Kettering allotment holders' joy at £15,000 fence to improve security

New fencing has been installed at allotments in Kettering to improve security at the site after the previous wooden fence became unsafe.

The perimeter fencing facing onto Windmill Avenue has been replaced at a cost of £15,000 to increase security for residents and site users.

Kettering Town Council, owners of the site, funded the project, which saw 97.5m of wood replaced with wire mesh anti-climb fencing.

Welcoming the investment allotment holder of 20 years, George White, said: “It’s absolutely brilliant, it’s such an improvement. It will give us security and provides more light. The old fence I had to mend at least once a month.”

Michael Thurland, secretary of Kettering Allotments Ltd, said: "We think they have done a cracking job. It’s going to make a lot of difference to the visibility and security. It’s safe for the allotment holders and the neighbours, and all the people who walk past the site."

As well as the improvement work at Windmill Avenue, the council is funding the removal of asbestos from allotments at Margaret Road and is working on clearing part of the site at Scott Road.

Mayor of Kettering Cllr Emily Fedorowycz said: “Allotments are one of the few things we look after within the small Kettering Town Council, so it is fantastic that we have agreed to invest in new fences for the Windmill Road Allotments.

"Unveiling the new fence felt a lot like unveiling the allotments themselves, as the beautiful vegetable beds are now in full view, more than ever before. It’s so nice to really be able to see what’s being grown. Thanks to the allotment volunteers for looking after the site with such care, and George who was previously fixing the fence every few weeks - now this sturdy replacement will mean he can get back to enjoying his gardening.”

Cllr Mark Rowley, chairman of Kettering Town Councils’ Finance and Governance Committee, said: “The old fencing at Windmill Avenue had become unsafe and it was not fit for purpose. We have replaced the wooden fencing with higher, metal panels which not only look better but make the site more secure.”For more information on allotments in Kettering, go to www.ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk/allotments