Tenants of city’s oldest allotment ordered off plots

The tenants of Bath’s oldest allotment have been ordered to leave their plots after the site’s landowner cut ties with the council.
Combe Down Allotment has been in action for 130 years, but 64 allotment holders are now being served a notice to leave by October 2025.
Bath & North East Somerset Council leases the site, but has been told it must quit the land.
Campaign group Save Combe Down Allotments has made national headlines in its fight to save the site.
In a Facebook statement following the eviction news, it said: “And it’s official, we have been served notice and have one more growing season left until we have to leave so let’s make the most of it!
“We will not give up hope that something can be done to save this historic allotment site. We have no idea what the landowner is planning to do with the site if nothing can be done to prevent the eviction happening.”
Bath & North East Somerset Council has said it’s still working on negotiations with the landowner, in the hope of buying the site – but all requests for a meeting have been declined by his solicitor.
Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “We are extremely disappointed to have to send a notice to quit to our allotment holders.
“This is not the outcome the council desires. Our preferred option is the purchase of the site which we will continue to work towards in our negotiations with the landowner.”
Letters to allotment holders say the council’s interest in the allotment site in the absence of any other circumstances prevailing will come to an end on November 30, 2025.
Allotment holders are being asked to leave their plots by October 31, 2025, to allow enough time for the council to reinstate the land as required by the terms of its own lease.
Earlier this year the council wrote to allotment holders setting out the complex legal situation and its commitment to remain on the site.
It’s since added the allotment to its list of Assets of Community Value because of campaigning from Save Combe Down Allotments – this gives the council greater power in its bid to buy the site.
The landowner has previously been contacted for a response but said they had no comment to make.