Environmental group's community building approved

Grow Jersey has been helping people learn more about the environment for three years

Plans for a new building to help a Jersey environmental organisation expand have been approved.

Grow Jersey helps people learn how to plant and grow food as part of community and therapeutic work.

Planning has given the go-ahead for the group to build a community building in the field it uses near Surville cemetery.

The building will be 24m (78.7ft) long, 8.8m (28.9ft) wide and 5.2m (17.1ft) tall and includes a production kitchen, a community space and a garage to store equipment.

Sheena Brockie from Grow Jersey says the charitable organisation has come a long way since it started

The building is due to be built from Structural Insulated Panels, which are designed to be energy efficiency.

The site will be used to help community groups and to teach people how to cook the food grown in the field.

Sheena Brockie helped found Grow Jersey three years ago and has overseen its development.

She said the approval was "massive" for the charitable organisation and it boosted "what we can achieve in terms of a community".

Ms Brockie added: "It's kind of overwhelming because I think we punch way above our weight and we've just got so much going on."

The group is now looking for funding for the community building and Ms Brockie also said once that had been secured "there's going to be so many opportunities for the community to get involved".

Jersey Grow works with other community projects around the island like the Pollinator Project