A COMMUNITY garden could be launched on Canvey creating a space for therapeutic gardening and positive activities for adults with a range of mental health problems.

Castle Point Council is set to launch the scheme at the gun site, off Furtherwick Road, if it gains support at a full cabinet meeting next week.

The council is working alongside Trust Links and Canvey Island Big Local to provide the space, which it is hoped will become a place for therapeutic gardening and training for those with dementia, learning disabilities and students with special needs – as well as being open to members of the public.

The scheme, branded Growing Together Canvey, hopes to mimic a community garden in Thundersley, which has been hailed a huge success and has been awarded the Green Flag Community Award.

A spokesman for Castle Point Council said: “The council and partners are working together to replicate the success of Growing Together Thundersley on Canvey.

“The gun site has been identified as an area for improvement and development as it is currently largely unused.

“After several site visits the council and partners are satisfied the site is able to be adequately secured against any vandalism and is appropriate for the proposed use.

“Growing Together Canvey Island will enable residents to utilise the space in a supervised and secure environment.

“Partners will work together to maximise the potential of the space and create a garden to be valued by the whole community.”

If approved, work on the site is likely to begin in the second half of this year.

The “Growing Together Thundersley Community Garden”, to the rear of the Whitehouse building, also includes a community shed, and has transformed an unused piece of land into an “attractive and biodiverse area, with significant social and environmental benefits”. The project is likely to form part of the council’s volunteer scheme, once it is approved. The plans will be discussed by Castle Point Council’s cabinet at a meeting on Wednesday - which will be open to the public in the Kiln Road, Thundersley, council offices from 7pm.