A COMMUNITY gardening space is set close this month even though the landowners have no immediate plans for the space.

All tenants on Chapel Hill allotments must leave by September 26 and despite objections from those who rent plots at the site, residents’ efforts have failed to change the mind of owners Tilehurst Poor’s Land Charity.

Mike Geator, 74, holds one of the plots, he said: “We have just had to give up. I did everything in my power to try to stop this but as it’s private land there’s nothing I or the council could do. If the owners had put in a planning application then maybe we could have got somewhere but they haven’t.” The charity’s only revenue comes from land which it owns around Tilehurst and income is created through the rent and sale of various plots in the area. The money is then awarded to people in need who live locally.

Mr Geator said: “I have been running that allotment for 21 years.

“It’s a sad loss for me as it was a big part of my life. But it’s not just us that are missing out, every year we used to get the children from Acorns Nursery down and show them how vegetables and flowers grow.” The seven residents who hold allotments had tried to buy the land off of the charity but their offer was refused.

No one was available to comment on behalf of the charity before going to press but on its website it said: “Although the Charity lets allotments to about 100 people, it is under no legal obligation to provide allotments, and does so as a way of raising money.

“Under Charity law, the Trustees of the Charity are obliged to seek the best income possible from their investments, and so should always be looking for opportunities to improve the Charity’s income.”