Dig for victory call falls on deaf ears with councillors

PLANS to turn former allotments in Yeovil into a housing development have been given the green light.

South Somerset District Council’s Area South committee yesterday (Wednesday, October 2, 2013) gave permission for the project – put forward by Yeovil Town Council – to proceed.

The proposals will see 29 properties built on the former allotments on the corner of Goldcroft and Milford Road.

Last-ditch attempts to have the proposals scuppered by opponents to the scheme fell on deaf ears.

One opponent said he could remember the “Dig for Victory” campaign of yesteryear and said it was wrong to turn allotments into a “few houses.”

The Dig for Victory campaign was launched during the Second World War of 1939-45 when food was scarce and rationing in place. The campaign encouraged people to transform gardens, parks and sports pitches into allotments to grow vegetables.

Alan Dimmick, who represents the Yeovil Central division area at Somerset County Council as a UKIP member, told councillors that he had carried out a poll around the Goldcroft area which showed 75 per cent of people were against the proposals.

Councillors rubbished his figures with them stating that Mr Dimmick had failed to tell them how many people he had actually canvassed.

Cllr Peter Gubbins said that the land needed to be developed because the allotments had fallen into such disrepair that they were “unlettable.”

Cllr Tim Carroll added: “There was a lack of demand for allotments in that area.”

And Cllr Tony Lock said: “I get people phoning me up asking for help for housing; they don’t phone me up looking for an allotment.”

The town council closed the allotments back in 2005.

PHOTO: A Dig for Victory campaign poster from the Second World War.

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