£1m plan for new building centre

Building work is due to start in the autumn

The South West Regional Development Agency has awarded more than £1m to build a sustainable construction centre in Somerset.

The centre, based at the College of Arts and Technology in Taunton, will promote construction to the public and industry.

It will also offer training courses and a foundation degree in sustainable construction.

The centre is expected to attract 10,000 visitors a year.

Taunton Deane Borough Council granted planning permission for the building last year, and construction is due to begin in the autumn.

The single-storey building will comprise several pavilions, along with a water pavilion, which will allow visitors to see how rain water can be recycled.

Jo Matthews of Somerset College of Arts and Technology said: "Sustainability has become one of the buzzwords of our time, and for good reason.

"It's so important that we work in harmony with our surroundings, particularly in a place like south-west England where the environment is one of the region's key assets."