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Families who lease part of their rear garden from Network Rail face seeing their payments soar up to six-fold (link below.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7678746.stm

Householders along Lansdowne Road in Canton, Cardiff, have been told they must pay almost ^300 per year or see the bottom of their garden fenced off.

Network Rail said it wanted a "fair and sensible" solution for everyone and a "boundary line for the public".

It said there were inconsistencies and a third of the 155 properties involved had no tenancy agreement.

People in the Canton area, whose homes back on to the rail line to Cardiff Central station, have been able to rent the few yards of land leading to the bank which carries the track.

However, not everyone rents or uses the land, so some well-tended gardens are surrounded by overgrown shrub land.

The rail regulator held three residents' meetings this month to explain its proposals.

It said it was trying to simplify the system after piecemeal agreements made with householders by British Rail and Railtrack had resulted in people paying a range of rents, while others paid none at all.

One of the options available to householders is to buy the gardens, provided a minimum of 10 adjoining properties were involved.

If they want to rent the land, many have been told the lease will cost ^250 per year plus VAT, a total of ^293.75.

Network Rail believes the current situation is hugely inconsistent with some land occupied illegally.

Some residents pay for their tenancy, while some do not, while there are also problems of fly-tipping and access to rail land.

The market rent rate is ^500 and Network Rail says it has have halved the individual tenancy rent rate to ^250, or ^20 a month, it has recommended a joint tenancy that can potentially cut the rate further by another 50%.

Very interesting British Waterways are trying something similar along the Lancaster canal in Preston. Totally dead land accessible only from the water or through peoples back gardens where they are demanding rents for those that have the temerity to cultivate what would otherwise be derilict land with no use at all.

The thing that puzzles me is that Networkrail says the "market rent" is ^500 a month. How can that be if there is no access except through the garden of the house onto which the plot ajoins. Unless the land has potential railway use I cant see it has any value.

You also say that there are problems with flytipping and  access to rail land which presumably means that one end or the other is open to the railway but without seeing a map it's difficult to judge. That could be cured with a fence and a gate if necessary for rail purposes.

It's also another case of non joined up government. With Defra and the NHS telling us to eat five a day a people like Jamie and Hugh FW encouraging us to grow more veg this type of land would seem ideal to bring into cultivation. In fact if you look into the history I wouldn't be at all surprised that it wasn't bought into in the war as part of dig for victory where large areas of land by the railways was turned into allotments. Not sure whether thay are still there but until quite recently there were several plots by the Up Relief beween West Ealing and Ealing Broadway.

Perhaps Networkrail could be paid in veg boxes for their staff.