Campaigners fighting for allotments in Yateley could yet see their efforts pay off, even though initial plans fell through.

The Yateley Allotment Action Group and Finchampstead Parish Council had come to an agreement with building products firm Cemex for allotments on the border of Eversley and Finchampstead.

But they were knocked back when Wokingham Borough Council planners refused to consider the allotments for the Longwater Road site, arguing it would compromise the agreed restoration of Manor Farm.

However, Cemex has now come up with another site west of Longwater Road that it hopes could provide allotments for more than 40 Yateley people.

Derek Wiseman, a consultant for Cemex, met Finchampstead parish councillors two weeks ago to discuss the new location.

The company would like to put the new plans forward to the borough council.

Mr Wiseman said: “We proposed to find a piece of land for mutual agreement and it wasn’t something that could be conditioned.

"Open and airy"

“We offered to make land available on mutually agreeable land and it is still being consulted on.

“I had a meeting with Finchampstead Parish Council informing them that I have had internal approval to provide the land.

“I haven’t heard from anyone at Yateley since the original proposal was made and I would like to discuss this with Yateley if Yateley so wishes.

“Once this is done, a planning application can then be submitted to Wokingham Borough Council as I believe that this piece of land is suitable for the purpose of allotments.”

Yateley resident and  Allotment Action Group member John Emery, 66, who actively searched for land in the area, had identified Cemex as a possible provider of land.

He and action group founder Miss Nicky Lancelotte persuaded Cemex to provide at least two and a half acres for residents to grow their own food.

Mr Emery was unaware of the latest proposal to use another plot.

He said: “Finchampstead Parish Council was supposed to keep us informed of new developments and we have not received any updates.

“Nicky and I will go to look at the area east of the road and see what’s going on.

“The east side was suitable. It was open and airy.”

Public use

Yateley town councillor Bob Harward said: “This is the first I have heard about it and I think I can speak on behalf of everyone at the parish council.

“We are keen to see a successful conclusion of this.

“Years ago, after the war, every square mile was covered in allotments.

“We were bombed and were moved into temporary accommodation.

“We collectively joined all neighbouring gardens and grew our own food.

“Food was rationed until 1958. Nowadays people are more selfish and materialistic but I think it is a great thing that people are turning back to this way of growing food, even though it is for very different reasons.

“It is a good symptom that the community we represent wants allotments and we will do what we can to get a successful conclusion.”

Mr Wiseman claimed that the land to the west of the road was never planned to be used for gravel extraction and should the borough council refuse the application for allotments, the land will be restored for public use.

The plot is currently being used for grazing and Mr Emery claims that if that is the case, it should be suitable for growing produce as it would be nourished with manure.