Newspaper
Get permission for polytunnels
Waverley Borough Council - supported by local residents, Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Surrey, Guildford and Godalming Friends of the Earth and other organisations - took the enforcement action in defence of the Green Belt in an Area of Great Landscape Value that is highly visible from the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. CPRE's view, shared by Waverley Borough Council and local residents, is that the polytunnels, mobile homes and related equipment at Tuesley Farm constitute an unsightly development that damages important open countryside of distinctive character and beauty.
The ruling by Waverley Borough Council offers some hope to residents in other areas that are affected by polytunnels, but Brian Pettit, member of Arrow Vale Residents' Association in Herefordshire, is cautiously optimistic. He told Vista: "I think Waverley have got it right. Polytunnels need planning. Obviously I understand that some farmers need some polytunnels, we're not against them per se - there is a role for them and a need for them, but nevertheless I would have thought in terms of protecting the landscape, before a farmer puts up polytunnels, the proposal should go through planning."
He continued: "We have got a grower in this area who has 400 acres of polytunnels and nobody can say a word about it, because Herefordshire Council won't say that he needs planning permission. Polytunnels have had a tremendous impact on the landscape around here. Across wide parts of Herefordshire you can see these polytunnels dominating, and even in the winter, the metal frames can be seen. When the sunlight reflects off the plastic in the summer, you can get aerial photos that show the effects and demonstrate what we're up against."
He added: "It is pretty serious down here. Waverley is small compared with what is going on in Herefordshire. The decision in Waverley offers us hope, but I don't know if Herefordshire county council will change their policy. This area is so beautiful - I and a lot of others hate to see it being ruined, and it is terrible for tourism. Sooner or later these polytunnels will have to be controlled. Just look at southern Spain. This is not a problem that will go away."
Nigel Drew, a salad producer based in Worcestershire, said: "People are away with the fairies. Consumers want fruit out of season - what are we meant to do? Allow the supermarkets, who obviously see a demand for this type of product, to source it from abroad, and see yet another decline in the agricultural industry within this country? That is precisely what would happen."
"Forward-thinking farmers have organised themselves in to efficiently run units where they can produce products at the price that the supermarkets are prepared to pay for them. You can't go on doing something because you have been doing it for hundreds of years. You have got to look to the future," Drew told Vista.
"Polytunnels are not eyesores. We have all got to live together, and I think we should be supporting the agricultural community and applauding them for being so progressive. The fact that we use polythene tunnels in the horticultural industry also prevents the widespread use of chemicals, because we are able to control the environment that food is grown in." The debate continues to rage.
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