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First allotment

Allotment plot sizes in the UK

The short answer

A full allotment plot is traditionally 10 rods (or poles), about 250 square metres. A half plot is about 125m², and a quarter plot around 60 to 70m². There is no legal minimum size and no single standard: many councils now divide plots, and RHS says half a plot is adequate for most people and ideal for beginners.

Plot sizes are still quoted in rods, poles and perches, the same old unit under three names. Here is what each size means in metres, and in hours a week.

Plot sizes in metres

UK allotment plot sizes
PlotSizeWhere the figure comes from
Full plot10 rods, about 250m²RHS; National Allotment Society; Brighton & Hove
Half plotAbout 125m²Brighton & Hove, where most city plots are half plots
Quarter plot60 to 70m²Brighton & Hove, aimed at new plot holders
Raised-bed plots10m²Brighton & Hove, raised beds surrounded by paving, for limited mobility
Legal maximum for an “allotment garden”40 polesAllotments Act 1922, section 22
One rod, pole or perch is about 25m². Sizes vary by site: Wirral says it has no standard plot size.

What the sources say

  • There is no legal definition of the minimum size of an allotment garden.(National Allotment Society)
  • The National Allotment Society recommends the ten-pole plot, or its metric equivalent of 250m², as the template for dividing allotment land.(National Allotment Society)
  • Plots are getting smaller. The Society reports, citing a 2025 APSE survey, that 76% of councils have reduced standard plot sizes to offer smaller options.(National Allotment Society)
  • Some sites split vacated large plots into regular plots wherever possible.(Preston City Council)

Which size to ask for

  • Half a plot is adequate for most people and ideal for beginners.(RHS)
  • A half or quarter plot is more manageable for beginners.(National Allotment Society)
  • Full plots are a big commitment; half plots are more manageable with limited time.(Brighton & Hove City Council)
  • Time: RHS says a half plot might need eight hours a week for an inexperienced gardener and half that for an experienced one.(RHS)

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Where this comes from

The growing advice on this page comes from the published sources below, each linked beside the point it supports. Where two good sources disagree, we show both rather than choosing the convenient one. Reviewed 19 September 2026.