Teddington Allotments Campaign Hits All the Right Notes

The Teddington allotments campaign to save Shacklegate Lane has found an unlikely advocate: a protest song. When James Thomson heard the stories of plot holders tending a site that has grown vegetables for 120 years, he picked up his guitar and wrote Shacklegate Lane Allotments, a light-hearted anthem for a serious fight. Nearly 1,700 residents have now signed a petition opposing Richmond Council’s plans to convert the allotments into a cemetery, and the song has given the campaign a voice that carries beyond the fence line.

Richmond Council says it will offer allotment holders alternative plots, but the proposal has united a community determined to protect a piece of local history.

Why a 120-year-old site faces the spade

The council is responding to a genuine London-wide problem.

Burial space across the capital is running short, and Richmond must plan for the next generation of residents who will need cemetery provision. Shacklegate Lane Allotments, tucked quietly into Teddington for more than a century, sits on land the council believes could serve that need. The proposal includes relocating current plot holders to alternative sites, though those details remain under consultation. The allotments have weathered two world wars, several redevelopment threats, and countless seasons of frost and drought, so the idea of losing them now has struck a nerve.

What began as a planning question has become a referendum on what the borough values and what it is prepared to lose.

How a song became a rallying cry

James Thomson did not set out to write a protest anthem.

He listened to allotment holders describe their plots, the friendships formed over shared tools and seedling advice, the quiet satisfaction of growing food in the same soil their predecessors turned. Those stories led him to compose Shacklegate Lane Allotments, a song that balances humour with genuine affection for the site.

Hearing the stories of the allotment holders led to my decision to get involved in their campaign,

Thomson said. The song has been shared across social media, played at community gatherings, and quoted in petition comments. It has done what good campaigns need: made an abstract planning decision feel personal and immediate.

A melody can carry a message further than a planning document ever will, and in this case it has turned a local dispute into something people hum on their way to the shops.

How we got here

1900s

Shacklegate Lane Allotments established in Teddington, serving local residents for over a century.

2026

Richmond Council proposes converting the allotments into a cemetery amid London-wide burial space shortages.

2026

Nearly 1,700 residents sign a petition opposing the plans and calling for the allotments to be protected.

2026

James Thomson releases protest song Shacklegate Lane Allotments, amplifying the campaign.

James Thomson, a Teddington resident, composed Shacklegate Lane Allotments after hearing plot holders describe the community built around the site. His song has become the campaign’s unofficial anthem, shared widely and quoted in petition comments.

What happens when green space meets demand

Richmond residents know this tension well.

The borough is prized for its parks, riverside walks, and pockets of green that give London breathing room, but it also faces the same pressures as every other part of the capital: housing, infrastructure, and now burial provision. Shacklegate Lane sits at the intersection of those competing needs. The allotments serve a relatively small number of plot holders, but their symbolic weight is larger. They represent continuity, local food production, and a kind of community glue that is hard to quantify on a balance sheet. The council has promised alternative plots, though campaigners point out that established soil, mature fruit trees, and a century of cultivation cannot simply be transplanted.

The outcome will signal how the borough weighs heritage against necessity, and whether there is room for both.

What this means for you

If you hold a plot at Shacklegate Lane or care about how the borough balances green space with infrastructure needs, now is the time to make your voice heard. | The council consultation on the cemetery proposal is open, and your submission carries weight, particularly if you can speak to specific impacts or suggest alternative sites. You can sign the petition, which is approaching 1,700 signatures and will be presented at the next planning committee meeting. If you want to support the campaign more actively, the allotment association is organising a community meeting later this month to coordinate responses and explore legal options if the proposal moves forward. Even if you do not hold a plot, your input as a Teddington or Richmond resident matters: planning decisions like this set precedent for how the borough treats other green spaces under pressure. | Speak now, or watch the decision get made without you.

A protest song may not stop a planning application, but it has made sure this one will not pass quietly. Whether Shacklegate Lane survives as allotments or becomes a cemetery will depend on how many residents decide the fight is worth joining.

The timing matters because London is running out of burial space, according to a recent council report, and decisions about alternative sites are moving through the planning process now.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Richmond Council want to turn the allotments into a cemetery?

London is running out of burial space, and Richmond Council must plan for future cemetery provision. Shacklegate Lane Allotments sits on land the council believes could meet that need, though the decision remains under consultation.

Will allotment holders lose their plots?

The council has said it will offer alternative plots to current holders if the cemetery proposal goes ahead, but details about location, soil quality, and timing have not yet been confirmed. Campaigners argue that established plots cannot be easily replaced.

How can I support the campaign to save the allotments?

You can sign the petition, which is available online and has nearly 1,700 signatures. You can also submit a response to the council consultation, attend the upcoming community meeting organised by the allotment association, or share the campaign on social media.

Where can I hear James Thomson's protest song?

Shacklegate Lane Allotments has been shared on social media and played at community gatherings. You can search for it on local community pages or contact the allotment association for details on where it has been posted.

What happens if the council approves the cemetery plan?

If approved, the allotments would be cleared and redeveloped as a cemetery. Current plot holders would be relocated to alternative sites. The campaign may explore legal challenges or further appeals depending on the outcome of the consultation.

Useful resources

• Richmond Council Planning Services