Allotment holders have said they were blindsided after Croydon Council cut down four mature apple trees on a long-standing plot without the leaseholders’ permission, citing a rule that residents say was never properly communicated.
The apple trees at Pampisford Road allotments in Purley, one of six council-owned sites across the borough, were felled by the council in June, leaving only stumps and a damaged polytunnel behind. The elderly couple who had cared for the plot for more than 15 years have since given it up, telling fellow plot holders they were “devastated” and that they will not renew their lease.
They were felled due to a rule around trees needing to be less than two metres tall. Jo Booth, Chair of the Croydon Federation of Allotment and Garden Societies (CFAGS), said that plot holders were never given the six months’ notice required for new rules and that many were unaware the tree regulation even existed. She noted that the felled apple trees are just some of the many trees over two metres tall across Pampisford Road allotments, which has around 120 plots.
The rule, introduced in 2024, states: “Trees in the allotments must be suitable for small spaces with shallow root systems and should always be maintained at a maximum height of two metres.”
It adds that the council reserves the right to remove any tree if deemed necessary to preserve the allotment or if it is not properly maintained. In the council’s email sent to the plot holders after the trees were cut, they cited their impact on the “cultivable area of the plot” and their encroachment onto the path, as justification.
Credit: Harrison Galliven
However, Jo and other allotment users feel the rule is often applied at random, given the number of trees exceeding two metres on the allotment site, and believe it was not properly communicated to them. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “If you have had a plot for a very long time, you don’t refer back to the rules. This is why a council has to give us six months’ notice if there is any change to a rule, and they should also give you an explanation of this rule, depending on what it is.”
Jo added that the enforcement was not only heavy-handed but left the ground unusable. “Nobody is going to be able to cultivate this area now because it is full of tree stumps. They have left it uncultivable.”
Labour’s candidate for Croydon Mayor, Rowenna Davis, has been working with CFAGS and first highlighted the issue online. She told the LDRS: “Cutting down trees on our allotments is a crazy waste of taxpayers’ money.
“Croydon Council is bankrupt; why on Earth waste money on this? We need more trees in Croydon, not fewer. The plot holders have my sympathy and full support.”
Cllr Davis’ original post has since sparked heated debate online, with some local Conservatives defending the enforcement of the two-metre rule. Coulsdon Town councillor Mario Creatura commented that the limit is applied across all Croydon allotments to ensure plots remain usable for everyone.
He added that only trees that are overgrown, unsafe, or reducing cultivable space are removed, and that this is done to preserve the allotments for all residents. However, others have been more sympathetic to the plot holders, taking the view that the council should have informed them.
‘Literally falling apart’
Beyond the apple trees, plot users told the LDRS that Pampisford Road allotments are in need of wider attention. Jo highlighted one of the site’s locker sheds, which has a gaping hole in the ceiling, as an example of disrepair on the site. “It’s literally falling apart,” said Jo.
Plot Manager Lorna Collier, who has been cultivating her plot for 16 years, told the LDRS that the shed is among several site structures in need of renovation. They are also raising funds for a new café, although it is unclear whether the council will grant permission.
She told the LDRS: “We have a nice multicultural allotment here and were trying to improve accessibility, but the council just come along and ruin it for us. I must spend at least 20 hours a month here, and I’m still working.”
Croydon Council was approached for comment, but did not respond in time for publication.
