Hi Paul,
such a shame when plots are generally in really high demand; we have waiting lists of hundreds in London!
Perhaps newcomers might consider sharing to start with, to alleviate the burden of getting started? Also, maybe a leaflet introducing basic concepts of permaculture might be good, which, in the end, is designed towards low maintenance (but still has that initial threshold of work to get through, which seems to be the problem here).
Perhaps also a communal supply of plastic sheeting might help, in case the outlay of that seems off-putting.
The chemical thing is a pain; we have a chemical ban and people still use them…
Good luck with your endeavours…
