Here is a list of all the allotments in London on our interactive map. Zoom into your home borough to find a London allotment near you.
There is a serious lack of allotment sites — and in the past, those wanting to go green needed to join an extreme waiting list. Then the pandemic hit and had the effect of increasing the long wait for London allotments to unmanageable levels.
The total number of allotments in London adds up to a modest 741 sites with 40,000 individual plots. These sites span 32 boroughs — in prized areas such as Regents Park — though most are in Brent, Bromley, and Ealing.
Shrinking Availability
Though a full plot is more common, half plots are also an option on many sites. Plots still go by the measurement of perches and poles — each unit is equal to 250 square metres. Across the UK, there are 300,000 allotments, but this is a considerable reduction from the respectable 1.5 million plots of 1918.
Allotment interest is increasing, though the number of sites is reducing. The wait for an allotment plot is now so extreme that booking a plot should be a factor in a middle-aged Londoner’s retirement plan.
Even with the known benefits to the community and wildlife, allotments are thinning out. Soaring property prices in London are putting existing sites under threat of extinction. Over the past decade, London has lost over 40 allotment sites to other projects, increasing the time applicants spend on waiting lists.
Allotments are often under threat from the expiration of 100-year leases. Northfield lost part of its land to new housing developments, despite being a refuge for wildlife since 1832. Northfield Avenue of Ealing is now around 60-percent of its original size.
A recent target of lease expiry is the three-acre Park Road site, which was earmarked for property development. The Park Road allotment was rescued by the local community and council in 2021.
Waiting for Decades
Waiting lists for an allotment plot after an application are averaging out at 11 years. Patient gardeners from Camden can expect to wait over 18 years. In fact, of the 300 councils offering allotments, Camden was the area with the longest waiting time.
Other council areas are not much better, with waiting times for a Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth plot extending beyond 17 years. Islington residents can expect to wait over 13 years to realise their dreams for a plot.
Growing Interest
Despite the increase in property prices, the cost of renting an allotment remains well within affordable. Even in the most exclusive boroughs of London, an allotment can cost less than £100 per year, making them fantastic value for money.
Families are looking for a way to educate their children it the ways of how to cultivate. The increased cost of living, use of pesticides on crops, and reliance on imports are other incentives to grow self-reliant produce.
The desire to have a green space, to be able to grow a range of vegetables, and to become self-sufficient is becoming more common. The popularisation of solo-living is getting people into growing and enjoying time with nature.
Pressure to Plant
To combat this growing demand, there is an ongoing impetus for the creation of new allotments. Several societies are pushing for investment to drive such projects.
As a lasting solution, local councils need to repurpose the land currently occupied by disused and abandoned projects. But for the immediate future, we can expect the number of allotments in London to shrink further.
London Allotment Associations List
He’s is a list of all the London allotment associations. Simply copy and paste them into Google to find more details. We had a live list of links but they kept changing the URLs, it was a full-time job keeping them maintained!
Addison Gardens Allotment Association, Kingston-upon-Thames
Alexandra Palace Allotment Association, Muswell Hill
Alric Avenue Allotments Association, New Malden
Barfield Allotment Society, Whetstone
Barnet Allotment Federation
Bells Hill Allotment Society, Barnet
Belmont Allotment Association, Sutton
Belmont Lane Allotments & Leisure Gardens, Bromley
Bensham Manor Allotment Society Ltd, Croydon
Biggin Hill Allotments Association, Bromley
Brentham Allotments & Gardens Society, Ealing
Bromley Allotments & Leisure Gardens Federation
Bromley Common Allotments
Brook Farm Allotments, Whetstone
Cavendish House Allotment Holders Association, Twickenham
Child’s Hill Allotments, Barnet
Church Road Allotment Association, Hanworth, Hounslow
Cole Park Allotments Association, Twickenham
Cottenham Park Allotments, Wimbledon
Dors Close Allotment Association, Wembley
Dorset Road Allotments & Leisure Gardens Society, Beckenham
Ealing Allotments Partnership
Ealing Dean Allotments Society
East Finchley Allotment Holders Association
Edgware Horticultural Society – Deans Lane Allotments
Eltham & Avery Hill Gardens Society
Finchley Horticultural Society
Framfield Allotments, Hanwell
Friends of Ascott Allotments, Ealing
Fulham Palace Meadows Allotment Association
Gander Green Allotments, Sutton
Glebelands Allotments (North Finchley Allotment Society)
Golders Green Allotment Association
Grange Lane Allotments, Camberwell
Grenville Allotment Garden, Islington
Grove Allotments, Dulwich
Grow Chiswick
Gunsite Allotment, Sydenham Hill
Hackney Allotment Society
Halliwick Park Allotment Holders’ Association, Barnet
Halls Farm Allotments & Leisure Gardens, Bromley
Hammersmith Community Gardens Association
Harland Avenue Allotment Society, Sidcup
Harrow in LEAF
Haslemere Allotments Association, Ealing
Hatherop Road Allotments, Hampton
Havelock Road Allotments, Merton
Hendon Grove Allotment Society, Barnet
Hillingdon Allotment & Horticultural Federation
Highgate Allotments Association, Haringey
Hoxton Manor Allotments, Waltham Forest
Joel Street Allotments, Hillingdon
Kent House Leisure Gardens, Sydenham
Kidbrooke Park Allotment Association, Greenwich
Kingston Federation of Allotment Gardeners
Kingston Vale Leisure Gardeners Association
Kitchen Garden Project, Kensington & Chelsea
Lettsom Allotments, Camberwell
Lettsom Gardens Association
Lewisham Community Gardens
Leytonstone Allotment Holders Association
London Allotments Network
Malmesbury Allotments, Bow
Manor Road Allotments, Richmond upon Thames
Martin Way Allotment Gardens Association, Morden
Mill Hill Garden & Allotment Society Ltd, Barnet
Muswell Hill Gardeners – list of allotment sites
New Barnet Allotment Society
North Hainault Allotment Holders Association
Number One Allotment, Chiswick
Oldfield Allotments, Northolt
One Tree Hill Allotment Society, Ryedale
Pampisford Road Allotments, Croydon
Park Hill Allotments & Garden Society, Croydon
Park Road Allotments, Isleworth, Hounslow
Pathways, Ealing
Pickhurst Green Allotment Association, Bromley
Pimp Hall Allotment Association, Chingford
Pine Walk Allotment, Bromley
Pippenhall Allotments, Greenwich
Pointalls Allotments, Finchley
Poverest Allotments, Orpington
Prior Street Gardens, Greenwich
Pudding Mill Allotments, Newham
Roehampton Garden Society, Wandsworth
Romford Smallholders Society
Rosendale Allotment Association, Dulwich
Royal Paddocks Allotments, Hampton Wick
Rush Green Allotments, Romford
Seven Kings & Goodmayes Allotment Society, Redbridge
Smitham Allotment Society, Croydon
South Croydon Allotment Society
Spa Hill Allotment Society Limited, Crystal Palace
Stepney City Farm
Stewart Avenue Allotments, Upminster
Tabard Allotments, Southwark
The Golf Course Allotments Association, Haringey
Thornfield Avenue Allotments, Barnet
Trencherfield Allotments, Waltham Forest
Vale Farm Horticultural Society, Barnet
Walthamstow Allotments
West Ham Allotment Society Limited, Newham
West Harrow Allotment & Garden Association
West Hendon Allotment Society
West Wickham Allotments Association
Whetstone Stray Allotments
Windmill Allotments, Brixton
Woodhouse Allotments, Barnet