data across Greater Manchester. It notes that waiting lists for allotments are very long in some areas, with 350 people waiting up to 8 years for an allotment in Ashton Moss, Tameside. The project aims to collect allotment data from various sources and combine it to assess sustainability and map growing possibilities in Greater Manchester more accurately than existing incomplete data sources.

1. The Future of Allotments in the UK. Growing Manchester: an open data story Farida Vis University of Leicester [department of Media and Communication] fv12@le.ac.uk - @flygirltwo

2. The Future of Allotments in the UK: Part of a larger project With Yana Manyukhina (Leicester) Print media representation of allotments in UK press Local policy and tenancy agreements With Simon Faulkner (MMU) Heritage identities, return of The Diggers in times of economic crisis, Diggers festivals With the Open Knowledge Foundation (and Joao Cabrita) Allotment Finder – online tool to locate nearest allotment + info about waiting list, rent, water charges, discounts, other conditions

3. Allotment holder | ex committee member | McR based Political participation – (active) citizenship, voice and listening Everyday really useful open data Common land, the commons, openness, sharing with others Sustainable platform politics and local (data driven) journalism Social change – community engagement Local case studies – multiple angles Use of social media (online archiving – FB and YouTube)

4. Waiting list crisis (our local site) – Transition Town Kirby, Margaret Campbell Grow Your Own | Land Share initiative | guerrilla gardening | alleyway gardens Recent changes – rent increases, water rates, tenancy agreements Threat to the Allotment Act – Clause 23 (Very limited government consultation ) Localism Bill Limited media coverage

5. With Yana Manyukhina (Leicester) Print media representation of allotments in UK press Local policy and tenancy agreements

6. With Simon Faulkner (MMU) Heritage identities, return of The Diggers in times of economic crisis, Diggers festivals GerrardWinstanley Festival – Wigan, 10th of September 2011 Rediscovering local/personal history and heritage + fight the cuts

7. Ashton Allotment Action

8. 1996 – M60, land taken back by the Council. Given to local estate agent. Not yet returned to allotment stock. Public space? Now privately owned Space denied

9. Current waiting lists stats: 700 people on waiting lists for Tameside Council Allotments. Half (350) waiting for Ashton Moss – some as long as 8 years – A dormant creative public. ‘On St. George’s Day, Saturday 23rd of April, 2011, we started a Green Revolution in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Tameside, in the tradition of English Radical group The Diggers who during the period of the English Commonwealth, in 1649 reclaimed the common land of St. George’s Hill from the Lords of the Manor by digging and cultivating it.’ [www.bobsbackyard.co.uk/AAA] ‘…we invite others who are on the waiting list for allotments on Ashton Moss and anyone else who supports what we are doing to come and join us’ [ibid] ‘We call on the Council, as a matter of urgency to call a meeting of all of the people who are on their waiting list for an allotment on Ashton Moss, in order to facilitate the allocation of allotment association to administrate and manage the Ashton Allotment site. We call on Cordingleys to immediately hand over the allotment to Tameside Council as a matter of urgency’. [ibid]

10. The Diggers 1649 - 1651 GerrardWinstanley ‘Winstanley declared that: “true freedom lies where a man receives his nourishment and preservation, and that is in the use of the earth”. [ibid]

11. Saturday digs – food and drink provided

12. National and local media coverage The One Show, Radio 4, BBC Manchester

13. Open data & data journalism Allotment Finder – tool Open Knowledge Foundation | Data GM Local government – Trafford Council Really useful open data Everyday (trash, allotments, childcare) Finding the data (Data GM, FOI requests WhatDoTheyKnow.com, The Guardian data store) Finding stories in the data Data literacy Working together (Help Me Investigate)

14. Due to waiting list crisis and GYO popularity – new growing initiatives. Maps show availability

15. Mapping plots in Manchester – AMAS (incomplete) + Trafford (open data of allotment locations released by the council)

16. Collecting data = time consuming (mainly not available). Not precise

17. Assessing sustainability in Greater Manchester – mapping growing possibilities, resources + info with precise data

18. Trafford allotment (point data) mapped on Ordinance Survey ward boundaries

19. Trafford allotment (point data) mapped on Ordinance Survey ward boundaries

20. Trafford allotment (point data) - detail

21. Trafford allotment (point data) - detail

22. Assessing sustainability in Greater Manchester – mapping growing possibilities, resources + info with clean data Growing Manchester Combine efforts with existing organisations and initiatives

23. If interested, please get in touch Farida Vis – fv12@le.ac.uk @flygirltwo