Mushroom farm battle to rage on

Greyfriars UK Ltd, based at Wath, near Ripon, says it wants to grow more mushrooms in Yorkshire rather than importing large quantities from Poland.

An appeal against a refusal by Harrogate Council of the 4.5m 7,000 square metre mushroom farm at New Mill House, Tanfield Lane, Wath, is still pending. It was scheduled for August 17 but has been delayed

But meanwhile, a more modest scheme, for a 465 square metre farm in the same location, submitted while the bigger scheme was delayed, has been rejected by the planning inspectorate.

However, as well as continuing in the appeals process over the big farm, the company has also submitted an amended planning application for the smaller one.

The application went in this week under the company's permitted development rights, which allow the company to add 465square metres every two years.

It is seeking consent again for the smaller farm. But the plans submitted to Harrogate Council have been tweaked so the layout is turned slightly clockwise and the building will now be only 4.5 metres tall instead of eight metres (26ft) .

During the year-long planning saga, pressure group Wath Against Mushrooms says it has been engaged in a "David and Goliath battle, with a small village taking on a pan-European food giant whose plans will blight Wath and other villages for years to come".

They argue that industrial-sized operations such as this that need to be serviced by heavy vehicles should be on dedicated business parks – not top grade land only accessible via narrow country lanes.

The campaigners have been heartened by latest ruling, by planning inspector Jacqueline North, rejecting the appeal for the 465 sq metre farm.

She accepted the proposed building would support an existing business, that its design and scale reflected operational needs, and it had to be apart from existing growing facilities to prevent the spread of disease.

"However, these matters do not outweigh my findings on the main issues. The site is close to several areas of ecological interest and adjacent to Norton Beck," she continued.

"In addition, the oak trees on site and the boundary double hedge are of considerable ecological value especially in respect of their invertebrate habitat."

She was also concerned that the new building would be out of place against the rural backdrop and spoil the views

A spokesman for Wath Against Mushrooms said: "The whole community is genuinely delighted."

They were now gearing up for the next appeal for the 4.5m farm, he added.

"We will be raising the issues again, of traffic and risk to the public. The best thing is to find a new location, which is much more suitable, rather than bringing 30- to 40-ton lorries down country lanes."

However, Greyfriars' chairman John Smith said the latest rejection was only because the planning inspectorate did not like the detail or location of the building, issues that the amended plans to Harrogate Council would seek to address.

He claimed the large farm the company was seeking to build had very important benefits to the local community. He added: "There is a lot of drivel talked about traffic.

"The building of the new farm will lead to elimination of traffic through the villages because highways department are prepared, with the new farm going up, to upgrade a C road to enable us to direct all the traffic away from the village."

He argued Wath was already busy with trucks servicing a local cement block making factory.

The 4.5m farm would create 60 new jobs, he said.