Council to examine leasing issues with allotments group

Kells Town Council will be a laughing stock if it cannot provide allotments for the people of the town, Cllr Tommy Grimes warned at a meeting of the council last week. "If the custodians of 300 acres of land for the people of Kells cannot give two to three acres to the allotments committee, we will be a laughing stock," he said. At last week's monthly council meeting, area manager Brendan McGrath gave a commitment to meet with the allotment committee to try to resolve a number of issues involved in leasing the land to the committee. He said he was reasonably confident that he could come back to the next meeting with proposals. The future of the proposed Kells allotments were put in doubt last month when councillors heard that the initial set-up costs would be around €30,000 and that the council would either have to take on much of the cost itself or the allotments would cost over €800 each. At last week's meeting, the cathaoirleach, Cllr Brian Curran, said the councillors had met with the allotments committee which wanted the council to lease them four acres of land, on the same basis as farmers lease it, and the committee would divide the land into allotments itself. He said the cost of any work carried out on the allotments would be covered by the allotments committee and it would put in a system of rainwater harvesting. Cllr Tommy Grimes said the committee proposed that it take the land for 11 months and this could be reviewed and extended for another 11 months if it was running well. "It is the proper time to do it, now that unemploymen is rife. The land is there. The elected representatives believe the allotment committee should let the land on the same basis as farmers and there are 32 to 34 people looking for something to do in their spare time," he said. Cllr Oliver Sweeney said the land could be leased to the committee and this could be reviewed after 11 months "An allotment scheme would be useful for people to provide for themselves," he said. Cllr Conor Ferguson said that allotments would be great for unemployed people as they would at least know that they would have food on the table. Cllr Sean Drew pointed out that for the council to provide the allotments, the cost would be prohibitive. He was impressed with the ideas put forward by the committee and he suggested providing the land for 11 months. "If it is a success, it is a success, and if it isn't, we can't be accused of not giving them the opportunity," he said. Cllr Bryan Reilly said the council should look at the proposal very carefully. Cllr Frankie Lynch recalled when there were allotments in Loyd 40 years ago, there hadn't been any fencing. People had their drills and looked after them. "Our only hope is to sit down tonight and get this started," he said. Area manager Mr McGrath said that if the solution was to give the ground to the committee, he would have to sit down with the town clerk and engineer and the allotments committee to resolve a number of issues. "My primary duty is to protect the lands at Loyd," he told councillors. He warned that long-term leasing of land was tanatamount to giving part of it away. He explained that one reason they would have to sit down with the allotments committee was that, if it went ahead with an 11-month letting, they would have to decide a named individual to lease it to, what health and safety regime would be in place and who would take out insurance. Mr McGrath said that the planning department had told the council that planning permission would also be required. Town clerk Jarlath Flanagan said that legal advice received on the matter suggested that a lottery be held each year for individual allotments so that holders wouldn't be taking the same plot each year, which would give them proprietry rights, He said the local group would have to provide proof of finance for the set-up costs. Cllr Brian Collins said they couldn't keep putting obstacles up and pointed out that the council did not look into the finances of all groups leasing from them. Cllr Grimes said the allotments committee could go a short distance out the road and get land from a farmer, but if they did that, the council would be a laughing stock. "The people of Kells have the right to this land, as well as farmers," he said. Mr McGrath undertook to meet with the allotments committee as soon as possible.