Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB Published: 25 July 2008
‘Dig in to save allotments’
ISLINGTON’S green-fingered MP Jeremy Corbyn has told a parliamentary debate that new rules are needed to safeguard allotments. The Islington member, who has an allotment in East Finchley, told a Westminster Hall debate of there was a “huge pressure” from developers and local authorities to “falsely reduce the demand for allotments”.
He said: “They should be doing their best to ensure that every new development includes some allotment space, particularly in densely built-up urban areas. That would increase the number of allotment spaces, not reduce them. It seems that the number is reducing at a time when demand is rising fast.”
He added: “People living in inner-London boroughs who could benefit from allotments often find them almost impossible to get.”