Controversial polytunnel application is approved
A POLYTUNNEL for growing crops can be built on a field behind homes in upland Rossendale, despite some neighbours’ fears about noise during windy weather, loss of privacy and other concerns.
But new hedging planned for the boundaries of the field in Weir, north of Bacup, must not be planted close to a row of houses on nearby Burnley Road, to protect daylight for households.
Susan Barber, of Halfway House,
Burnley Road, Weir, has been granted conditional permission by
Rossendale Council to build a polytunnel on a field west of Burnley Road. But questions were raised about why the polytunnel could not be placed further back in the field or elsewhere, away from houses fronting Burnley Road.
Borough councillors on Rossendale’s Development Control Committee were told the original idea was to locate the polytunnel 15 metres from the rear boundaries of houses at 222-228 Burnley Road and 6.5m from the rear boundary of No 220 and in excess of
37m from the house.
Ms Barber then changed the plan and the polytunnel is now proposed to be 20 metres from the rear gardens of the Burnley Road homes. The planned polytunnel will be 4.8 metres wide,
12.8 metres long and 2.4metres high, the application stated.
New hedge with wildlife-friendly native shrubs such as hazel, blackthorn, wild cherry, hawthorn, crabapple and dog rose was planned for around the field.
One planned section would run 20 metres along the eastern boundary, near the Burnley Road homes.
Ms Barber’s application stated: “At a mature height and density, this will provide effective screening for these properties, as well as improving the water uptake and providing wildlife food sources and habitat to improve the biodiversity of the area.
“An additional mixed hedgerow approximately 60metres long is to be planted along part of the northern side.”
Rossendale Council received three representations about Ms Barber’s plans. These raised questions about old building materials stored at the field which could include asbestos, the boggy landscape, old mining shafts in the area and possible subsidence, the height of new hedges
and where rainwater running off the polytunnel would go.
Resident Dawn Ashworth spoke at the committee meeting on behalf of a number of households on Burnley Road.
She said: “It is very windy up on the moors at Weir and we are worried that there will be quite a lot of noise from the polytunnel. We are well-aware of how polytunnel materials can deteriorate. We have had a few issues over the years with noise.
“We are also all for bio-diversity and growing vegetables but we also have some worries about disturbances to natural watercourses in the area.
“We also have concerns about the plan for new hedges being so close to our houses. Our cottages are lower than the field behind us. The new hedge could reduce our daylight immensely. We already have to put the lights on inside our houses because they are so far below the field. The price of electric is not good so we don’t want to have to switch on the lights even more. A high hedge would make this worse. One resident also has a greenhouse which would be overshadowed by a high hedge.
“Overall, we think the polytunnel would be better placed on the other side of the land, further from our houses. We’d like an inspector to see how we can take this forward. To see how dark and shady we are.”
Head of planning Mike Atherton said hedges could be planted on agricultural land and were typically not controlled by the planning system. However, further planning permission would be needed if the applicant wanted to erect more polytunnels there in future.
Independent Coun James Eaton suggested the application be deferred to ask the applicant to put the polytunnel on another site.
However, Mr Atherton said a decision should be taken on the application from Ms Barber.
Labour Coun Patrick Marriott said: “Maintenance of the new hedge over the next 10 years could fall under one of the planning conditions but I’m not sure how enforceable it would be?
“Maybe the smaller section of hedge in the plan could be removed from near the Burnley Road houses? “
The committee agreed to this idea. Councillors approved the application but asked for the proposed shorterlength hedge near the Burnley Road homes not to be planted.