Moray Council has sealed plans to transform roughly an acre of an Elgin public park into a haven for the area’s gardeners.
Members of the Elgin Allotment Association have been petitioning the council to create space in the town for them to grow fruit and vegetables for almost a decade.
And last night they said they were “delighted” by the prospect of their long wait soon coming to an end.
The local authority’s policy and resources committee yesterday backed a £120,000 project to create the plots at the Pinefield playing fields.
They have earmarked turf off Ashgrove Road for the development, and a proposal for its renovation will now be prepared for the council’s planning committee.
However, though the council will carry out work on obtaining planning permission for the site, the cash-strapped authority will not pay for its redevelopment.
Councillors hope that the gardeners will be able to attract external funding to turn the scheme into a reality.
Elgin City North councillor Patsy Gowans said the decision to progress the work would come as a “relief” to the gardeners eager to tend plots in Elgin.
Elgin City South member Graham Leadbitter added: “This issue has been going for a significant number of years, and an element of frustration had built up because of the delays.
“There is a huge demand for allotments in Elgin, so there won’t be a problem getting people to use this site.”
Under community empowerment legislation, councils must keep a waiting list of people wanting to lease an allotment and must take steps to provide them within a reasonable distance of where they live.
After the allotments are up and running, the authority aims to hand over control of them to the gardeners themselves on a lease agreement.
Last night, Elgin Allotment Association chairwoman, Rebecca Kail, said: “It’s definitely been a long haul, it seemed like this was never going to get anywhere at times.
“We’re delighted by the council’s decision, and I want to thank everybody who has supported us to reach this stage.”
The group will now investigate ways to attract the financial backing required to see their plans through.