A FAIR deal for farmers using the controversial polytunnels for strawberry growing in Herefordshire has been thrashed out by the county authority and should please residents who live near them.

With Herefordshire having the most prolific growth of polytunnels in the West Midlands, some residents have expressed concern at the rise in their numbers, particularly in the south of the county, and their closeness to residential properties.

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But Councillor Chris Grover, Herefordshire Council cabinet member for the environment, said the new voluntary code of practice would ensure a fair deal for people who depended on polytunnels for a living and those residents who lived alongside areas where they were used. The operation of the code would be reviewed after a year.

Michael Oakes, the National Farmers' Union regional chairman, pointed out that growing strawberries in polytunnels was just about the only sector of the industry proving profitable and in Herefordshire many people were employed in an increasing number of fruit-growing ventures.

"We don't want too much red tape attached to polytunnels," he said. "Because there are footings in the ground, some authorities are saying they are buildings. But they are not permanent and farmers may move them on after a couple of years."

The council point out that the code will only come into effect where a polytunnel is not deemed to be covered by existing planning regulations. Growers must notify the authority of their intentions to erect a Spanish-style polytunnel - a temporary light steel frame covered by polythene - and inform neighbours and councils.

In areas of outstanding natural beauty, users will have to submit a landscape impact statement along with appropriate mitigation measures, such as leaving hedges untrimmed or using temporary windbreaks as screening.