VEGETABLE growers on an allotment have appealed to the land’s new mystery owner for a fair deal.

Tenants at Longwood Allotments on Prospect Road had hoped for secure tenancies after Kirklees Council agreed to buy the land.

But the sale fell through last week after landowners Accept Properties withdrew the sale, opting to sell to an undisclosed company instead.

The tenants have had an uncertain 12 months.

In June 2008 the 17 allotment holders were given eviction notices ending their tenancy on September 30.

The plot holders appealed to Kirklees Council to buy the allotments.

Following negotiations, Mirfield-based Accept Properties agreed a price with the council after months of delays.

Meanwhile, the tenants held their first ever produce show at Longwood Mechanics in October.

But last week the allotment holders’ future was cast back into doubt when they discovered the land, designated as urban green space, had been sold to a private buyer.

A spokesman for Longwood Allotment holders said: “The allotment holders would like to meet the new owners and work with them to secure the long-term future of the allotments.

“We have every reason to hope that a successful partnership can be forged and look forward to a meeting as soon as possible.

“We ask them to contact either our chairman or allotments secretary. In the meantime the allotment holders will go on quietly tending their allotments.

“Longwood allotments are a beautiful verdant space, supplying local people with fruit and vegetables.

“We intend that the site will continue to grow more beautiful and more productive over the years to come.”

Former landowners Accept Properties said they were relieved to have sold the land after ‘hassle’ from the allotment tenants.

Tony Shaw, director of Accept Properties, said: “They have said we wanted to develop the land and we have never wanted to do that. We bought it with a portion of land that was suitable for development.

“It was more hassle than it was worth so we took our opportunity to move it on and remove the responsibility, and quite frankly, we are quite relieved.

“The new landowner is keen to keep the allotments and was planning to contact Kirklees to say that was the case.”