Heels dig in over allotment move

Allotment holders claim Tenby is losing its green spaces

Gardeners in Tenby are preparing to dig their heels in over a plan to move the town's allotments.

Pembrokeshire Council is considering selling the current town centre site for new homes and moving its allotments to fields on Tenby's outskirts.

It said the move would double the number of gardening plots available and provide land for affordable housing.

But the allotment holders say the town would lose an important green area and claim to have the backing of many.

The allotments are currently at a site at St John's Hill and it is proposed that they move to fields at Bryn Hir.

Allotment gardener Barbara Morris said: "It's one of our few urban green spaces left in the centre of Tenby.

It would allow us to develop a larger allotment site Pembrokeshire Council

"In addition to being an allotment holder I'm also a local resident and I know quite a few of my near neighbours who do not want to see this happen.

"They are offering us an alternative site on the edge of town but it is rather isolated."

A spokeswoman for Pembrokeshire Council said it had a duty to make the best use of all its assets.

It said there were only five allotments at the existing site but there was demand for many more.

"It would allow us to develop a larger allotment site," said the spokeswoman.

"The present site would be released to enable residential development which would include affordable housing for local people."

She said the authority would have to seek the consent of the Welsh Assembly Government after May's election and people would have an opportunity to object as part of the planning process.