NEW local business, Grow Plots (www.growplots.co.uk), has come up with an idea to help people jump the queue for an allotment - buy one instead.

The initiative comes as demand for allotments is at an all-time high - people are looking to spend more time with friends or family, getting healthy outdoor exercise and enjoying the fresh food they can produce.

Grow Plots aims to encourage new 'grow your own communities' in green belt areas just outside towns and cities. The business has just released plots at Pengelli Springs near Pendoylan in the Vale of Glamorgan - just 15 minutes drive from Culverhouse Cross in Cardiff.

23 allotments are being offered for sale on a freehold basis with the benefit of car parking, mains water supply and state-of-the-art composting toilet facilities.

Families and friends can also enjoy the areas set aside for picnics and barbecues.

Penarth-based Grow Plots director Andrew Masters said: "I recently heard of someone in Penarth who had just got an allotment after 11 years on the waiting list!

"Our solution means people can get started growing their own fruit and vegetables right away.

"We love the idea of establishing a community of like-minded people at Pengelli Springs. It's a lovely place to spend time - very peaceful and with superb panoramic views over the Vale countryside."

Owning an allotment, it seems, is much more than growing vegetables - it's an investment in your quality of life.