A GROUP of Ipswich schoolchildren are making their voices heard today after writing letters to town chiefs opposing the development of allotments.Pupils at Ranelagh Primary School, on Pauls Road, Maidenhall, have been cultivating an allotment patch off London Road for approaching a year.

A GROUP of Ipswich schoolchildren are making their voices heard today after writing letters to town chiefs opposing the development of allotments.

Pupils at Ranelagh Primary School, on Pauls Road, Maidenhall, have been cultivating an allotment patch off London Road for approaching a year.

After growing attached to the area pupils sprang to the defence of the allotments after it emerged they have been earmarked for future development under the local development framework.

Headteacher at the school Diane Ekins said pupils were tasked with writing letters on the issue based on their feelings of whether more housing or the preservation of the allotments was more important.

Out of a total of 27 letters, written by 10 and 11-year-olds, only one was in favour of more housing and all the letters have now been passed on to Ipswich's planning department.

Mrs Ekins said: “We have been using the allotments so children have an experience of where vegetables come from.

“Everyone at the school goes to the allotment and we decided to ask the older class to write a letter about the situation.

“We did not want to give them a one-sided version, so talked through both cases and asked them to make an argument either for allotments or for housing.”

Richard Atkins, responsible for planning and economic development at Ipswich Borough Council, said: “I think it's superb that these children have written these letters because it's their town and their future.

“Through these letters they are influencing how they want their town to be and how they want to see things.”

Mr Atkins added that all views put forward on the local development framework are valued and will be taken into consideration.

He said the earmarking of the allotments off London Road for potential development is not a formal planning application and there are no plans to build over them in their entirety.

Should allotment sites in Ipswich be preserved or is more housing needed? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

“I am against building houses on the London Road allotment because I love the allotment, it is so much fun up the allotment.

“You get to grow vegetables and fruit, oh and I and the class think we are really lucky and privileged.

“I think it is the best thing ever and I am not going to change that without a fight.”

Jonathon Colman

“I am concerned about the housing situation on London Road allotments it could be a historical landmark it been there for over sixty years some of people's memories are buried there.”

Marquise Tre Taylor

“Children at my school enjoy working as a team and watching their produce grow. But it's not just the children that enjoy it but the teachers too.”

Abbie May Smith