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Almost two years after taking up temporary residency at Oatlands Lane, the GROW team are getting ready to move back to their revamped site at Les Coutanchez, which has had a multi-million pound investment following a successful fundraising campaign.
The owner of the Avondale Vinery had allowed the charity to use their site while the GROW site had extensive work carried out.
Last week, the GROW team handed back the main greenhouses to their landlord, Green Trees Ltd, which had been home to the main sales area for a range of plants, as well as the planting and propagation area where the GROW Crew worked over the last two years.
Pictured: The GROW crew leaving their old site, which has now been redeveloped into a brand new work space with additional facilities.
James Littlewood, Director of Green Trees Ltd, met the GROW team for the official ‘handover’ with GROW's General Manager thanking him and the company for allowing the charity to use their land at a peppercorn rent.
Karen Blanchford said that helped their wider redevelopment plans get off the ground.
"Without this extremely generous gesture to give GROW a home for almost two years we could not have continued to function.
"The team quickly felt at home here in an environment very similar to our old site. Now we are all looking forward to returning to the Coutanchez during September."
The Coutanchez site has changed considerably since GROW vacated it temporarily.
Most recently a project to repurpose disused glass from other greenhouse sites was signed off, with work to new education and hospitality sections also completed.
Pictured: The glasshouse will be used by the GROW crew for various aspects of their work.
The glass came from redundant glasshouses at Avondale and Les Canus - both were Venlo structures which is recognised as a high quality product.
From two glasshouses, one large structure measuring 51 x 36m (1800sq. m.) has been created with a veranda, a wide path through the middle, walkways throughout the site, doors and ceiling vents.
Until they move back to their main site fully, GROW's crew will continue to use office portacabins, outdoor spaces and a greenhouse at the rear of the Avondale site, with some plant sales continuing from there.
Green Trees Ltd has got planning permission to create a storage and distribution centre at Oatlands Lane with landscaping work starting.
Pictured top: James Littlewood, Director of Green Trees Ltd with the GROW team.
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