“THE world’s largest indoor farm” can now officially start growing after councillors green lit plans to convert the site of a former metal foundry in Lydney.

Food producer the Jones Food Company (JFC) has secured permission from Forest of Dean District Council to change the use of the former JD Norman metal foundry site on Tutnalls Street, in order to create a new state-of-the-art hydroponic indoor farm.

Works to build the innovative new facility, which will use robots and cover the equivalent of 70 tennis courts on 17 levels, began last year after the company secured permission to demolish a tower at the site next to the A48 Bypass.

JFC said the multi-million pound ‘Garden of England’ development will help them achieve their aim of supplying 70 per cent of the UK’s fresh produce to supermarkets within the next ten years, and that the facility will “comfortably” be the biggest of its kind in the world.

The farm, which has been backed by online supermarket Ocado, is due to become operational this year.

The company will look to alter the roof of the building and install solar panels, as well as external heating, ventilation, an air conditioning system, water tanks, and a CO2 ingestion system.

They will also make changes to the exterior of the building and increase the roof height by three metres in order to maximise growing space internally.

The main area for upward extension will be to the rear of the building, and there will also be a small extension to the front.

The company will use the existing access from the A48 and expect to create 30 jobs once operational.

The farm will be used to grow mint, parsley, coriander, dill, spinach and mixed salads to begin with and will reportedly cost at least £25 million to develop.

James Lloyd Jones, founder and CEO of JFC, told councillors that the company had already received enquiries from local people about employment opportunities at the site.

Cllr James Bevan (Ind, Lydney) spoke on behalf of fellow Lydney councillors Alan Preest (Con) and Claire Vaughan (Ind), who said they were “very supportive” of the scheme and that their only concern would be the potential impact of waste water running off the site.

Cllr Bevan himself said he was “proud that Lydney has been chosen for this type of development”.

He added that he was sure that operations at the site would be “much quieter” than the foundry and praised the company’s focus on sustainability.

Cllr Tom Forrester (Ind, Mitcheldean) said he felt his fellow councillors were “star struck” by the scheme and raised concerns about pollution from materials used in the company’s day-to-to operations, in particular their impact on nearby water courses and wetland habitat.

But councillors voted to support the officers’ recommendation and approved the application with 10 votes for and one against.