Redacre Growing Project

Community growing in the heart of the Calder Valley

Redacre Membership Rules

Welcome to the Redacre Growing Project

The Redacre Growing Project is run as a co-operative and as a member/friend you are agreeing to share responsibility for maintaining the overall site. As part of this responsibility you are obliged to give time to communal activities, and if you are a plot holder or on the waiting list you will need to join one of our activity groups. Without working together like this, we would not be able to run the site or provide communal areas for us all to enjoy.

There are regular Community Days throughout the year when we come together to maintain and develop the site. Dates will be published, in advance, on the community notice board, on the Redacre website and via the Redacre community email newsletter.

Redacre is run via our activity groups. The groups include People, Communication, Finance, Materials, Plants and Maintenance. You will have to join an activity group and contribute what you can to the work of the group and its objectives.

Any ideas or suggestions towards the development of Redacre are more than welcome, please email redacredirectors@gmail.com

The following sets out Redacre’s membership rules. Failure to abide by these rules will result in one month’s warning being given. If not remedied your membership will be cancelled and you will have to give up any plot or raised bed. In these circumstances rents or fees will not be reimbursed.

General rules and information for all Redacre Growing Project members

  1. All members (Friends and Plot Holders) are required to attend at least two Community Days per year or contribute up to six hours per year towards helping maintain and develop the site. If you are unable to attend or can’t contribute to the physical work please email redacredirectors@gmail.com who will be able to advise on other ways you may be able to contribute.
  2. All allotment holders, raised bed holders and those on the waiting list must join an activity group. 
  3. Annual membership fees and rents are due on Lady Day (on or around 25 March).
  4. The whole site, including orchard, wildlife zones, plots and raised beds is to be worked organically with no use of pesticides or chemical fertilisers. (Organic slug pellets are acceptable.) 
  5. There are two communal composting areas at each end of the site. Please pay attention to the signs indicating what should and shouldn’t be added to the compost.
  6. All watering should be done by watering can and there are taps at various points on the site. Our water supply and storage is fed by a natural spring however, please be considerate when using water in dry or drought conditions. Hoses are not permitted.
  7. Please remove any rubbish from the site and dispose of it responsibly. Organic material or wood may be burned on the communal bonfire if necessary. Don’t bring things onto the site to burn. 
  8. Please observe a culture of friendliness and inclusion:
    • Racist, sexist or otherwise offensive comments between members will not be tolerated.
    • Any dispute that cannot in the first instance be resolved between members should be referred to the Directors committee whose decision is final.
  9. Members of the public brought on to the site by members are the responsibility of said members.
  10. A composting toilet is situated opposite the communal area and polytunnels. Instructions on using the compost toilet can be found within.
  11. Children under 16 should be supervised at all times. Please ensure any children you bring on to site are aware of the deep water (canal and pond), do not climb on the raised beds, enter the polytunnel or go onto or touch the produce from other people’s beds or plots.
  12. If you have any concerns about the safety of children or vulnerable adults on site you should report it immediately to the Treasurer, Meg Allen on 07894966338.
  13. No animals or livestock are to be kept on site. Dogs may be brought onto the site but must be kept under control at all times. Dog waste must be removed from the site and not dug into the soil.
  14. If there are any serious incidents or accidents on site please contact People and Communication Group anchors as soon as possible. 
  15. A first aid kit is kept in the compost toilet.
  16. Please park in the designated areas only. The area adjacent to the Roundhouse is for Disabled parking only.
  17. Please keep the gate closed and locked at all times.

Plot Holder Rules

  1. Plot holders should keep their plots free of invasive weeds and plants likely to cause a nuisance to other plot-holders. Weeds should, on no account, be allowed to go to seed. All uncultivated soil should be covered with a suitable membrane. 
  2. Any trees planted should be chosen for potential height (maximum 2m, pruned to 1.7m to allow for annual growth) and positioned so that they will not shade a neighbouring plot. 
  3. Plots should be at least 50% cultivated throughout the growing season (April to September and within 3 months of a new tenancy). Plots that fall below this level will be given four weeks notice after which their plot will be reallocated. Rents will not be reimbursed. 
  4. Please ensure all weeds are removed from the paths bordering you plot to the north and eastern sides at regular intervals.
  5. Tools and other potentially harmful items should be kept safely and securely on your plot and not along the paths.
  6. One brazier (or barbecue) per plot is allowed if required but fires must not be left unattended at any time.
  7. All items left on site are at the owner’s risk.
  8. Petrol, flammable liquids or glass must not be kept on site.
  9. Ponds or large, open containers of water are not permitted on plots. 
  10. Planning conditions permit each plot to erect the following:
    • One small timber shed maximum dimensions 2m long x 1.5m wide x 2m high. Colours are limited to dark coloured preservative or paint of a natural colour.
    • One greenhouse or polytunnel of maximum dimensions 2.5m long x 2m wide x 2.2m high. Acrylic or plastic windows only, no glass is allowed on site.
    • A single water butt of a maximum 227 litres (50 gallon) capacity and of a dark natural colour.
  11. Please ask a Director about where to site your shed or greenhouse before you erect it to ensure the structure complies with planning conditions.

Raised Bed Holder Rules

  1. Raised Bed holders should keep their beds free of invasive weeds and plants likely to cause a nuisance to other plot-holders. Weeds should on no account be allowed to go to seed. 
  2. Do not plant or position anything in your beds that will overshadow a neighbour’s bed.
  3. Each bed should be under cultivation during the growing season (April to September). Beds which are not under cultivation by summer solstice (on or around 21 June) will be reallocated to the next person on the waiting list. Rents will not be reimbursed. If taking on a new tenancy you will be given 3 weeks during the growing season in which to get your beds full of soil, weed free and under cultivation otherwise they will be reallocated.
  4. Bed holders are responsible for keeping the paths bordering their bed on the north and eastern sides clear and weed free.
  5. The membrane under the beds is not to be punctured or compromised in any way. All beds should be filled to 3 scaffold planks high before planting. This will then settle to the level required by the Environment Agency. 
  6. Please do not plant trees or other deep rooted plants in your beds (fruit bushes are shallow rooted are permitted). Please check with a Director if you are unsure about any plant.
  7. Any supports deeper than 30cm should be attached to the scaffold planks, not driven into the soil.
  8. There is a limited space available for sheds, please let a Director know if you require a shed space.

Additional Sub Group Rules (e.g. Chicken Group, Bee Group etc.)

  1. All group members must be Friends of Redacre or Plot or Raised Bed holders.
  2. All groups are required to pay £20.00 annual rent (payable on Lady Day).
  3. New groups are welcome but should first discuss their proposed aims, objectives and rules with the Directors.
  4. Each group will be given a nominated Director with whom issues can be raised if necessary.
  5. All fund raising activities using the name of the Redacre Growing Project must be agreed with the Directors prior to application.
  6. The proposed building of any structure must be agreed with Directors before work commences. If any planning permission is required the group will be responsible for the application, negotiation and costs with the local authority.
  7. Directors should be kept informed of any major issues within the group. Should the group run into difficulties it must seek mediation from Directors who are not group members, whose decision will be final. Directors retain the power to decide when a group is no longer viable.
  8. The group area should be tidy and weed free. 
  9. All groups are invited to provide two reports per year, one of which will be for the AGM and one in September, detailing the progress of the group. These reports will be made available to all Redacre members.
  10. Should the group cease to exist assets purchased through Redacre Growing Project Ltd, will remain the property of Redacre. The group area should be left in a clean and tidy state, with any group property or assets being removed.
  11. All livestock is to be treated humanely.
  12. All pest and disease control methods must be organic in the first instance however, other chemicals may be used as a last resort and only with the agreement of the Directors.
  13. Directors reserve the right to amend the sub group rules with one months notice.