Longest allotment waiting lists in Sheffield revealed
“I understand how disappointing it is for residents who want to grow their own food but face a long wait for a plot”
Almost 4000 people are waiting for an allotment across Sheffield, which is almost double the number waiting five years ago.
Demand for a space to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers in Sheffield increased during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and remains much higher than the number of council-owned allotment plots available.
A Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted to Sheffield City Council has revealed that 3,935 people are waiting for a plot across the city, which is up from 2,107 people waiting in 2021-22.
Waits vary across the city, with a site in the south-west of Sheffield having a current waiting time of around seven years, compared to the north east where a potential grower could be a waiting for just six months.
The allotment currently attracting the most interest is Archer Lane, between Nether Edge and Carter Knowle, with 337 people on the list.
There are only 118 plots on the Archer Lane site, which was described as a “peaceful haven” by a committee member in 2023.
A spokesperson for Sheffield City Council explained that Archer Lane has particularly long waiting times due to high demand and low plot turnover.
The largest allotment site in the city, Meersbrook has a waiting list of 272 people, with offers now being made to applicants who joined the list in January 2025 - 21 months ago.
If you would like an allotment in Sheffield, the only place with no waiting list for plots is Old Haywoods in Deepcar in the north west.
However, the site is only home to nine plots.
Councillor Brian Holmshaw, chair of parks, communities and leisure policy committee, said: “I understand how disappointing it is for residents who want to grow their own food but face a long wait for a plot.
“Allotments are valuable community assets: they support physical and mental wellbeing, provide sustainable growing space, encourage biodiversity and bring people together.
"Demand is concentrated at particular sites, being especially popular locations in the south-west of the city, so waiting times can differ considerably.
“The allotment service continues to split existing plots where appropriate, to bring difficult plots back into use and manage tenancies fairly so that available plots can be offered as quickly as possible.”
Top ten most popular allotments in Sheffield:
| Allotment site | Waiting list | Number of plots |
| Archer Lane | 337 | 118 |
| Meersbrook | 272 | 451 |
| Hanging Water | 182 | 113 |
| Woodseats | 155 | 146 |
| Rustlings Road | 143 | 74 |
| Morley Street | 134 | 106 |
| Crookes Quarry | 129 | 40 |
| Crookes Marsh Lane | 125 | 48 |
| Beauchief | 124 | 54 |
| Manor | 123 | 68 |
The sites with the lowest waiting lists are for sites with very few plots.
| Allotment sites | Waiting list | Number of plots |
| Old Haywoods | 0 | 9 |
| South View | 1 | 1 |
| Ash Street(Mosbro') | 2 | 1 |
| Moor Crescent | 2 | 3 |
| Glen Cottages | 3 | 2 |
| Hawthorne Ave | 3 | 3 |
| Elm Crescent | 4 | 13 |
| Junction Road | 4 | 2 |
| Mauncer Drive (Pigeon site) | 5 | 8 |
| Park Road | 5 | 7 |
Some allotment plots across the city could offer keen growers a stronger chance, like Roscoe Plantation in the Rivelin Valley with a waiting list of 31 and 106 plots, or Parson Cross Family Garden which only has a waiting list of 21, with 98 plots available.
However, a spokesperson for Sheffield City Council explained waiting-list positions do not indicate exactly when a plot will become available.
They said: “The council's current focus is on making better use of existing allotment land rather than creating new sites.
“Measures include restoring unused plots, splitting larger plots, offering half-size plots, carrying out inspections and managing waiting lists.”
The council said the number of lettable plots increased from 3,451 to 3,473 during 2025/26, with average occupancy at 93.5%.
It claims it is exploring opportunities to increase provision through the planning process, but is not currently aware of opportunities to expand allotment provision in the south-west.