Could Allotment Land Be a Solution to the Lack of Housing in the UK?

Across England, there is a surprising amount of land dedicated to allotments. It is estimated that if all these parcels of land were joined together, they would equate to 44.4 million sqm. The latest research from Searchland, the development site sourcing specialists, reveals that this is enough space to build more than 200,000 new homes with a market value of £84bn.

Allotments are part and parcel of British society, so any notion that the UK government will use the incredibly valuable plots to alleviate the country’s housing shortage is slim to none. In fact, we think the government would find it easier to get every UK homeowner to fly an EU flag on a pole in their gardens than the population allowing allotments to be used for housing! However, it’s always interesting to investigate “what if?”

Searchland has conducted an analysis that shows that there is an estimated 44.4m sq m of allotment space across England, which could facilitate the construction of over 200,000 new homes with a market value of £84bn.

The company analysed the total number of allotment sites across each area of England and what this equates to in terms of the total land covered before looking at how many new homes this land could accommodate and their current market value.

With the average new-build plot coming in at 222 sq m, the nation’s allotments could theoretically house 200,007 new homes. With the average new build commanding £418,519 in the current market, that’s a potential £84bn worth of new homes that could be delivered to market by utilising allotment land.

Incredibly, it’s London that ranks as the nation’s allotment housing hotspot, with 720 allotment sites spread across 7m sq m of land. That’s enough to deliver 31,622 new homes to market with an estimated market value of £18.4bn.

Allotment land could be utilised to deliver 12,780 new homes across Tyne and Wear with a market value of £3.8bn, while 11,726 could be built across the West Midlands with a similar market value.

Other areas to rank within the top 10 include Greater Manchester (10,848), County Durham (9,091), West Yorkshire (7,466), Hertfordshire (7,378), Essex (6,017), Devon (5,578) and Kent (5,358).

While the East Riding of Yorkshire is home to just four allotment sites, this land could still accommodate the construction of 176 new homes in the area.

Co-founder and CEO of Searchland, Mitchell Fasanya, commented, “Allotments can play a vital role in the community, providing an outdoor space for many to socialise who may not otherwise have the chance, particularly in major urban hubs.

So we’re certainly not suggesting that the answer to the housing crisis is to cement over the nation’s allotments. However, we do desperately need to build more homes, and it’s a conversation we want to ignite, as so far, the government has largely neglected to address this burning issue.

Utilising allotments is a drastic measure and one we needn’t ever consider should the government stop bending to the pressures of NIMBYism and the subject of building on the green belt to deliver homes on land that is more than for purpose.”

Read more property industry news, guides and features here.