Welcome to our website - we hope you find it interesting. We hope you will read through to give you a flavour of our site or to keep yourself informed about any developments.
About us.
Halls Farm Allotment Gardens is situated off Milk Street to the north of Bromley. The Bromley North railway line borders the site on one side and Sundridge Park golf course and the Green Chain Walk on the other and the site is surrounded by trees, making it a quiet, peaceful place. It has its own small woodland area, a stream running through it and a natural pond, and is a green and wildlife friendly place.
About us.
Halls Farm Allotment Gardens is situated off Milk Street to the north of Bromley. The Bromley North railway line borders the site on one side and Sundridge Park golf course and the Green Chain Walk on the other and the site is surrounded by trees, making it a quiet, peaceful place. It has its own small woodland area, a stream running through it and a natural pond, and is a green and wildlife friendly place.
There are excellent on site facilities including parking for several cars, a toilet block, a small communal kitchen with first aid box, a larger kitchen (which carries a £5 key charge) and a wheelbarrow store. We have a small shop run by a volunteer selling basic essentials at cost prices, e.g. bagged manure, string, canes, organic fertilisers and weed membrane. In the Spring there are seed potatoes, shallots and garlic and orders can be placed by email or text.
We have a local tree surgeon that drops off bark chippings for mulching and making paths between beds and there is a Mower & Strimmer scheme which is staffed by a volunteer. After a demo of how to use the strimmers and mowers and a small payment, which goes towards fuels and maintenance, members can have a key and access the equipment at any time.
In 2019 Halls Farm Allotment Gardens became a Limited Company in line with most of Bromley’s allotments and all plot holders became members of the Company on signing the agreement. All members have a financial liability of £1. We are also members of the overarching organisation of Bromley Allotments and Leisure Gardens Ltd.
All new plots are half plots, typically about 100 sq metres, with a tenancy fee of £10, which goes towards the utilities and facilities, and a rental of 40p per sq. metre, totalling £50 for the year. On joining the Company and taking on a plot, there is a £50 refundable deposit payable which will be returned providing the tenant leaves the plot clear of rubbish and in a rentable condition. If the initial costs of taking on a plot are too much there can be a discussion about making payments in instalments over the probationary period of 6 months.
The Halls Farm site is one of the most diverse in Bromley and we welcome the opportunity to celebrate this during our on-site events. The site has social areas with picnic tables that people use, or have supervised BBQ’s for friends and family, either on those or on their own plots. We are working to develop the biodiversity of the site by improving the stream and natural pond areas and other small areas on the site. We work hard to make this a welcoming and friendly site and it is expected that new plot holders will contribute to that spirit. There is a WhatsApp group where we share information about plants, etc.
We have Community days 3 times a year for tidying and working on the whole site. It is a large site and takes a lot of work from everyone to keep it in a good state of repair – we’re all volunteers! Practical jobs required can be mowing/strimming, building and repairing, cleaning, painting, and weeding, all followed by a jolly communal lunch. On the autumn Community day a BBQ and prize giving, based on plot holders’ votes, takes place. If someone can’t make a work day they volunteer to do a job at a more convenient time.
We regard having an allotment on such a lovely site a real privilege, but it is worth pointing out that it is NOT a garden - it can be physically demanding, especially in February rain and summer drought and the expectation is that you will do the work yourself or with a friend/family member if you apply jointly. It can’t be done in just a couple of hours once a month…it takes regular work especially in the first year or two.
Plot Inspections
The Committee has a responsibility to L.B. Bromley to ensure that all plots are rented, are in active cultivation and are safe to work on. It also has a responsibility to all plot holders to ensure that no plot is a problem to neighbours due to it being weed infested. The Committee has a duty to cancel the tenancy of any plot holder, if after due warning, their plot is not cultivated to an acceptable standard or they have abused the Site Rules and Conditions of Tenancy.
Plot inspections are carried out by Committee members usually in Spring, Summer & Autumn. They look at the percentage of the plot being actively cultivated, degree of out of control weeds, the safety of the path to the right of the plot and check on rubbish on the plot. We discourage plastic or carpets. A notice is sent to any tenant whose plot is causing problems with clear targets set. A follow up check on these plots takes place a month later. If targets are not met and insufficient progress is made after 3 plot inspections, the tenancy will be cancelled. The plot will be taken back and rented to the next person on the Waiting List. The Committee is always reluctant to take this action and will only do it as a last resort after discussions with the plot holder/s. There is a useful guide to how plot inspections are conducted on the website, with an example of the notice. The probationary Plot Inspection takes into account that it takes time to bring a plot up to standard.
The Committee.
The Committee is elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of tenants in the Spring. All plot holders are eligible to vote and stand for election to the Committee. A maximum of 10 people are on the Committee. The names and responsibilities of the current Committee are displayed on the noticeboards at both ends of the site.
The volunteer Committee members are responsible for the smooth running of the site and consult and respond to the plot holders wherever practicable. The Committee is focused on the admin of the Company and the site and the more practical work of repairs and maintenance is delivered by plot holders themselves using the pool of skills.
Responsibilities include:
We have a local tree surgeon that drops off bark chippings for mulching and making paths between beds and there is a Mower & Strimmer scheme which is staffed by a volunteer. After a demo of how to use the strimmers and mowers and a small payment, which goes towards fuels and maintenance, members can have a key and access the equipment at any time.
In 2019 Halls Farm Allotment Gardens became a Limited Company in line with most of Bromley’s allotments and all plot holders became members of the Company on signing the agreement. All members have a financial liability of £1. We are also members of the overarching organisation of Bromley Allotments and Leisure Gardens Ltd.
All new plots are half plots, typically about 100 sq metres, with a tenancy fee of £10, which goes towards the utilities and facilities, and a rental of 40p per sq. metre, totalling £50 for the year. On joining the Company and taking on a plot, there is a £50 refundable deposit payable which will be returned providing the tenant leaves the plot clear of rubbish and in a rentable condition. If the initial costs of taking on a plot are too much there can be a discussion about making payments in instalments over the probationary period of 6 months.
The Halls Farm site is one of the most diverse in Bromley and we welcome the opportunity to celebrate this during our on-site events. The site has social areas with picnic tables that people use, or have supervised BBQ’s for friends and family, either on those or on their own plots. We are working to develop the biodiversity of the site by improving the stream and natural pond areas and other small areas on the site. We work hard to make this a welcoming and friendly site and it is expected that new plot holders will contribute to that spirit. There is a WhatsApp group where we share information about plants, etc.
We have Community days 3 times a year for tidying and working on the whole site. It is a large site and takes a lot of work from everyone to keep it in a good state of repair – we’re all volunteers! Practical jobs required can be mowing/strimming, building and repairing, cleaning, painting, and weeding, all followed by a jolly communal lunch. On the autumn Community day a BBQ and prize giving, based on plot holders’ votes, takes place. If someone can’t make a work day they volunteer to do a job at a more convenient time.
We regard having an allotment on such a lovely site a real privilege, but it is worth pointing out that it is NOT a garden - it can be physically demanding, especially in February rain and summer drought and the expectation is that you will do the work yourself or with a friend/family member if you apply jointly. It can’t be done in just a couple of hours once a month…it takes regular work especially in the first year or two.
Plot Inspections
The Committee has a responsibility to L.B. Bromley to ensure that all plots are rented, are in active cultivation and are safe to work on. It also has a responsibility to all plot holders to ensure that no plot is a problem to neighbours due to it being weed infested. The Committee has a duty to cancel the tenancy of any plot holder, if after due warning, their plot is not cultivated to an acceptable standard or they have abused the Site Rules and Conditions of Tenancy.
Plot inspections are carried out by Committee members usually in Spring, Summer & Autumn. They look at the percentage of the plot being actively cultivated, degree of out of control weeds, the safety of the path to the right of the plot and check on rubbish on the plot. We discourage plastic or carpets. A notice is sent to any tenant whose plot is causing problems with clear targets set. A follow up check on these plots takes place a month later. If targets are not met and insufficient progress is made after 3 plot inspections, the tenancy will be cancelled. The plot will be taken back and rented to the next person on the Waiting List. The Committee is always reluctant to take this action and will only do it as a last resort after discussions with the plot holder/s. There is a useful guide to how plot inspections are conducted on the website, with an example of the notice. The probationary Plot Inspection takes into account that it takes time to bring a plot up to standard.
The Committee.
The Committee is elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of tenants in the Spring. All plot holders are eligible to vote and stand for election to the Committee. A maximum of 10 people are on the Committee. The names and responsibilities of the current Committee are displayed on the noticeboards at both ends of the site.
The volunteer Committee members are responsible for the smooth running of the site and consult and respond to the plot holders wherever practicable. The Committee is focused on the admin of the Company and the site and the more practical work of repairs and maintenance is delivered by plot holders themselves using the pool of skills.
Responsibilities include:
- Annual collection of tenancy renewals and rents each year
- Managing the budget, paying for utilities and L.B Bromley, insurances and membership fees and financial returns to Companies House
- Organising the Annual General Meeting and publishing the Budget and development plan
- Managing the Waiting list and renting out plots
- Plot inspections and ensuring all plots are safe and cultivated
- Organising the cleaning and maintenance of buildings
- Organising the Community work days
- Organising Community events including the annual prizes
- Liaising and attending meetings of the Bromley Allotments & Gardens Ltd
- Liaising with Bromley’s landscaping company IDverde and Network rail as needed
- Ensuring that Site Rules & Conditions of Tenancy are observed by all tenants
- Sending out emails, newsletters and updating the website to provide information for plot holders