ALRESFORD residents have celebrated the grand opening of a new plot of allotments in the Hampshire town.

The New Alresford Allotment Society (NAAS) rang in the occasion in delightful weather at a ceremony overseen by the Mayor of Winchester, Russell Gordon-Smith, who cut a ceremonial ribbon and made a speech.

The site adds 25 allotments to the area around Spring Gardens, which already has a nearby plot, and lies on land owned by the Tichborne Estate.

Tony Mott, chair of the NAAS, said: "Well, I think the allotments are a great success. I think we've been waiting for this for a long, long time. The actual waiting list has been about three and a half years.

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The Mayor of Winchester chats with residents and councillors at the new site (Image: NQ) "It's almost a little community up here now. Everyone gets on; everyone is as keen as mustard."

Alresford town councillor Johnny Dakin, who was instrumental in pushing through the plans for the site, said: "It's a really wonderful space. It's such a valuable community resource. It's a place where people can come and learn new skills and spend some time outdoors, be part of the community, meet new people and make new friends, or just come here and have some quiet time to unplug from the busy-ness of life."

Also present was Sarah Johnson, who works with Alresford Town Council.

Speaking about the preparations for the site, she said: "We worked closely with the allotment society to work out the best size for the plots and how to lay out the site. And then, very quickly, we filled it because our waiting list was big.

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Oliver Mead of the Tichborne Estate (Image: NQ) "But it took quite a long time to get the right contractors, to get water to the site, the relevant permissions that we were required, and it was opened up in November, really."

Oliver Mead, representing the Tichborne Estate, which owns the land on which both plots of allotments on Spring Gardens lie, said: "The estate already owns and leases the allotment site. We scouted around and thought we'd found an appropriate place for [the allotments] on the other side of the road [from the original site], and we were quite happy to help."

All 25 plots are open for use by Alresford residents, and, according to the NAAS, waiting lists are currently short.