Plans Lodged For Beekeeping Centre

Plans have been submitted for a dedicated Beekeeping Centre in St Saviour.

The Jersey Beekeepers' Association wants to restore the land to make it a natural habitat for wildlife, as well as create a space for teaching school groups and hosting events.

JBKA President, Ken Healy, heads up the bee field project:

"The creation of a Beekeeping Centre has been a long ambition of the JBKA. It will be a valuable island resource to train beekeepers so that they can effectively manage their bees and counter the increasing disease and predator threats. This comes at a time when our pollinators are in decline and are in need of all the help they can get".

However, the man who donated the land - former President, Bob Hogge - says Island Plan could cause some problems for the group's plans:

"I think we're going to have a problem because it is in the Green Zone. I think what we're offering will be enough for [Planning] to say 'this is important' but the worry with all this is that it would be a slippery slope. Our case here is that this is not just for beekeepers - this is for the whole island, so there's a value for schools, for scientific research."

The site was previously used as a dumping ground for agricultural waste, which means it can't be used for horticultural or farming use.

The Association hopes that will be taken into account by Planning as a factor in permitting the development of the site in the Green Zone.

It plans to build a 'modest' centre with a classroom, laboratory and storage facilities.