The Association is a voluntary organisation that was formed in 1977, because of concerns that the land might be used for property development. The site was gifted to the City of Manchester by Lord Egerton of Tatton, to be used in perpetuity for the cultivation of fruit and vegetables. It is rumoured that when the railway line was built, the allotments were designated as gardens for the workers, to supplement their meagre wages and improve their diets.
