A DISUSED park near London’s historic Borough Market has been transformed into a thriving urban allotment thanks to a pioneering platform known as the world’s first ‘Airbnb for garden space’.
AllotMe – which enables people to let out unused outdoor space to people looking for a place to grow their own fruit and vegetables – was drafted in by Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) to help revitalise the largely overgrown gated garden.
Conor Gallagher, AllotMe’s founder, suggested the space be turned into an urban allotment for use by local residents, and members of BOST, and a team of corporate volunteers from PWC quickly began transforming the site into 20 raised beds across 13 plots advertised on AllotMe’s platform.
Such was demand that all 13 plots were snapped up within two hours. The urban allotment opened fully last month.
In addition to the rented plots, there are a further two raised beds with benches that will be dedicated to community use for growing herbs and salads. Produce grown in these beds will also be supplied to a local food coop.
There are also plans to hold workshops and events to help teach renters and further involve the local community.
Gallagher, a former architect turned sustainability entrepreneur, said: “There is a chronic lack of publicly available outdoor and allotment space for growing in London, so the chance to transform this space near Borough Market was one that had to be seized with both hands.
“Working with BOST and the local community we’ve been able to create real and practical growing space that will make a significant contribution to the local community.
“The speed at which the plots were snapped up shows how much people value the ability to grow their own – particularly in a cost-of-living crisis – and shows why it’s so important we open up as much outdoor space as possible to enable them to do so.”
Gallagher, originally from Belfast, launched AllotMe in 2021 in response to rising demand for growing space in the face of diminishing availability in urban environments – particularly in London – where some areas have waiting lists of up to 40 years for allotments.
It has since flourished with more than 600 plots listed and a community of 6,000 hosts, Greenfingers, and enthusiasts registered across the UK.
Large beds at the Borough Urban Allotment are £35 per month, with small beds £20 per month. All renters receive seasonal seeds, as well as all the tools and water required; access to AllotMe’s growing guides, and unlimited use of AllotMe’s pioneering Hazel AI garden advice platform.
Launched this summer, AllotMe’s pioneering ‘Hazel’ service can answer any question greenfingers pose on gardening and growing fruit and vegetables, and has been designed to make advice more accessible for gardeners and growers of all abilities.
Hosted on the AllotMe website, the tech is powered by generative AI platform Chat GPT, and has been trained using the platform’s extensive bespoke growing guides to channel its focus and ensure responses are as accurate, useful, and practical as possible.
