V.R.A.S. RULES 2019
General Rules
Rents are to be paid annually in advance. The renewal date is 1 January. Members must inform the Secretary in writing of any change in postal address, telephone number(s) or email address.
Plots are to be used as allotment gardens only. With written permission of the Committee, rabbits and hens may be kept but the size and materials for housing them are subject to Town Council and Committee agreement (section 12, Allotments Act 1950 refers). No other animals may be kept.
Plots are to be cultivated and, together with adjoining paths, be kept reasonably clear of weeds. Allowance will be made for exceptional weather conditions or extended illness at the Committee’s discretion. Members who neglect their plots for more than a month will be asked to agree an action plan for cultivation. If a reasonable standard is not maintained the Committee reserves the right, after due written warning, to withdraw plots.
Plots may not be sublet or transferred to other persons without the agreement of the Committee.
New members will be provided with a plot size of no more than 6 rods. Existing members may increase their plot size, at the Committee’s discretion, when there is no waiting list.
Each year the Committee shall organise work parties to tackle communal tasks for the upkeep of the site. Members will be notified of the dates of these work parties by email and by notices on the gates and veranda.
All members are expected to contribute a total of at least two hours of their time annually to these work parties. Members who do communal tasks between work parties, such as mowing communal areas and/or helping with the annual bonfire, shall be credited accordingly.
Any member who fails to contribute at least two hours in a given year shall pay a penalty surcharge of £10 on their membership fee the following year. However, the Committee may waive this penalty at its discretion for good cause shown.
No buildings (e.g. sheds, large polytunnels) are to be erected without the written agreement of the Committee. Sheds should be erected in designated spaces (not on plots), must display the member’s plot number and should be no more than 6ft by 6ft (approx. 2m x 2m). Guttering and water butts must be installed on all sheds to collect rain water for use on the plots. Sheds should be 4ft (1.3m) apart to allow for mowing. Polytunnels will normally be approved up to a ‘standard’ size of approx. 6ft by 9ft (i.e. 2m x 3m).
Safety on site is paramount. Members have a duty of care to other members and visitors. Particular attention should be paid to the following:
Pathways abutting plots must be mown to at least half their width. Edges must be cut to remain clearly visible so that people do not trip and fall. Paths must be maintained at a minimum of 24 inches (0.6m) wide and re-instated if they fall below that width. Deep drops at the edge of plots should be avoided. Pathways should be kept free of obstructions or overhanging plants. The plot holder may be considered liable if an accident is caused by poor path maintenance.
Members’ own power-driven machines (e.g. mowers, strimmers, cutters) may be used but must be covered by the members’ own home insurance policy or separate cover obtained. It is preferable for members to store equipment in their own shed. However, if equipment is stored in the communal container, it is at the member’s own risk as the Society and its insurers can accept no responsibility.
Approval of the Committee must be sought by members prior to the use of weed killers of any kind. Any spraying must be supervised by a Committee member.
If corrugated iron is present on a plot, the edges must not be sharp or jagged; edges and corners must be rounded off or protected to prevent injury.
Barbed wire must not be used for fencing or for any other purpose. Glass is not allowed anywhere on the site and so should not be used for shed windows. Plastic, wire, nylon netting etc must be removed by the owner when no longer required.
Behaving as a good neighbour is just common sense so please ...
No annoyance must be caused to other plot holders or to the residents of the adjoining gardens or land. Any dispute between plot holders must be referred to the Committee whose decision will be final.
No boundary trees may be felled without approval of the Committee and, if necessary, of Haywards Heath Town Council.
Individual bonfires are not permitted. Occasional communal bonfires may be lit, either once or twice per year, at the Committee’s discretion.
Plot holders must have at least one working compost bin or heap. Garden waste from private property must not be brought onto the site unless it is for the plot holder’s own compost bin. Waste vegetation is not to be placed in, or adjacent to, surrounding hedges, fences, stream or culvert. Instead such vegetation should be composted on the member’s plot or removed completely from the site.
Plants or trees must not overhang pathways or boundaries with neighbouring plots. Trees must not be planted on individual plots without the prior written agreement of the Committee. If approved, trees should be on dwarf root stock and kept well pruned.
Dogs must not be brought onto the site unless on a leash and under full control at all times. The site should not be used for dog walking. Any mess must be removed by the dog owner immediately and disposed off-site.
Minerals, gravel or soil must not be removed from the allotment site.
Slow worms living on the site are an endangered species and plot holders should protect them. It is a criminal offence to kill them.
Any damage to plots or communal areas caused by vehicles coming on site must be put right by the plot holder involved.
Any posts or structures should not be concreted into the ground as doing so would cause nuisance to future plot holders.
Officers and agents of the Town Council and Mid Sussex District Council are entitled to inspect the allotment gardens when so directed by the Councils.
A metered water supply is provided to the site. The cost of the water is included in members’ rent. Members are expected to conserve water as far as possible to minimise this cost and so:
Members must install one or more water butts either on their plot or by their shed. All water butts must have a lid which is kept closed when unattended.
Butts should, whenever possible, be filled using rain water by means of guttering from a rain catcher, shed or greenhouse. This water must be used first.
Hose pipes may only be used to refill water butts during dry weather.
Produce must not be rinsed in communal water butts and every effort should be made to keep these butts clean and free from sediment.
Sadly, we live in a time where site security has to be maintained at all times and so:
Gates must be kept closed and locked when not in use. Keys are provided to members by the Committee only and new keys should not be cut by members. If ceasing to be a plot holder, members must surrender their key(s) back to the Committee.
Members should always be vigilant to prevent unauthorised persons entering the site. Please inform a Committee member of suspicious behaviour.
The Committee has the right to refuse admittance to any person other than members or their family, unless accompanied by a member or their family.
Any criminal offence such as vandalism or theft must be reported by the member directly to the police to obtain a crime report number. The police will not accept reports from the Committee.
And finally
If there is any dispute or ambiguity about the meaning of any of the above rules, the Committee shall decide and apply its interpretation, which shall be final.
