COUNTY planners gave the go-ahead for a controversial scheme to cover 91 acres with polytunnels yesterday by the slightest of margins.

Herefordshire Council’s planning committee chairman Phil Cutter had to use his casting vote to break the deadlock and approve applicant George Leeds’ plans to install 11 blocks of polytunnels for strawberry table top production at his farm in Ocle Pychard.

The plans for land at Lodge Farm and Highway Farm off Monkton Farm Lane also include siting of 72 caravan pitches for seasonal workers with a mini sewage treatment plant and worker facilities within existing farm buildings at the farm which was purchased from Herefordshire Council.

But the local community strongly opposed the proposals which they fear will hurt tourism, increase flood risk, add heavy traffic to local roads and hurt the environment if approved.

They also say the polytunnels will be a dominant feature that will be seen from historical footpaths.

Residents sent in more than 250 letters against the plans and Ocle Pychard parish council has also objected to the schme along with the neighbouring councils of Much Cowarne and Withington.

Speaking at the meeting, local councillor Jonathan Lester said the ‘sheer scale’ of the plans would have a big impact on the local community and spoke strongly against the scheme.

He said he was in favour of farm diversification but warned the size of the proposals were more akin to Spain than Herefordshire.

He also said the narrow Monkton Lane would struggle with the increase in traffic created by buses transporting workers.

“There would be 353 workers on the site for at least three months of the year,” he said.

Councillor Anthony Powers proposed rejecting the plans, but the vote came to a stalemate with four members voting in favour, four against and four abstentions.

Chairman Phil Cutter, who voted against rejecting the scheme, used his casting vote to break the deadlock.

In a subsequent vote to approve the plans which produce the same result, councillor Cutter again used his casting vote, this time breaking the stalemate in favour of granting permission to the scheme.

Councillors also approved separate proposals for the conversion of two agricultural buildings at Lodge Farm.

These two bedroomed residential units will be used to house managers employed by the fruit farming enterprise at the site.