Mushroom farm protesters vow to defeat huge expansion plans

Residents have been battling Greyfriars UK, based at Wath, near Ripon, for years, over a raft of different planning applications submitted to expand the highly successful business.

Earlier this summer, a planning inspector dismissed an appeal by Greyfriars against plans to build three additional poly tunnels at the site, while next week, the firm’s latest application for the erection of a replacement packaging store is set to be heard by a Harrogate Council planning committee.

Following on from the meeting, a four-day planning inquiry is being held in September into Greyfriars’ plans to build a £4.7m 100m by 70m growing shed which campaigners argue will be the largest mushroom growing site in Europe.

However, members of an action group Wath Against Mushrooms (WAM), have told the Yorkshire Post that the inquiry could finally mark the end of the drawn out battle.

“This has been a long, David versus Goliath struggle but rural areas are no place for such a massive, unsustainable development which will generate so much traffic,” a spokesman for WAM said.

“Greyfriars has lost the previous two appeals and this is their last throw of the dice.

“WAM will ensure the views of the local community are heard loud and clear at the inquiry.

“In the past two years opposition has intensified.

“The longer this has gone on and the more people have had to put up with the wagons coming in, residents have become more determined than ever.”

Ahead of next week’s planning committee meeting, WAM collected signatures on a petition at a public meeting in Wath and have handed it in to the local authority.

“Concern was expressed that Greyfriars’ real intention is to try and create a large industrial packing space which could lead to even more HGVs accessing the site via Melmerby and Wath,” the spokesman said.

“In only a few days we collected some 65 signatures which clearly demonstrates the strength of feeling.

“We already have lorries coming 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from across Europe and the roads here are narrow country lanes.

“Our basic point remains the same – this is entirely the wrong location for a massive food production and packing business.

“Villages are already plagued by HGVs travelling to and from the site and, if the new complex is built, communities will be swamped.”

Greyfriars supplies Morrisons, Netto and Booths with mushrooms and other foodstuffs, including sweetcorn and butternut squash, and is anxious to develop the new 73,300 sq ft building with 12 growing rooms to produce an extra 150,000lb of mushrooms every week.

The firm currently ships in about 1,000 lorry loads of mushrooms from Poland each year.

John Smith, the managing director of the firm, has told the Yorkshire Post the new £4.7m growing shed would give the local economy a significant boost.

He claims it would create 60 new jobs which would lead to the best part of £1m being pumped into the local economy.

The company also argues it will be environmentally beneficial as there would be 3,000 fewer tonnes of carbon emissions being generated and the traffic situation around the site would improve for residents.

Last year, Mr Smith warned in the Yorkshire Post that he was considering building the expansion in East Yorkshire instead.

He said: “It is our intention to still build on this site but we cannot wait forever to get planning permission when we are faced with questionable delays.”

The four-day planning inquiry starts at Harrogate Borough Council on September 13.