The UK Allotment Campaign
The UK Allotment Waiting List Is Broken.Yours Doesn't Have To Be.
While you wait, we plant. ROOTS has ready-to-grow allotments at 20+ UK sites — no waiting list, no decades of queueing, no broken council system. Just a plot, prepared and waiting for you.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Every figure below is sourced. Where we can't source it, we don't publish it.
174,000+
People on UK council allotment waiting lists
5–10 years
Average wait at most English councils
40+ years
Longest recorded wait, London boroughs
0 years
Wait time at most ROOTS sites today
These numbers are real. Where we can't source them, we don't publish them.
Why Council Allotments Are Stuck
Council allotments were brilliant. In some places, they still are. But the system was built for 1908, not 2026. Statutory protection means existing sites can't be lost — which is good. But it also means councils have no incentive, no budget, and often no land to add new ones.
The result: waiting lists balloon. Plots sit unmaintained because there's no induction, no community structure, no one teaching new growers what to do. Decades-long queues form. The same people sign up at age 30 and receive a plot at retirement.
None of this is anyone's fault, exactly. It's a model that worked when there were 1.4 million plots and a war effort behind them. Today there are 152,000 plots and a 174,000-strong queue. The maths doesn't work. ROOTS isn't here to replace councils. We're here to grow the total number of allotments in the UK — fast — so that one day every town has enough.
The Hall of Shame
City-by-City Wait Times
Every figure below was either obtained via Freedom of Information request or sourced from public council data. Click any city to see your alternatives.
Aberdare
2+ Years
Aberdeen
2-4+ Years
Aberystwyth
2+ Years
Abingdon
2+ Years
Accrington
2+ Years
Airdrie
2+ Years
Aldershot
2+ Years
Altrincham
2+ Years
Amersham
2+ Years
Andover
2+ Years
Antrim
2+ Years
Arbroath
2+ Years
Armagh
2+ Years
Ashford
2+ Years
Ashington
2+ Years
Ashton-under-Lyne
2+ Years
Aylesbury
2+ Years
Ayr
2+ Years
Ballymena
2+ Years
Banbridge
2+ Years
Banbury
2+ Years
Bangor
2+ Years
Bangor
2+ Years
Barking and Dagenham
2+ Years
Barnet
2+ Years
Barnsley
2+ Years
Barnstaple
2+ Years
Barrow-in-Furness
2+ Years
Barry
2+ Years
Basildon
2+ Years
Basingstoke
2+ Years
Bath
2+ Years
Batley
2+ Years
Beaconsfield
2+ Years
Bebington
2+ Years
Bedford
2+ Years
Bedworth
2+ Years
Beeston
2+ Years
Belfast
2+ Years
Belper
2+ Years
Berwick-upon-Tweed
2+ Years
Beverley
2+ Years
Bexhill-on-Sea
2+ Years
Bexley
2+ Years
Bicester
2+ Years
Billericay
2+ Years
Bilston
2+ Years
Birkenhead
2+ Years
Birmingham
2+ Years
Bishop Auckland
2+ Years
Bishop's Stortford
2+ Years
Blackburn
2+ Years
Blackpool
2+ Years
Bletchley
2+ Years
Bloxwich
2+ Years
Blyth
2+ Years
Bodmin
2+ Years
Bognor Regis
2+ Years
Bolton
2+ Years
Bootle
2+ Years
Borehamwood
2+ Years
Boston
2+ Years
Bournemouth
2+ Years
Bracknell
2+ Years
Bradford
2+ Years
Braintree
2+ Years
Brent
2+ Years
Brentwood
2+ Years
Bridgend
2+ Years
Bridgwater
2+ Years
Bridlington
2+ Years
Bridport
2+ Years
Brierley Hill
2+ Years
Brighouse
2+ Years
Brighton & Hove
2+ Years
Bristol
10+ Years
Bromley
2+ Years
Bromsgrove
2+ Years
Brownhills
2+ Years
Buckley
2+ Years
Burgess Hill
2+ Years
Burnley
2+ Years
Burntwood
2+ Years
Burton upon Trent
2+ Years
Bury
2+ Years
Bury St Edmunds
2+ Years
Buxton
2+ Years
Caerphilly
2+ Years
Camberley
2+ Years
Camborne
2+ Years
Cambridge
2+ Years
Camden
40+ Years
Cannock
2+ Years
Canterbury
2+ Years
Canvey Island
2+ Years
Cardiff
2+ Years
Carlisle
2+ Years
Carlton
2+ Years
Carmarthen
2+ Years
Castleford
2+ Years
Caterham
2+ Years
Chatham
2+ Years
Cheadle
2+ Years
Cheadle Hulme
2+ Years
Chelmsford
2+ Years
Cheltenham
2+ Years
Chesham
2+ Years
Cheshunt
2+ Years
Chester
2+ Years
Chester-le-Street
2+ Years
Chesterfield
2+ Years
Chichester
2+ Years
Chippenham
2+ Years
Chorley
2+ Years
Christchurch
2+ Years
Cirencester
2+ Years
City of London
2+ Years
Clacton-on-Sea
2+ Years
Cleethorpes
2+ Years
Clevedon
2+ Years
Clydebank
2+ Years
Coatbridge
2+ Years
Colchester
2+ Years
Coleraine
2+ Years
Colwyn Bay
2+ Years
Congleton
2+ Years
Consett
2+ Years
Corby
2+ Years
Cottingham
2+ Years
Coventry
2+ Years
Cowes
2+ Years
Craigavon
2+ Years
Cramlington
2+ Years
Crawley
2+ Years
Crewe
2+ Years
Crosby
2+ Years
Crowborough
2+ Years
Croydon
3-5+ Years
Cumbernauld
2+ Years
Cwmbran
2+ Years
Darlington
2+ Years
Dartford
2+ Years
Darwen
2+ Years
Daventry
2+ Years
Deal
2+ Years
Denton
2+ Years
Derby
2+ Years
Dewsbury
2+ Years
Didcot
2+ Years
Doncaster
2+ Years
Dorchester
2+ Years
Dorking
2+ Years
Dover
2+ Years
Downpatrick
2+ Years
Droitwich Spa
2+ Years
Droylsden
2+ Years
Dudley
3-5 Years
Dumbarton
2+ Years
Dumfries
2+ Years
Dundee
2+ Years
Dunfermline
2+ Years
Dungannon
2+ Years
Dunstable
2+ Years
Durham
2+ Years
Ealing
4-5 Years
East Kilbride
2+ Years
Eastbourne
2+ Years
Eastleigh
2+ Years
Eastwood
2+ Years
Ebbw Vale
2+ Years
Eccles
2+ Years
Edinburgh
2+ Years
Ellesmere Port
2+ Years
Elstree
2+ Years
Ely
2+ Years
Enfield
3-5 Years
Enniskillen
2+ Years
Epsom
2+ Years
Esher
2+ Years
Evesham
2+ Years
Ewell
2+ Years
Exeter
2+ Years
Falkirk
2+ Years
Falmouth
2+ Years
Fareham
2+ Years
Farnborough
2+ Years
Farnham
2+ Years
Faversham
2+ Years
Felixstowe
2+ Years
Ferndown
2+ Years
Fleet
2+ Years
Fleetwood
2+ Years
Folkestone
2+ Years
Formby
2+ Years
Frome
2+ Years
Gainsborough
2+ Years
Gateshead
2+ Years
Gillingham (Dorset)
2+ Years
Gillingham (Kent)
2+ Years
Glasgow
2+ Years
Glenrothes
2+ Years
Glossop
2+ Years
Gloucester
2+ Years
Godalming
2+ Years
Goole
2+ Years
Gosport
2+ Years
Grantham
2+ Years
Gravesend
2+ Years
Grays
2+ Years
Great Malvern
2+ Years
Great Yarmouth
2+ Years
Greenock
2+ Years
Greenwich
5-7+ Years
Grimsby
2+ Years
Guildford
2+ Years
Guiseley
2+ Years
Hackney
15+ Years
Halesowen
2+ Years
Halifax
2+ Years
Halstead
2+ Years
Hamilton
2+ Years
Hammersmith and Fulham
2+ Years
Haringey
10+ Years
Harlow
2+ Years
Harpenden
2+ Years
Harrogate
2+ Years
Harrow
3-4 Years
Hartlepool
2+ Years
Harwich
2+ Years
Hastings
2+ Years
Hatfield
2+ Years
Havant
2+ Years
Haverhill
2+ Years
Havering
2-3 Years
Haywards Heath
2+ Years
Hebburn
2+ Years
Hemel Hempstead
2+ Years
Henley-on-Thames
2+ Years
Hereford
2+ Years
Herne Bay
2+ Years
Hertford
2+ Years
Heswall
2+ Years
Heywood
2+ Years
High Wycombe
2+ Years
Hillingdon
List Closed
Hinckley
2+ Years
Hitchin
2+ Years
Hoddesdon
2+ Years
Holmfirth
2+ Years
Holyhead
2+ Years
Horsham
2+ Years
Houghton-le-Spring
2+ Years
Hounslow
4-8 Years
Hove
2+ Years
Hucknall
2+ Years
Huddersfield
2+ Years
Huntingdon
2+ Years
Hyde
2+ Years
Hythe
2+ Years
Ilkeston
2+ Years
Ilkley
2+ Years
Immingham
2+ Years
Inverness
2+ Years
Ipswich
2+ Years
Irvine
2+ Years
Islington
List Closed
Jarrow
2+ Years
Keighley
2+ Years
Kendal
2+ Years
Kenilworth
2+ Years
Kensington and Chelsea
2+ Years
Kettering
2+ Years
Kidderminster
2+ Years
Kidsgrove
2+ Years
Kilmarnock
2+ Years
King's Lynn
2+ Years
Kingston upon Hull
2+ Years
Kingston upon Thames
List Closed
Kingswood
2+ Years
Kirkby
2+ Years
Kirkby-in-Ashfield
2+ Years
Kirkcaldy
2+ Years
Knaresborough
2+ Years
Knutsford
2+ Years
Lambeth
List Closed
Lancaster
2+ Years
Larne
2+ Years
Leamington Spa
2+ Years
Leatherhead
2+ Years
Leeds
2+ Years
Leek
2+ Years
Leicester
2+ Years
Leigh
2+ Years
Leighton Buzzard
2+ Years
Letchworth Garden City
2+ Years
Lewisham
5+ Years
Leyland
2+ Years
Lichfield
2+ Years
Lincoln
2+ Years
Lisburn
2+ Years
Littlehampton
2+ Years
Liverpool
2+ Years
Livingston
2+ Years
Llandudno
2+ Years
Llanelli
2+ Years
Londonderry (Derry)
2+ Years
Long Eaton
2+ Years
Loughborough
2+ Years
Loughton
2+ Years
Lowestoft
2+ Years
Ludlow
2+ Years
Lurgan
2+ Years
Luton
2+ Years
Lutterworth
2+ Years
Lytham St Annes
2+ Years
Macclesfield
2+ Years
Magherafelt
2+ Years
Maidenhead
2+ Years
Maidstone
2+ Years
Maldon
2+ Years
Malton
2+ Years
Manchester
2+ Years
Mansfield
2+ Years
March
2+ Years
Margate
2+ Years
Market Harborough
2+ Years
Matlock
2+ Years
Melton Mowbray
2+ Years
Merthyr Tydfil
2+ Years
Merton
5-10 Years
Middlesbrough
2+ Years
Middleton
2+ Years
Milford Haven
2+ Years
Milton Keynes
2+ Years
Minehead
2+ Years
Morecambe
2+ Years
Morley
2+ Years
Morpeth
2+ Years
Motherwell
2+ Years
Nantwich
2+ Years
Neath
2+ Years
Nelson
2+ Years
Newark-on-Trent
2+ Years
Newbury
2+ Years
Newcastle upon Tyne
2+ Years
Newcastle-under-Lyme
2+ Years
Newham
3-5 Years
Newmarket
2+ Years
Newport
2+ Years
Newquay
2+ Years
Newry
2+ Years
Newton Abbot
2+ Years
Newton Aycliffe
2+ Years
Newton Mearns
2+ Years
Newton-le-Willows
2+ Years
Newtownabbey
2+ Years
Newtownards
2+ Years
North Shields
2+ Years
Northallerton
2+ Years
Northampton
2+ Years
Northwich
2+ Years
Norwich
2+ Years
Nottingham
2+ Years
Nuneaton
2+ Years
Oadby
2+ Years
Oldbury
2+ Years
Oldham
2+ Years
Omagh
2+ Years
Ormskirk
2+ Years
Oswestry
2+ Years
Otley
2+ Years
Oxford
2+ Years
Paignton
2+ Years
Paisley
2+ Years
Penarth
2+ Years
Penrith
2+ Years
Penzance
2+ Years
Perth
2+ Years
Peterborough
2+ Years
Peterlee
2+ Years
Plymouth
2+ Years
Pontypool
2+ Years
Pontypridd
2+ Years
Poole
2+ Years
Port Talbot
2+ Years
Portadown
2+ Years
Portishead
2+ Years
Portsmouth
2+ Years
Potters Bar
2+ Years
Prescot
2+ Years
Preston
2+ Years
Pudsey
2+ Years
Radcliffe
2+ Years
Ramsgate
2+ Years
Rawtenstall
2+ Years
Rayleigh
2+ Years
Reading
2+ Years
Redbridge
4-5+ Years
Redcar
2+ Years
Redditch
2+ Years
Redhill
2+ Years
Reigate
2+ Years
Retford
2+ Years
Rhyl
2+ Years
Richmond upon Thames
6-8 Years
Rickmansworth
2+ Years
Ripon
2+ Years
Rochdale
2+ Years
Rochester
2+ Years
Romsey
2+ Years
Rotherham
2+ Years
Rowley Regis
2+ Years
Royston
2+ Years
Rugby
2+ Years
Rugeley
2+ Years
Runcorn
2+ Years
Rushden
2+ Years
Rutherglen
2+ Years
Ryde
2+ Years
Rye
2+ Years
Sale
2+ Years
Salford
2+ Years
Salisbury
2+ Years
Saltash
2+ Years
Sandhurst
2+ Years
Sandown
2+ Years
Scarborough
2+ Years
Scunthorpe
2+ Years
Seaford
2+ Years
Seaham
2+ Years
Selby
2+ Years
Sevenoaks
2+ Years
Shanklin
2+ Years
Sheerness
2+ Years
Sheffield
2+ Years
Shipley
2+ Years
Shrewsbury
2+ Years
Sittingbourne
2+ Years
Skegness
2+ Years
Skelmersdale
2+ Years
Skipton
2+ Years
Sleaford
2+ Years
Slough
2+ Years
Smethwick
2+ Years
Solihull
2+ Years
South Shields
2+ Years
Southampton
2+ Years
Southend-on-Sea
2+ Years
Southport
2+ Years
Southwark
2+ Years
Spalding
2+ Years
St Albans
2+ Years
St Asaph
2+ Years
St Austell
2+ Years
St Davids
2+ Years
St Helens
2+ Years
St Ives (Cambridgeshire)
2+ Years
St Ives (Cornwall)
2+ Years
St Neots
2+ Years
Stafford
2+ Years
Staines-upon-Thames
2+ Years
Stamford
2+ Years
Stanley
2+ Years
Staveley
2+ Years
Stevenage
2+ Years
Stirling
2+ Years
Stockport
2+ Years
Stockton-on-Tees
2+ Years
Stoke-on-Trent
2+ Years
Stourbridge
2+ Years
Stowmarket
2+ Years
Strabane
2+ Years
Stratford-upon-Avon
2+ Years
Stretford
2+ Years
Stroud
2+ Years
Sudbury
2+ Years
Sunderland
2+ Years
Sutton
2+ Years
Sutton Coldfield
2+ Years
Sutton-in-Ashfield
2+ Years
Swadlincote
2+ Years
Swansea
2+ Years
Swindon
2+ Years
Swinton
2+ Years
Tamworth
2+ Years
Taunton
2+ Years
Tavistock
2+ Years
Teignmouth
2+ Years
Telford
2+ Years
Tewkesbury
2+ Years
Thatcham
2+ Years
Thetford
2+ Years
Thornaby
2+ Years
Thornbury
2+ Years
Tilbury
2+ Years
Tiverton
2+ Years
Tonbridge
2+ Years
Torquay
2+ Years
Totnes
2+ Years
Totton
2+ Years
Tower Hamlets
2+ Years
Trowbridge
2+ Years
Truro
2+ Years
Tunbridge Wells
2+ Years
Twickenham
2+ Years
Tyldesley
2+ Years
Tynemouth
2+ Years
Uckfield
2+ Years
Ulverston
2+ Years
Urmston
2+ Years
Uttoxeter
2+ Years
Ventnor
2+ Years
Wakefield
2+ Years
Wallasey
2+ Years
Wallsend
2+ Years
Walsall
2+ Years
Waltham Cross
2+ Years
Waltham Forest
2+ Years
Walton-on-Thames
2+ Years
Wandsworth
7-10 Years
Wantage
2+ Years
Ware
2+ Years
Warminster
2+ Years
Warrington
2+ Years
Warwick
2+ Years
Washington
2+ Years
Watford
2+ Years
Wellingborough
2+ Years
Wellington (Shropshire)
2+ Years
Wellington (Somerset)
2+ Years
Wells
2+ Years
Welwyn Garden City
2+ Years
West Bridgford
2+ Years
West Bromwich
2+ Years
Westminster
2+ Years
Weston-super-Mare
2+ Years
Wetherby
2+ Years
Weybridge
2+ Years
Weymouth
2+ Years
Whitby
2+ Years
Whitchurch
2+ Years
Whitehaven
2+ Years
Whitley Bay
2+ Years
Whitstable
2+ Years
Wickford
2+ Years
Widnes
2+ Years
Wigan
2+ Years
Wigston
2+ Years
Wilmslow
2+ Years
Winchester
2+ Years
Windsor
2+ Years
Winsford
2+ Years
Wisbech
2+ Years
Wishaw
2+ Years
Witham
2+ Years
Witney
2+ Years
Woking
2+ Years
Wokingham
2+ Years
Wolverhampton
2+ Years
Woodley
2+ Years
Worcester
2+ Years
Workington
2+ Years
Worksop
2+ Years
Worthing
2+ Years
Wrexham
2+ Years
Wymondham
2+ Years
Yate
2+ Years
Yeovil
2+ Years
York
2+ Years
Council Allotment vs ROOTS — The Honest Comparison
No spin. Here's exactly how the two compare.
Council Allotment
ROOTS Allotment
Wait: 5–40 years
Wait: 0–6 weeks
Setup: DIY, often weed-choked
Setup: Pre-prepared no-dig bed, ready to plant
Tools: Bring your own
Tools: Included (shared on-site)
Seeds: Bring your own
Seeds: Seasonal seeds delivered to your plot
Community: Variable
Community: Active members, app, weekly events
Cost: ~£40–80/year (if you ever get one)
Cost: From £19.99/month
We're more expensive monthly. We're also accessible this month, not this decade. That's the trade-off — and for most people, it's worth it.
Stuck on a Council Waiting List?Here's What We'll Do For You.
Send us your council waiting list confirmation. We'll verify it and add you to our priority list — first dibs on any plot opening near you.
Free Download
Free Allotment Lobby Pack
Everything you need to put pressure on your council and grow the allotment movement in your town.
- Letter templates to your councillors
- FOI request scripts (with the exact wording councils have to respond to)
- Councillor briefing packs (one-page summaries they can't ignore)
- Legal framework guide (1908 Allotments Act, statutory duties)
- Press release template for local newspapers
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