A CHAGFORD community project, which was awarded a lottery grant of £131,000 last year to expand its composting and recycling facilities, is hoping to win planning permission to set up in its first permanent base.
Proper Job has operated from a variety of locations for the past five years but the charity is excited at the prospect of having its own site complete with office facilities on land to the rear of Crannafords Industrial Estate.
The planning application, which has just been submitted to West Devon Borough Council for the third-of-an-acre site, includes the erection of an activity building, the reconstruction of a former pavilion, a wind generator, dry composting toilets and demonstration gardens.
Project co-ordinator Jill Hodges, who has been operating an office from her home since Proper Job was set up, said the grant from the National Lotteries Charities Board was to be used over a three year period but the initial cost of purchasing the site and getting it up and running would be £75,000.
'I think we are on the brink of something very good — it is nerve-racking but I have seen the project building up in a very gradual way and am very optimistic about its future,' she said.
Mainly concerned with composting and waste minimalisation, the Chagford co-operative also has a market garden and cafe in the town.
It currently employs 14 people and is supported by 90 members of the community.
Proper Job was a runner-up for the Devon Environmental Business Initiative Green Award last year and Mrs Hodges hopes that with a permanent base, more people will be able to come along and see for themselves what was being achieved and how they do adapt it for their own communities.
'The composting presently takes place on an allotment but the space is just not available to do it in a really efficient way,' she said. 'We wanted a larger, central position in Chagford where we could also welcome visitors.'
She said a huge amount of garden waste was collected for composting.
A limited kerbside collection for kitchen waste had also been operating but this was one of things that was going to be expanded.
'We also hope to collect reusable timber which people will be able to purchase and organise a community repaint scheme where we collect old tins of paint from people's garages that can be reused,' she said.
There are plans to provide training in such aspects as repairing old and broken furniture.
Mrs Hodges said in the long term a larger area would be sought to expand the market gardening side of the business.