The West Lothian Foodbank is hoping to create its own market garden to grow fresh fruit and veg to hand out to people in West Lothian.
The charity is looking to transfer the derelict areas around its new base at Inchmuir Road in Blackburn into a garden with 250 raised beds and three polly tunnels.
The foodbank has lodged a planning application to West Lothian Council for permission to carry out the works.
The application states the charity is proposing to upgrade the existing derelict/overgrown areas of the yard with landscaping and the installation of gravel paths, 350 raised beds (1.2m x 1.2m x 0.6m high) and three polly tunnels (18m x 5.5m x 2.6m high) for growing fruit and veg for the foodbank.
Manager Kathleen Neilly said everyone at the charity was excited about the proposals.
She continued: “We will be upgrading the car park and converting the perimeter of the car park (currently unusable due to weeds and stockpiling of rubble) and the landscape areas around the warehouse into a market garden to produce apples, pears, plums, strawberries, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, etc. This will be achieved through turning the landscaped areas into an orchard, and building commercial sized polytunnels at the top of the car park and raised beds around the perimeter of the car park.
“The installation of monoblock self draining parking bays, will include installation of drains near the warehouse. These works will allow us to produce food of our own to boost our client food parcels and the community pantries in the food network, this project will also be eco friendly.”
The foodbank was advised by the council that a change of use application would be required and that a gas strength membrane would be required under the raised beds.
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