Meeting of the Parliament 17 June 2015
I agree with amendments 101 to 103, 105 and 107.
Amendments 111, 112 and 122 would instruct that Scottish Ministers may not consent to change of use of an allotment site unless each tenant is offered a nearby allotment of the same or similar size.
I understand the motivation to protect allotment holders, but I am concerned that the amendments would overly restrict local autonomy and be to the detriment of aspiring allotment holders in the long term. If power is truly to be devolved from the centre, local authorities should be able to decide whether changing the use of an allotment site is in the local interest, subject to protections for allotment holders. The existing provision that tenants should be offered another nearby allotment offers protection, while retaining the ability for local authorities to offer replacement allotments where they see fit.
I rather fear that amendments 111, 112 and 122 would push the balance too far against autonomy, so that local authorities would find it very difficult to change the use of an allotment site, even if they considered it to be in the local interest. Furthermore, the amendments may be detrimental to allotment holders in the long term, because local authorities may be more reluctant to create new allotment sites in the knowledge that they might find it very difficult to change their use in the future. That unfortunate consequence would result in fewer allotment sites being created in the first place, and longer waiting lists for aspiring allotment holders.