New ‘mega’ glasshouse facility in Essex gets green light

Essex County Council has granted planning permission for a major new glasshouse facility, which the developers say will make a significant contribution to food security while reducing the sector’s carbon footprint.

The Rivenhall Greenhouse development will occupy a 40ha site near Witham, Essex.

It will consist of four main glasshouses, plus three packhouses and a vertical farming unit, providing employment for an estimated 400 people.

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The new development will be situated on reclaimed land beside a new waste management facility being operated by strategic partner Indaver, which will provide 90% of the heat, 100% of the electricity, and a sustainable supply of CO2.

 “At a time when rising standing charges, carbon pricing, and energy market volatility are expected to place increasing pressure on growers, the ability to anchor energy inputs through industrial co-location represents a step change in UK food production,” said a statement.

The partners suggest that heavy reliance on imports – “particularly from climate-stressed regions like southern Spain and Morocco” – has left UK consumers exposed to external shocks, contributing to volatility in fresh produce pricing in recent years.

Once up and running, Rivenhall says the site could produce up to 30,000t of tomatoes annually – equivalent to about 7.5% of current UK imports.

It could also grow cucumbers, peppers or strawberries.

Rivenhall says the facility should be operational by 2028 (subject to funding) and will be one of the largest controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sites in Europe.

It could serve as a blueprint for similar developments across the UK.

However, delivery at scale will depend on a more supportive policy environment, including financial incentives, planning reform and recognition of CEA as a strategic component of national infrastructure, it adds.

Rivenhall Greenhouse project director Ed Moorhouse said: “This decision marks the culmination of four years’ intensive work with our partners at Indaver and Wren Renewables.

“From the outset, we saw the opportunity presented by the Rivenhall site as transformational in how CEA facilities are designed, located and operated.

“We are delighted that this vision has been supported by Essex County Council.”