A COMMUNITY which helped save historic allotments threatened by a multi million pound housing development are being invited to see the results of their campaign for themselves.

Church leaders had planned to sell off the land in the heart of Bedale, which is one of the oldest registered allotments in Britain, dating back to the 1830’s.

The one and a half acres of land. next to a new Persimmon housing estate was understood to be worth over £1million as part of an extension of the housing site. The diocese offered to develop a new allotment site on the outskirts of town.

But allotment holders and residents backed by the local church launched a huge campaign to save the existing site on Masham Road.

They collected a petition with over 2,500 signatures and enlisted the help of the Town Council and Hambleton District council to register the land as a community asset to slow down any development.

Eventually the newly formed West Yorkshire and the Dales Diocese agreed earlier this year that half the land should be protected as allotments with part of the site still being sold off for housing.

This meant Bedale Allotment Association has been gifted three quarters of an acre with money towards levelling and replanting the plots.

On Sunday July 17 the allotments will be officially opened and the Society is inviting local people who helped preserve them to see what has been done

Secretary John Burton said the agreement is a “good compromise” which has allowed them to keep 22 of the allotments although they had lost half the land. He added:“Visitors will be able to walk around the plots and members will be on hand to explain what the Allotments Society has to offer and its vision for the future.”