The company behind a controversial 700-plot allotment site in North Somerset has insisted: “The last thing we want to do is harm nature.”
On Monday, the police ordered Roots Allotments to stop work on part of the fields at Abbots Leigh they are transforming into allotments, after evidence of nesting skylarks was found. It comes after a number of tense clashes between the Bath-based commercial allotment business and locals in the village opposed to the plan.
Others who have spoken out against the allotments include Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden and conservationist Chris Packham, the latter of whom took to social media on Monday evening to warn: “Increasing access to green spaces is a must — and allotments are a great way to do that, and more. But when you’re a venture capital-backed firm developing on species rich grassland with breeding skylarks, you’re in the wrong Roots Allotments.”
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Skylarks, who make their nests on the ground, are a red listed species and the UK has lost about a sixth of its skylarks over the last 30 years. An ecologist brought by the police’s rural crime team concluded that a pair of skylarks were nesting or preparing to nest in the field between Leigh Woods and the Monarch’s Way footpath — the bottom field of the Roots Allotments site — and so no work should be carried out there until August 31.
His report stated: “To carry out works before then would carry a very high risk of destruction of an occupied nest or killing of flightless young, either of which would be unlawful.”
But he added that the bottom field between the footpath and Abbots Leigh road was “now wholly unsuitable” for skylarks to nest and that work continuing there would not pose a risk to the birds.
In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Roots co-founder Ed Morrison said: “We regularly survey all our sites to ensure we are working in harmony in nature. Our last survey at Abbots Leigh was on the 29th of April, when our ecologists checked every single tussock of grass for nests in the upper field before we started laying patches.”
“They found none. If they had we would not have progressed. The site is split into two halves with a footpath in the middle which remains in use by residents and visitors.
“Our ecologists told us from the behaviour they observed, there could be a skylark nest in our bottom field, which is where the police ecologist has seen birds at flight and we would, of course, have completed extensive surveys of that area before we started creating any allotment patches there. This was not planned until July to avoid peak nesting season.
“Following the police ecologist visit, they have recognised that we are not currently carrying out any allotment patch creation in this northern part of the site. The only activity there is where we are putting a fence up. The police ecologist has today (15th May) acknowledged this and said the fence can continue to be erected as long as there is an ecologist on site to identify any activity and determine nesting sites.
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“They have also requested additional checks for skylark nests within 20m of the proposed fence and if any are found that there would need to be a 20m exclusion zone around them. This is something we would have done anyway – and we did similar when we found a badger set last year. The last thing we want to do is harm nature, instead we strive to find a way to work alongside it.
“We believe passionately in the environment and in increasing biodiversity at all of our sites. Rather than damaging wildlife, we want to increase it, and grow in harmony with nature. At our Bristol site we are planting hedgerows, a wildflower meadow, an orchard and planning a wetland which will increase biodiversity in linear habitats up to 100%. Our aim is to be a force for good, reduce food miles and provide people with better quality food close to home.”
Christian Samuel, also part of the Roots team, added: “We’ve had the sign-off from the council. We were loosely aware this might continue. We assumed the protestors would allow us to do it once we had permission from the council, but they haven’t."
“But we continue for our members. We fought for a year and a half for this now. We’re aware we’re in the eye of the storm and hope to come out in the sunshine to see hundreds of people growing their food,” Christian said.
He believes that if they backed down, it could impact sites across the UK, possibly setting a precedent for people wanting to grow their food.
Despite the challenges, the team plans to open the site soon, weather permitting. “We had 200 tonnes of compost dropped off, which will start making beds this week,” Christian said, “but it depends on the weather. We stop if we have a wet week, as we don’t want to damage the field.”
The team remains hopeful that the community will come to accept the project. “When I’ve been on site doing events, they have not shown any hatred towards members, and it’s almost like there is a personal vendetta against myself and Christian, and it’s where the anger is being directed. I am sure when it’s opened, they will back down, but until then, they are fighting tooth and nail to make sure it doesn’t ever happen, but once it’s opened, I think they will accept it very quickly," Ed said.
Despite the opposition, the Roots team remains committed to their mission. Christian said, “It’s definitely the toughest thing we’ve dealt with in our lives. We’ve been chased around the country by these people, for example, telling people at our site in Croydon by a golf course that we would put housing on it. We don’t own the site, and you need to do a lot of planning for that.”
He added: “If you speak to any of our members on any of our sites, they will sing our praises for our services, as we care so deeply about how we provide them. It’s different to how a council-run plot will run as we provide all your lessons, all the workshops, and equipment, and your entire year’s worth of seeds are there; you’re told how to plant them, how far away from each other, and also pre-grown plants to replace seeds which do not grow.”
As of November — when the plans were reluctantly given the go-ahead by North Somerset Council after an eleven-month fight — 600 people had already signed up for Roots Allotments at the Abbots Leigh site. The allotments cost more than council allotments — at £9.99 to £49.99 a month — but include seeds, courses, and access to tools.
Police previously attended the site of the allotments in April 2023 over a standoff between locals and Roots and in October 2023, when some locals blockaded access to the field as contractors tried to install a fence.
