1 week Ago By [email protected] (Alan Smith)
Most people like strawberries, but not everyone enjoys the polytunnels they are grown in. Charlton Farms has upset neighbours by submitting two planning applications for large areas of polytunnels off Rectory Road and Forsham Lane in Chart Sutton, near Maidstone. Between them the applications will cover 55 acres of what is currently open farmland on the south slope of the Greensand Ridge with rows of polythene tunnels stretched over metal frames, measuring 4.
45m high and 8m wide. There are already several swathes of land along the ridge covered with polytunnels, including other areas owned by Charlton Farms. Neighbours say the polytunnels will form a “blot on the landscape”’ - something that the applicant, Sean Charlton, denies.
He says they will be well screened and hardly visible. Charlotte Pearson lives opposite one of the proposed sites. She said: “We will look straight out onto them.
“There is a public footpath through one of the existing polytunnel sites that I often walk on, so I know what it is like. “Promises are made of increasing hedgerows and keeping green corridors between the tunnels, but that is not what happens. “Instead, it ends up looking like an industrial landscape.
“They are meant to have green corridors and areas of planting to protect the wildlife, but none of the green field edges have been kept or new areas planted. “It’s just mud tracks everywhere and storage stacked as high as buildings.“ A neighbour, Jo Turnbull, agreed.
She said: “One of the applications will bring polytunnels right up to the hedge around my garden. “At the moment there’s a lot of wildlife on this site - you quite often see buzzards flying overhead. There are owls, snakes, even a kingfisher.
But these polytunnels will bring an end to our bucolic countryside. It’s quite depressing. “We do have a lot of polytunnels around already and when you walk the footpath between them it is like being in a wind tunnel, with all the plastic flapping madly.
“The application refers to these as temporary structures - but plastic is forever.” Aaron Mitchell lives above one of the proposed sites and will look down on it. He said: “We bought seven years ago and then the fields were attractive orchards.
Now the trees have been grubbed out and we are to face row after row of polytunnels.” Ironically, Maidstone council is currently in the process of seeking to have the Greensand Ridge designated as National Landscape - the new term for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Cllr Brian Clark (Lib Dem) first proposed the idea back in October of last year.
On learning of the two new polytunnel applications, he said: “These applications highlight the urgent need to reinforce protection for the Greensand Ridge through national landscape designation. “As it stands, we have minimal protection, especially given the direction of travel on national planning policy. “Unlike the Surrey section of the Greensand Ridge, which does have National Landscape designation, our borough currently is the missing link, allowing developments like these larger polytunnel sites to go through the planning process with relatively minor consideration for any harm that they bring to the landscape.
” “Each development site is considered as a planning application in isolation, so there is an added risk of building aggregated harm.” The applications fall across two parish council areas: Chart Sutton and Sutton Valence. Both have objected and both have asked for the applications to be called into committee, rather than be decided by officers.
Sutton Valence Parish Council said planning policy on agricultural structures required them to be proportionate and necessary for the purpose of agriculture. But it said: “This proposal is not proportionate in view of the cumulative impact on what is a landscape of local value and in Maidstone Borough Council's own view, worthy of National Landscape Area Protection.” The council also said: “The proposals will have an unacceptable impact on residents living close to the proposed site and will impact on the unique and distinctive character of this area.
” Chart Sutton Parish Council said: “The scale of the proposal is completely unacceptable. “If both applications are approved, it will result in a vast expanse of polytunnels which will be a plastic-covered blot on the landscape.” The council added that the applications would negatively impact on a number of nearby listed buildings.
The council said: “Every effort should be made to protect the landscape from such a concentration of these inappropriate, ugly structures.” However, DHA, the agents acting for Charlton Farms, said: “The farm site is well screened from public views outside of the site by the existing boundary hedgerows and trees which will be retained and reinforced with the native species hedge and tree planting.” DHA admitted: “The proposed polytunnels will be partly visible from public footpaths KH571, KH500 and KH501.
“Therefore, there would be some change to the experience of walkers using the bridleway and public footpaths. “However, the change in the experience and the view would be transitory as walkers travel along the route. The agents said: “Charltons have been farming in the Maidstone area for over 75 years and operate a very successful top fruit, soft fruit, stone fruit, and fruit packaging business, employing between 700 and 2,000 workers depending upon the time of the year.
“The fruit is grown and harvested on land which is either owned or rented by the applicant and is transported to Rumwood Green Farm in Langley, where the fruit is placed in cold storage, stored, packed and distributed to supermarkets and the wholesale market. “The proposal will provide polytunnels for soft fruit production (strawberries) and will increase fruit yield produced on the farm, thereby helping to maintain and enhance the viability of the farm business carried out by Charltons.” Find out about planning applications that affect you at the Public Notice Portal.
For details on the Charlton Farm applications, visit the Maidstone council website and search for applications: 25/500/499 and 25/500111..
