Amstelveners who are currently on a waiting list for a vegetable garden for years, really have to be patient. The Mayor and Aldermen (B&W) announced today that there is no room for a new complex for the time being.
“Space is scarce. There is a need for many new homes. Creating an extra
location for a third allotment complex will in this case be a difficult task and will
at the expense of current projects within the municipality,” is the answer to questions posed by the local GroenLinks faction about the possibility of a new allotment complex.
Marjo Jansen, chairman of Garden Association Nesserlaan, previously expressed her concerns to media partner AT! Amstelveen. There are now about 75 people on the waiting list. “If you consider that ten to fifteen gardens are released every year, many interested parties will have to wait for years,” Jansen fears. Garden association Langs de Akker currently has a registration stop.
‘Talk to a farmer’
Citizen member of GroenLinks Simon Lutz is disappointed with the answers of the council. “We think that the council does not really empathize with the needs of the people of Amstelveen who would like to have an allotment garden.” GroenLinks does see opportunities for a new vegetable garden complex. The party wants to talk to a farmer to see if he wants to rent out a piece of land for vegetable gardens.
The Commission points out that the waiting time for a vegetable garden in Amstelveen is much shorter than in surrounding municipalities. “In Amsterdam the waiting time is at most
garden associations more than five years and in some cases the waiting time is longer than
ten years.” The council is not completely unsympathetic: it wants to offer Amstelveners more opportunities where possible to grow local food – outside of allotment gardens.
Jansen is not sure whether Tuinvereniging Nesserlaan can still expand. “Our complex requires maintenance. For example, by dredging the adjacent ditches. The work must remain manageable for the board and volunteers,” she explains. The garden association also struggles with pests that take time to combat, such as: the cricket.
Text continues under report that NH Nieuws made earlier about the cricket
Horticulturist Rob Koolbergen fights against the presence of the cricket – NH Nieuws
Jansen does suggest a creative solution: “Perhaps it would be an idea to establish a small petting zoo here as well. Then the animals can enjoy the apples and vegetables that do not go home.” Loyal member of the association Rob Koolbergen (84) is already making good use of the chickens that live on the site. He feeds the animals the crickets he encounters on the complex.