Plans unveiled for new building at Southwick’s award-winning community garden
Plans for a new building to support and extend the offer of a community interest company (CIC) at an established “community garden” on Wearside have been submitted to council development bosses.
Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received an application for the Just Let Your Soul Grow CIC site, off Thompson Road, in the city’s Southwick ward.
According to its website, the CIC’s “award winning community garden provides space for communities to come together, fostering a hands-on, peaceful, and safe environment that revolves around the beauty of being in nature”.
The organisation also “strives to educate community members about the joys of gardening and highlighting simple yet effective ways to become environmental stewards addressing issues around climate change through effective sustainable living practices”, with the CIC’s core values “rooted in the power of teaching and learning alongside each other.”
New plans aim to replace an existing building on site with a new “25m² community cabin,” as part of efforts to extend the CIC’s community offer and provide a larger indoor space allowing activities all year round.
Plans include the “demolition of existing shed and stores and erection of [a] new timber clad shed/ project meeting space incorporating underground water storage tanks and solar panels to [the] roof.”
Supporting planning documents submitted to council officials outline how the new cabin building, if approved, would be used by the CIC.
This includes the cabin being used as a “flexible base for Just Let Your Soul Grow CIC, supporting up to 20 participants per session in low-impact, community-driven activities focused on gardening, sustainability, wellbeing, and lifelong learning”.
Regular opening hours for the development would be Monday to Saturday, 10am-3pm, and there would also be evening sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5.30pm-7.30pm, and monthly drop-ins one weekend a month between 11am-3pm.
It was noted that “most sessions will make extensive use of adjacent outdoor garden space” and that the new community cabin would be used for “coordination, shelter, storage, and indoor learning”.
Key themes and activities set out in planning documents include gardening and food sustainability, from community gardening and “intergenerational gardening” to a “composting hub” involving a “community waste drop-off and education” and a separate “tool/seed exchange”.
Other key themes include environmental education and skills through workshops and youth and school sessions, along with a focus on health and wellbeing via outdoor classes and “eco therapy”.
The CIC will focus on “community and cultural connection” through seasonal events such as harvests and planting days, along with “cultural food sharing” activities such as cooking and storytelling and pop-up activities ranging from local produce swaps to community stalls.
Meanwhile, a volunteer programme will look at gardening, events and community building and “green pathways” focusing on skills for training and employment.
The CIC’s supporting document notes activities will mainly use outdoor space, and that indoor use is for “support and coordination” and that “most attendees are local and arrive on foot or by bike”, with “no increase in traffic or parking pressure expected”.
It was noted that the project would have several benefits including “reducing isolation […] and engaging all age groups in meaningful, sustainable activity”, as well as “enhancing local green space, promoting food sustainability, and supporting nature-positive learning and health”.
The supporting statement from Just Let Your Soul Grow CIC adds: “We are passionate about bringing people together in a way that respects the local environment.
“Over the past nine years of operation, we have received no complaints and are proud of our track record of community-led, inclusive work.”
A decision on the planning application is expected later this year following a council consultation exercise.
For more information on the plan, or to track its progress, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 25/02220/FU4
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