Rental charges for allotments in Barnet.

From 1st April  2008 until 31st March 2009 rent will be £5.40 per pole per year for Borough of Barnet residents and £10.80 per pole per year for non-residents.
Water charges where applicable will be £1.10 per pole per year for the same period.
There is a 50% reduction in the rent for all plot-holders aged 60 years and over for the first 10 poles only.
If you rent from a society which leases the whole of the site from the council, rents and water charges may vary slightly from the above.

What are Poles?
A Pole (or Rod or Perch) is a traditional old agricultural measure. It is a unit of length of 5½ yards or a unit of area of 5½ yards by 5½ yards or equivalent. The area measure is correctly called a Square Pole but it is usually abbreviated to plain "pole".
Rent is paid per (square) Pole.
A standard size plot of 10 x 30 yd is therefore equivalent to 10 poles.
If a standard plot is too large for you then you may be able to rent a half plot at 5 poles or occasionally even a quarter plot at 2½ poles. A quarter plot is an excellent size to start with if you have no gardening experience and once your confidence increases you can rent more land, but such small plots are not always available.

Availability of plots
In Barnet there are over 4000 allotment plots at some 46 sites around the Borough, so you should have no problem renting an allotment in your area but there is much demand for allotments in the borough and of these 4000 plots less than 50 are vacant.
However don't let that put you off applying for a plot. Tenants come and go on a regular basis and while some sites do have extensive waiting lists, many will be able to accommodate you quite quickly.

The best time to take up a vacant plot is early autumn. This gives you ample time over the months before spring to prepare the plot. However this is not always possible and it is always worth making enquiries whatever the time of year. See the Allotment Site Finder for a list of sites in the borough.

Most allotments in Barnet have their own water supplies. Many have off-street parking, secure fencing, locking gates and hard roadways.
Many sites have trading huts where seeds, garden chemicals and canes can be bought, usually at competitive prices. Some will hire out rotovators to take the hard work out of digging.
Most sites already have their own toilets.

You can usually get permission to erect a shed or greenhouse on your plot. The maximum size allowed is 10 x 8 x 6.5 feet (LxWxH) on a 10 Pole plot and pro-rata for smaller plots.