Four days remain before decisions are made over the future of allotments across the borough.

Richmond Council is considering measures to improve its allotment service and meet the growing demand for plots as part of a five year strategy aimed at making plots available to more residents and freeing up sites which have fallen out of use.

Members of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee are meeting on Wednesday to consider introducing measures to ensure that people who hold allotments make reasonable use of them as well as setting up a mentoring scheme for new allotment holders and giving them a six month probation.

Other ideas include having community payback workers who could clear neglected plots before they are offered to new users, limiting new applicants to one plot in the borough and re-opening waiting lists so that applicants could assess their prospects of success.

Committee chairman, Councillor Jeremy Elloy, said: “Allotments in Richmond are hugely popular and as such we have waiting lists of residents who would love to have one.

“While most people who have plots take great care and make fantastic use of them, there are a small minority who don’t look after them allowing them to become overgrown and unused.

“This is unfair on so many folks in our borough who are clamouring to get a plot.

“We also know that some plot holders are simply unable to maintain their allotments as they used to, perhaps because of old age and infirmity.

“The review contains proposals to enable them to downsize to more manageable plots instead.

“We want to find ways to make sure that as many people as possible who would like an allotment can have one and that they are properly taken care of.

“The review addresses the issue of neglected plots, and suggests plot holders should be given two warnings – and lose their plots on the third.

“The process is designed to be balanced and fair, with an appeals process for added fairness.”

Residents wishing to speak at the meeting - on Wednesday 23, at 7pm, in Clarendon Hall, York House, Twickenham - must register their request in advance by emailing gary.lelliott@richmond.gov.uk or calling 020 8891 7275. The deadline for requests to speak is 2pm on Tuesday.

To view the agenda and draft strategy, visit richmond.gov.uk/calendar_of_meetings.

• What do you think lies ahead for allotments? Let us know by email (gholt@london.newsquest.co.uk), phone the newsdesk on 020 8744 4271 or leave a comment below.