A High Court judgement [1] this afternoon (Friday) makes it clear that the large scale covering of the countryside in polytunnels requires planning permission.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England [2] welcomes the Tuesley Farm [3] judgement as a key step in reconciling the needs of modern farming with the vital importance of protecting the English countryside. 

‘This judgement is a crucial victory for the planning system which will ensure that local democracy and national policy are properly taken into account when polytunnels are proposed on farmland, and in particular on nationally and locally designated landscapes,’ [4] said Tom Oliver, Head of Rural Policy.

Tim Harrold, Chairman of CPRE Surrey [5] who led CPRE’s local campaign said:

‘This judgement shows that when people stand up to be counted they are listened to!

‘Polytunnels have a role to play in English farming but not at the expense of our most valued rural landscapes, enjoyed by millions of visitors looking for beauty and tranquillity in the countryside.’

CPRE has worked alongside the Tuesley Farm Campaign Group, cooperating with Friends of the Earth and the Ramblers Association. It has supported Waverley Borough Council in taking enforcement action to get the polytunnels in its area removed.

This decision is seen as important guidance for other parts of the country such as Gloucestershire, Kent, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Large scale polytunnel installations are facing protest because of their unsightly impact on protected landscape and rural beauty as well as their threat to the quality of soil and water.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. Justice Sullivan gave his Appeal decision today (Friday 15 December) in the High Court, dismissing the High Court Appeal made by the Hall Hunter Partnership regarding a major polytunnel development at 470 acre Tuesley Farm near Godalming in Surrey. The appeal resulted from an Inquiry decision in favour of an enforcement notice raised by Waverley Borough Council because of a failure by Hall Hunter to apply for planning permission to erect large scale ‘Spanish’ polytunnels for soft fruit production in sensitive countryside. The appeal also covered an associated caravan site used for up to 250 farm workers.

2. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Sir Max Hastings. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

3. Tuesley Farm is located on Green Belt land within a county protected Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV) that is overlooked by the nationally protected Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

4. The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is one of 37 nationally protected landscapes in England, having equal landscape status and protection to a National Park. All public bodies have a ‘statutory duty with regard’ to protecting and enhancing the natural beauty of the Surrey Hills countryside. It was one of the first landscapes to be designated an AONB in 1958. CPRE Surrey is an advisory partner of the Surrey Hills Partnership which was established in 1998 to raise the profile of the Surrey Hills and to develop policies and programmes that help to protect and enhance the natural beauty of the area.  Areas of Great Landscape Value (AGLV) predate the establishment of the Surrey Hills AONB in the County. They are defined as countryside of high visual quality worthy of conservation. Consultants Chris Burnett Associates are currently preparing a robust justification of AGLVs in Surrey as allowed for in PPS7.  

5. CPRE Surrey has the third largest county membership in England after Kent and Sussex. It depends entirely on the support of unpaid volunteers and relies financially on membership subscriptions, supporter donations, and bequests. It is fortunate to have a number of activists with wide planning experience and knowledge. CPRE Surrey has an office in Leatherhead and district groups all across the county.