Plan to build 14m-high 'vertical farm' put on hold over concerns for neighbouring homes

East Riding Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to defer the application for the vertical farm in grassland off Long Lane in Woodmansey. Mr Rowlett, agent for the applicants Key Growing Ltd, told councillors it would grow crops like tomatoes all year round, helping to reduce a reliance on imports.

But Councillor Kerri Harold said people living nearby feared they would be forever affected by the building and extra traffic it would bring. Councillors deferred the application to get more details on landscaping planned around the vertical farm. They also decided to get more information on how to handle vertical farming applications after hearing there was no case law or planning precedents on how to handle them.

Plans for the farm include the 14m-high, 120m-long and 65m-wide building which would contain crops stacked vertically in racks. Councillors heard lighting which replicates sun light would be used so crops and flowers could be grown all year round and the technology was more efficient than glass houses. The development also features two offices, an energy network building and parking for 118 cars.

The company also plans to build a pond which councillors heard would supply the vertical farm as well as off-site allotments. The pond would be part of a wildlife and nature park and a visitor centre. The company has also suggested landscaping including soil bunds but they were not part of the application. Councillors heard the vertical farm would create up to 50 jobs and bring between £5m and £7m into the local economy.

A total of 24 objections were lodged against the application but 20 people submitted comments supporting it.

Mr Rowlett told councillors the applicants understood concerns about the size of the building and said it would be 140m away from Hull Road with mature trees standing between them. He added the farm could be the start of a cluster of similar buildings producing crops helping to reverse a decline in UK production.

The agent said: “In 1985 when records began this country produced 100,000 tonnes of tomatoes, this year 65,000 tonnes are set to be produced. This vertical farm would mean we wouldn’t have to go to southern Europe for salad crops during winter. It takes about four days to bring a lorry full of tomatoes from Spain where most tomatoes we consume come from at this time of year, that’s ridiculous from an environmental point of view.

“This area is fast becoming a renewable energy hub, this would hook up to that and it would be the first carbon negative horticultural production centre in the UK. It’s something we could be really proud of.”

Coun Harold said locals felt landscaping did not go far enough and the building went far beyond anything they had imagined.

He said: “Our concerns have always been about our beautiful Long Lane. No one’s against modern technology and we welcome other farming methods, but this is not in keeping with the surrounding area. While highways officers have no issues with this there are concerns that traffic from this could have a detrimental impact on nearby homes.

“Their visual amenity would also be affected forever, there’s people who’ve lived in Hull Road and Long Lane for decades and they have no other option but to continue living there, this is something that would impact them greatly.”

Committee chair Coun Leo Hammond, who proposed deferring the application, said he felt there were not enough details on landscaping to address locals’ concerns at this stage.