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The Peat Issue - Moving to a Peat Free future. Read GTN's May/June 2021 issue on-line now
UK-first for Dobbies as garden centre chain launches own brand peat-free compost with added John Innes
Perrywood Sudbury granted planning permission to build £8-10m garden centre
New alliance for Franchi and Mr Fothergill’s Seeds
GIMA Charity Golf Day welcomes the industry back with a day of sunshine and friendly competition
GIMA Golf Day Photo Exclusive
30% growth in first week of June bucks trends of past years
HRH The Prince of Wales visits Bloomin Amazing
Plants are the stars of Summer 2021
Squire's: An 85-year love affair with gardening
New garden wellies set to ignite year-round sales
BBC Gardeners’ World’s Spring Fair is a sell-out
Online Marketplace kickstarts digital wholesale trading with over 4,500 products
Gardeners offered chance to make solar-powered water feature or pond fountain without electricity
Horticulture industry backs moves to reform packaging producer responsibility system
Dorset LEP invest in Stewarts Agritech Glasshouse
Farplants launch Garden your way to Wellbeing
Bio-based building materials to be introduced at Chelsea
Petite rose from Whartons is a genuine innovation
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June starts with double bubble for compost
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Inside Horticulture: a new magazine to inform and inspire the garden industry in 2021 and beyond
The best of last week's
Tong gets go-ahead to build £14m garden centre
Work on new centre set to start in mid-July
Shed prices set to soar
Private equity group acquires leading garden product firm
Man arrested after burglary at garden centre
Barton Grange Christmas 2020 - Exclusive GTN Xtra Photo Tour
Squires Badshot Lea - Christmas 2020
Perrywood at Christmas 2020 - with correct photo gallery now...
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Dorset LEP invest in Stewarts Agritech Glasshouse

 

Stewarts Garden Centres are nearing completion of a £3 million agritech glasshouse and education facility at Broomhill, made possible thanks to funding from Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Low Carbon Dorset. 

 

Stewarts Agritech Glasshouse will allow Stewarts Garden Centres to grow a wide variety of plants and supply other south coast garden centres and farm shops with Dorset grown plants, reducing reliance on imports and safeguarding rural jobs. Stewarts Agritech Glasshouse will not only ensure commercial success, but it will also be a base of horticultural education for local schools and colleges, showcasing horticultural practice, agritech machinery, and low-carbon technology.

 

Cecilia Bufton, Dorset LEP Chair, said: “Dorset LEP allocated approximately £300,000 of the UK Government’s Local Growth Fund to this project. This innovative agritech facility will be a much-needed home for practical horticultural education in Dorset.”

 

Luke Rake, Dorset LEP Board Member and Principal of Kingston Maurward College, said: “This project is not just an example of an innovative business succeeding in agritech. This is a key education facility which will be used by local businesses, schools, and colleges like Kingston Maurward College. 

 

“Agritech is a high-growth sector in Dorset and that’s why Dorset LEP has featured it within the Local Industrial Strategy for Dorset. Projects like this will boost the agri-tech sector and benefit our local economy.”

 

The new 10,000 square metre glasshouse growing facility will enable the garden centre to grow 500,000 plants during any one year.

 

Martin Stewart, Managing Director of Stewarts Garden Centres, said: “Ten years ago, it was a dream of ours to build a glasshouse like this. We built this for commercial reasons, but we also built it to teach people about modern horticulture. We will have up to seven classroom facilities that could be used for primary schools through to education classes with Kingston Maurward College.

 

“We’re very proud to say that this is a sustainable venture, and we hope this is absolutely carbon neutral when fully operational.”

 

Katie Dawes, Communications and Engagement Officer at Low Carbon Dorset, said: “Low Carbon Dorset has provided financial and technical support for the low-carbon aspects of this project which included a ground-source heat pump and solar thermal screening for the new glasshouse, and LED lighting and solar panels at Stewarts Garden Centres Broomhill and Christchurch sites. Combined these measures will save around 450 tonnes of CO2e and £50K in energy costs each year.”

 

Stewarts Agritech Glasshouse is expected to be completed later this year and opened to the public in Spring 2022. Education facilities will be completed and ready to invite students by September 2022. More information can be found on their website: https://stewarts.co.uk/

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