Disused bowling green to become community garden

Grimsby in Bloom runs a community café next to the planned garden

A community garden is to be built on a disused bowling green in Grimsby.

North East Lincolnshire Council has agreed to lease the land to a group which runs a café on land next door.

Grimsby in Bloom will lease the land, which is part of the Duke of York Gardens near the River Freshney, for a peppercorn rent of £1 per year.

The organisation has launched a £7,000 fundraising appeal to convert the site into a nature garden.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the land was valued at £37,000 but the council decided that using the land as a community resource outweighed any monetary gain.

The planned community garden will include a nature zone, friendship garden, and a fruit and vegetables plot.

The adjoining café is run by volunteers and runs training courses and offers counselling, as well as providing a “a safe haven” for people who may feel isolated.

A Grimsby in Bloom spokesperson said: “We are overjoyed that the council have agreed to us being the custodians of this land and appreciate that £1 a year rent has been approved.

"As a team we look forward to developing the area into a community garden.”

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