GREEN-thumbed residents of Brighton Estate in Butler are a step closer to growing their own fruit and veggies in a traditional-style community garden.
Developer Satterley Property Group, which came up with the idea for the communal plot, has just invested $10,000 in plants, shrubs, fruit trees and other greenery from Benara nursery in Carabooda to get the project under way.
The purchase coincides with work starting on an amphitheatre as part of the 600sqm garden on East Butler Primary School oval.
Locals have agreed on a constitution to guide the introduction of the scheme. Garden footings, concrete pathways, earthworks and planting should be finalised in about eight weeks. Residents can apply for one of 20 plots within the site at the corner of Landbeach Boulevard and Amersham Crescent. Space has also been set aside for community gardening without the need for a leased plot.
A “learning zone” will enable local schoolchildren and Tafe students to grow crops and have outdoor lessons in the amphitheatre.
The City of Wanneroo, West Coast TAFE Horticulture, East Butler Primary School and Irene McCormack Catholic Secondary College have all been involved in the project.
Satterley community development co-ordinator Ben Hogarth said landscape architects MNLA and Josh Byrnes, a horticulturist and conservationist on Gardening Australia, had added expertise to the development.