As an active allotment gardener, I am responding to the letter published in the Packet of January 31 from Mrs Jones.

I am sure that the majority of your readers would agree with her that there is a local shortage of affordable housing and that there is a problem in finding suitable sites. By suggesting that allotment land would be appropriate Mrs Jones is obviously unaware of the strengths of the movement both locally and nationally.

Falmouth Allotments and Gardens Society, which manages the allotments on behalf Falmouth town council, is a thriving group of 85 plot-holders, or "allotmenteers", that originated in the 1920s. It has about equal numbers of men and women and has a waiting list that is currently about 40 and growing weekly.

All of the members and would-be members understand the great relevance of locally grown food on our planet which is experiencing increased heating and pollution. We all care to know that the food we are serving to our families and friends is safe and free from pesticides. The food in our allotments is grown locally and unlike the food in supermarkets, does not result in "food-miles" which further pollutes the planet and diminishes World oil supplies.

The ages of our members cover the very young to the very old with many associated health benefits for us all. Our members are active in an outdoor environment, which helps them to enjoy a longer life, with a healthy diet, and free from stress. They are therefore likely to be healthier both mentally and physically with the benefit of not draining our over-stretched health budget.

They also benefit from the social and community aspects of allotment gardening that results in friendships from meeting together with people with similar interests and environmental concerns. We are also very pleased that Falmouth council is very supportive and that councillors understand these benefits.

All of these benefits must be balanced against the wishes of developers to grab land, because it happens to be a green space on the town plan, without caring about or understanding its social relevance.

Michael Nelson Johnson, East Rise, Swanvale, Falmouth