This is the full draft charter as proposed by Christina which was discussed at the CHAS meeting on the 1st September 2021.
My initial response as Chair of CHAS to Christina was as follows
Many thanks for the proposed Charter.
It is certainly something that I will give my support to.
As you say there will be some opposition to some of the elements which may need to be phased in – it is our intention to be peat free by 2022. I take this as an example because we already stock and sell peat free compost, but it is still relatively expensive and members still ask for the normal multi-purpose compost. Hopefully the Government will ban its use and everyone will have to go peat free.
It will in the end be a choice that members make, because if we do not stock multi-purpose compost they will go somewhere else and the loss of income will affect our ability to finance our charitable objectives.
I believe items 2,3 4 are already carried out.
Item 5 may cause problems because there is not room by all water taps on sites to enable a dipping tank to be installed. The Council would have to agree to this and there would be cost implications. Our members would also need to be consulted and persuaded to give up their hosepipes. I have never seen a sprinkler being used and these would be prohibited under the new Council Regulations.
Item 6 has already been addressed with a recent change in supplier. A replacement building is a non-starter. We have a limited life lease from the Council and the building can only ever be temporary. Plus the cost would be prohibitive.
Item 7. I speak to Jim Buchan on a weekly basis about letting plots. He has recently lost another member of staff. I have volunteered to take over the waiting lists and allocate the vacant plots. I have also impressed upon him the need to be more assertive with those tenants who do not maintain their plots.
Members will be asked for their views on the proposed Charter before we take the matters further. It is, at the end of the day the views of members which we must take into consideration. Without their support we will not be able to survive as a Society. I think the positive response from the Committee during the discussion on the Charter was encouraging. Your timescale of agreement by the COP26 on the 31st October 2021 is somewhat optimistic.
There seems to be a number of strings for comments, some of which overlap. With regard to the Climate Change charter, is it possible to have a bonfire party without a bonfire? (See similar comment on alternative string). Surely the carbon released by this goes against the spirit of the charter. If a fund raiser is desired at this time of year, why not a harvest supper, to celebrate the produce of our plots, a chance to socialise and fund raise without adding to carbon emissions and air pollution. It also complies with allotment rules of no bonfires. Bonfire stacks are well known as a potential hibernation destination for hedgehogs, so the wood could provide winter shelter and also a habitat for various beneficial mini beasts as well as hedgehogs. Ban matches and peat based compost, move forward.
The bonfire night is a tradition which has been going on for many years and has given some plot holders, especially those who do not have transport, the opportunity to dispose of their woody waste material. It is not meant as a fund raiser.
I understand the bonfire is built almost immediately before the event to avoid the circumstances you mention and are concerned about.
I will bring the matter to the attention of the Committee.
The problem with banning bonfires completely (including November 5th) is that there is no alternative solution for some waste. Not everyone can load all their waste into their car, book a slot at the local recycling and take it there (and of course car usage is to be discouraged). Even if you compost nearly everything, bindweed, gooseberry cuttings, etc are not suitable for composting. Even if we had a communal shredding area, it would be hard for many to lug their waste the distance. There are many more pollutant things than the occasional bonfire.
Peat sales, however, are another matter, and I reiterate that we should be concluding this once we have sold off our last current sacks of peat.
Great initiative. Banning peat is a no-brainer.
Could CHAS be clear on the use on bonfires? They should be banned outright in my view – not only bad for CO2 but also for air pollution.
Can it also include the bio-diversity crisis – can we make the Chiswick Allotment the most bio-diverse eco-system possible with encouragement of beehives, associated planting and ponds – and to help those hedgehogs move from Chiswick House!
Getting rid of some green waste is a problem particularly for those of us who don’t have cars- is their appetite for a communal shredder. This also would help reduce the temptation for some to have bonfires.
Can guidance be given on what is acceptable usage of water, as part of the water-wise objective. Some allotments leave hoses on to drench plants often for several hours per visit and have limited knowledge of wise-water usage. This is worse than leaving a sprinkler on in my book!
Ollie
Hello Ollie,
Many thanks for your comments and interest in the matter.
In relation to the use and sale of peat free compost, CHAS has started to pot up all the plants it grows into peat free compost. We trialled its use for some of our autumn bedding plants alongside peat compost and found no difference in its effectiveness. We are researching a peat free compost than can be used to sow seeds. As you can appreciate it will take time to wean our members off peat compost onto peat free compost and our aim is to achieve this by the end of 2022.
In relation to bee keeping, there are hives on all sites and members are encouraged to have them if they want to. the Councils allotment rules currently prohibits pond but there are several on all sites. The rules are in the process of being revised and there has been consultation with other allotment sites in the Borough in relation to this. One area of concern is safety, where children are on allotment sites. You may be aware that we recently participated in a scheme with the ZSL to monitor the number of hedgehogs on our sites and the results were published in our newsletter. it is hoped that this will make our members more aware of the need to be hedgehog friendly.
Bonfires and BBQ, s are still prohibited on all sites and the rules on these form part of the current revision of Council rules. I personally subscribe to the Councils Green waste recycling scheme and take home any waste that cannot be composted.
The use of a communal shredder throws up all sorts of safety problems and I know some sites in the borough have investigated their use and decided it causes more problems, such as where do you site it, who supervises its use, how do you transport it from site to site. The Council do not have the resources to operate one.
The use of hosepipes, again part of the revision of Council rules. If the use of a hosepipe is being abused, it needs to be reported to the council along with any photographic evidence, otherwise we get into a he said she said situation and and then Council will not take any action. CHAS are not the enforcement agency on what the Council tenants do on their plots. we can only advise and encourage social responsibility amongst our members.
Dennis
Thanks Dennis
Great to clarify bonfire use as previously I was advised they are sometimes acceptable
My comment on biodiversity was to make a explicit commitment in the charter to the bio-diversity crisis as well as the climate emergency.
Can it be called a ‘Charter to address the climate and bio-diversity crisis’?
Peat – I am with Monty!
https://twitter.com/TheMontyDon/status/1449323469896826881?s=20
On water usage i had assumed some hose pipe usage would be tolerated in the new rules but it is difficult to photograph excessive use and is confrontational – my comment was really about giving really clear guidance to people about what is acceptable usage if hoses become tolerated.
The purpose of the charter is to make a change to the status quo. My belief is that we should, as a society, take a lead and make changes that actually contribute positively to the reduction in CO2.
The elimination of peat sales is the single most important element of the charter, I think we should be bolder and say we will be peat free by the end of 2022. B&Q had stated they will stop selling peat in 2023, Dobbies say they will be peat free by the end of this year. Hillier’s state they will remove the last 5% of peat by 2022. In a Wildlife Trust survey noted that several retailers are price matching peat free composts thus eliminating the financial incentive to buy peat compost.
It would seem bizarre to me that we could end up as the last place to buy peat compost in the area! I understand that the society is very dependant on sales from the trading hut, but we are going to have to address this in 2024 when the government bad peat sales – why not be ahead of the curve?
I agree with these proposals. If we wish to claim we are at the forefront of action against climate change we cannot continue to encourage the use of peat. Why not at least make the peat more expensive, so those who are still addicted no longer have a price incentive. If they go to B&Q, so be it. Our aims are to promote responsible horticulture, not to make a profit at all costs.
Dipping butts shd be the responsibility of individual plot holders.
People do use sprinklers. They should not, signage should emphasise this.
By removing half the taps a few years ago the council made it impossible for many of us to carry our cans so far; hence the use of hose pipes. People should be encouraged to use them as infrequently as possible.
Hello Karen,
Thank you for your comments which have only just been brought to my attention , so I apologise for the delay in replying.
It would appear that our only point of disagreement is the use of peat free compost. As I have said in other replies to the matter, in an ideal world we would only sell peat free compost and to hell with the consequences. But we need the income from our members to facilitate all our charity work and we do not attract grants from other organisations to help us. Crocus who are major player in the horticulture industry are aiming to go fully peat free by 2025 in their plant production. We have experimented with the use of peat free and found it is not suitable for seed sowing but can be used successfully for potting on. We will continue to trial this with other plants over the coming season and it may be that this is the future, although the plants we sell may be slightly more expensive. We will keep members informed of our work and perhaps we can install a sense of urgency amongst them to use peat free compost in the same way. It is interesting to note that although the government is under pressure to introduce a ban on peat based compost by 2025 they have not legislated for it yet.
I support the Charter as written but believe that in one regard it should go further.
Given the widespread man-made damage to peat lands and their recognised environmental importance, shouldn’t CHAS stop selling peat free compost immediately rather than wait for the government to act?
Our cost and lost income issues are minor in comparison to the damage being caused.
Hello David,
Many thanks for your comments and interest in the matter.
CHAS has sold peat free compost for some time now but the demand is vey small. It is accepted that eventually all compost will be peat free. The sale from our current compost helps us to provide schools, places of worship and therapeutic gardens with bulbs and plants etc., which encourages them in the enjoyment that horticulture can bring into their lives and gives them a feeling of wellbeing.
We have been told several times that if we only stocked the more expensive peat free compost, members would go to Homebase, B&Q and other outlets to get their supplies and other purchases at the same time. As peat based compost is phased out, it is anticipated that the cost of peat free will come down and this mindset will change.
Where do we draw the moral line of stopping to sell peat based compost, which I agree is not ideal, and stopping the supply of our free gardening produce to others who get great satisfaction and well-being from being able to enjoy the benefits of horticulture.
Regards
Dennis.
Is replacing the CHAS hut necessary, surely there’s a less expensive way to make it more eco friendly. That’s a lot of money proposed to spend on 1 site whereas that money could be equally distributed between the sites for the benefit of everyone. I’m sure there would be a lot of suggestions for fair use of this money.
Regards
Pam
Hello Pam,
Thanks for your comments and interest in the matter.
There is no intention of replacing the Trading Centre. The cost would be prohibitive and the Council would not permit a permanent structure to be erected on a site which is allocated for Burials in the future.
We are currently looking at the possibility of obtain grants to install solar panels to help with our energy costs.
Regards
Dennis.
I am confused by the reference to hosepipes and consulting/persuading members to abandon their use. My understanding was that they are specifically banned by the council on allotments and that was part of the reasoning behind installing the current taps on allotment sites, which make the attachment of hoses impossible. Attaching a hose to the current taps would be a potentially selfish act, since other plot holders would have to wait for access to water.
Hello Myra.
Thank you for your comments. It is true that currently the Council do prohibit the use of hosepipes on sites but you know, as well as I do that probably over 80% of plot-holders do use a hosepipe.
The Council turn a blind eye to this because they take what is seen as a realistic point of view, that some plot-holders are of an age and physical infirmity that they would find it extremely difficulty to water their plots with a watering can. You could take the attitude that if they cannot water without using a hosepipe they should not have an allotment in the first place. Just remember that everyone gets old and may suffer from ailments that makes watering with a can difficult. Should they be evicted, notwithstanding they may have had their plots for over 20 years?
The other question is of enforcement. Who is supposed to enforce a hosepipe ban. The Council certainly do not have the resources and it is not the responsibility of CHAS.
I have not been made aware that what happens at present, has caused any problems.
Regards
Dennis.