Plans for a new council horticultural nursery in east Leeds to be discussed by executive board

Proposals to relocate Leeds City Council’s horticultural nursery at Red Hall to a new site in east Leeds are set to be discussed by senior councillors next week.

As part of a report submitted to Leeds City Council’s executive board on 21 October 2015, members will have an opportunity to consider the design and cost details of the plans, which if approved, would see a new horticultural nursery with improved facilities developed on existing land at Whinmoor Grange. The proposed move to a new site forms part of wider regeneration work by the council.

If approved by the executive board, the council will move forward with a tendering process to secure a specialist contractor to complete the design and then construct the nursery as part of the £6.5m project with work to the landscape commencing later this year and the glasshouse in March 2016. Funding for the scheme will be met, subject to approval, through in part a loan from the Local Growth Fund (LGF) and unsupported prudential borrowing, which will be repaid through the capital receipt from future sale of land at Red Hall.

Once completed, the new horticultural nursery at Whinmoor Grange will include a glass-house sowing and germination room, potting line and storage, a rain harvesting system, outdoor storage areas and vehicle access from Thorner Lane and parking facilities for visitors, members of the public and staff. A sustainable urban drainage system is also set to be introduced on the 4.3 acres site, which once completed will be more efficient in both its design and accessibility than the current Red Hall horticultural nursery.

Leeds City Council’s horticultural nursery continues to be a centre of excellence, offering a wide ranging community engagement and apprenticeship programme along with the provision of 2m bedding plants and approximately 250,000 edibles per year helps maintain and add great colour to the city’s parks and communities. Support and opportunities are also provided to vulnerable adults through supported employment, and this, along with apprenticeship and community engagement initiatives such as the in bloom project, will continue to play an important role at the new Whinmoor Grange facility.

For a full copy of the executive report, please see: http://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/documents/s137714/Redhall%20Whimoor%20Cover%20Report%20091015.pdf

Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities said:

“The council’s horticultural operations are vital to maintaining the quality of our award-winning parks and adding to the green character of our city. If approved by the executive board, the move to purpose built facilities will enable us to deliver a much more efficient service in a more accessible location, and at the same time enable the council to undertake wider regeneration work.

“The horticultural nursery also plays a very important role in the development of our apprentices and as somewhere which provides meaningful support for learning, and both these programmes will be developed further at the proposed new Whinmoor Grange facility, which is great news.”

For media enquiries, please contact;

Colin Dickinson, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 39 51578

Email: colin.dickinson@leeds.gov.uk