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Coney Green Drive Allotments is located on what was, many thousands of years ago, the old river bed of the River Rea. The river Rea rises in the Waseley Hills, flows near to our site and goes into the centre of Birmingham and ultimately the water ends up in the River Trent. It provided the source for many industries close to the site, including a corn mill, of which remains still exist and small metal industries located on leets of the river which have long since gone.  There was even an attempt to grow daffodils for the pharmaceutical industry over a century ago which failed but left us with a glorious show of them in the Spring.

Since it’s located on an old river bed the plot is mainly clayey with an underlying sandstone ridge. Clay soil is very rich and fertile if managed properly. The Soilscape Viewer from Cranfield University reports it as loamy and clayey with moderate fertility and impeded drainage.

More recently it was owned by the old Austin Motor Company that used to dominate the life in our area, They had ,along with a much larger area around it which was used as playing field, some allotments for their workers. Then in 1947 the whole area was sold to Birmingham City Council for housing development but they retained 8.80 acres of it as allotments and the allotment site formally began operation under the Council in 1954.

In 1972 about a third of the site was returned to the Council for housing development which was roughly when the houses on Tollgate Close were built. However the remaining two thirds continued as allotments to this day.

Since then site has gone from strength to strength with a water supply and the creation of a Community Building and a building for the well stocked shop.

We regularly hold events including Shows, Table Top Sales "Dine with Me "and other events.

We are now a self run Allotments Society under the auspices of Birmingham City Council