Parish agrees to buy communal garden for £1

The plan for Allix's Shipyard aims to bring the garden back to a "good state of repair"

Plans for a parish to buy an "important" community garden area in a former shipyard for £1 have been approved.

During a St Helier assembly meeting, a proposal from Constable Simon Crowcroft to purchase Allix's Shipyard in Havre des Pas with the aim of bringing the site back to a "good state of repair" was unanimously backed.

Immediate repairs worth an estimated £7,000 were also approved with the meeting told further refurbishments could cost about £100,000.

Money to restore the site would be gathered through the Buildings Reserve Fund, a report presented at the meeting said.

The report said the Vingtaine de la Ville, the current owners of the site, had recognised it would struggle to meet ongoing maintenance costs.

It added Crowcroft considered the site to be of "significant importance" and the parish would be best-placed to become the long-term custodians of the shipyard.

The report said the parish would also cover legal costs involved with the purchase.