Residents frustrated by Richmond Council as allotments set to become cemetery

Residents are appalled by the lack of action taken by Richmond Council to prevent Teddington allotments from becoming a cemetery.

Shacklegate Lane Allotments has a history of over 120 years and while it was always set to become a burial site, this was supposed to be done over time. 

The proposal to extend the cemetery next to the allotments was granted in 1933, but the plans were only approved in December last year. 

Green Party councillor Caroline Wren said: “It is a great great shame to think about losing them.

“[The council] are choosing to prioritise the dead instead of the living. 

“Allotments tend to be the things that make people smile, even if they are not people that get involved.”

A petition signed by 1,700 people, which urged the council to consider other burial sites for the proposed cemetery and save the allotments, was presented at a meeting in March.

Yet although the meeting aimed to discuss the petition and vote on the outcome, no such vote was held and the decision to repurpose the allotments was confirmed. 

Jane Cowling, who presented the petition, said: “It is a vital lung of the area, it is not just about the community it gives, it is the environment space it gives.” 

Paul Cuff, an allotment holder of over 40 years, has been offered another allotment but will have to get the bus to his new patch, having previously walked to the current Shacklegate Lane site.

Cuff, 79, said: “The allotment definitely helps with being fit and healthy.

“Not only that, you are eating healthy.

“For eight months of the year, 90% of my fruit and veg comes off the allotment – all fresh and pretty much organic.

“They taste 10 times better than what you buy in the shops.”

The allotments not only offer a place to grow fresh and healthy food, but also boasts a diverse array of insects, animals and plants. 

Candy Taylor, from the Shacklegate Lane Allotment Association, said: “My children grew up making mud pies and painting live snail shells.

“It’s so close – it’s walking distance.”

Indeed, the allotments are very close to the local school Stanley Road School and recently hosted one primary class as they learnt about growing their own food. 

The plot also allows groups such as ex-addicts to get involved with growing. 

Cowling said: “The ex-addicts that come along really benefit.

“I chat with some of them over the fence and I have seen what it means to have some human interaction.” 

Terry Dickson, the National Allotment Society’s London regional representative and deputy chairman, added: “Allotments are, in my view, probably the most culturally, ethnically diverse activities you will find anywhere in any urban space.”

The council argued that under Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs rules, there is a net gain in biodiversity by repurposing the allotments as a burial site. 

A Richmond Council spokesperson said: “We understand how important the Shacklegate Lane allotments have been to our community – and this decision has not been taken lightly. 

“We’re focused on the cemetery remaining a green, welcoming, and accessible space for residents.”

The decision in Teddington comes as others in London boroughs such as Hounslow win their own battles in reclaiming their allotments.

Hounslow Council secured a 24-year lease to protect that plot in Isleworth after a 10-year long development battle. 

Anyone wanting more information or to support the project can visit the Shacklegate Lane allotments petition webiste.

Feature image: Paul Cuff