April 13, 2010 -- Canterbury City Council in England is using computerised mapping to help allocate allotments as fairly as possible. The council used an intelligent database of properties – part of the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) - to create a new Allotment Strategy based on location, accessibility, and current provision. The exercise was so successful that it won the Council a national award – the NLPG Exemplar Award for Most Innovative Use.

Allotments and community gardens are valuable green spaces and community assets that can help improve people's quality of life by promoting healthy food, exercise and community interaction. In recent years public interest in allotments has undergone a revival. Allotments are uniquely protected through the legislative and planning framework and the Government is committed to working with local authorities to ensure quality and availability of allotments both now and for future generations.

The NLPG provides Local Authorities with a master list and precise location of all properties in England and Wales. Using the system, the Council was able to plot addresses and ensure the allocation of allotments was undertaken in a fair and equitable way. It was also used to ascertain where there were gaps in provision. As a result, the Council has started the process of identifying and buying three new allotment sites in the area.

“Without the NLPG, carrying out an exercise of this type would be extremely time consuming. It was done quickly and efficiently using existing resources and did not require any site survey work. The exercise highlighted a deficiency of allotment provision across the Council area and in particular the main towns of Whitstable, Herne Bay and the City of Canterbury itself,” said Stella Morris, Canterbury City Council’s GIS/LLPG Custodian. “Being able to gauge demand has identified areas where allotment provision was deficient and enabled the Council to draw up its Allotment Strategy in line with its own community plan, sustainable development and neighbourhood initiatives” continued Morris.

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