Old Bolsover Town Council ring-fenced four acres of its allotments, on Oxcroft Lane, in the town, for a sale to pay for a new swimming pool.

But Bolsover Allotment Association was celebrating this week after a deadline of last Thursday to get off the land was lifted meaning that five affected tenants can remain until the council agrees to sell the land in the future.

Council clerk David Kee said: "The land will remain ring-fenced with the sole objective to sell it to pay for a pool.

"But in the meantime we've withdrawn the notice to quit and will be letting the land and if opportunity presents itself to sell proper notice will be given."

Association members feared the council was planning to sell the land with wider surrounding allotments for residential development.

But the council stressed the sale of just four acres of its 19 acre allotment land is purely to fund a proposed pool at Hornscroft Park, on Langwith Road, which is on hold because of the market downturn.

Mr Kee added: "We're not looking at selling other allotment land, we're not running this land down and will continue to support allotment provision."

Neil Inns, of Mills Lane, Bolsover, who is one of the five affected tenants, said: "I'm quite pleased. I can start planting because I feel it could be years before the council sells and even then there will be new factors to re-consider.

"The council has learned a lot about our needs."

jon.cooper@derbyshiretimes.co.uk

'I can start planting because I feel it could be years before the council sells'