A farm will be able to “vastly improve” the way it stores pumpkins after being granted planning permission.
Plans for Oakley House Nurseries on Hall Road in Outwell to add a pumpkin storage shed, along with a washing facility and reservoir, were approved by West Norfolk Council last Thursday.
The farmyard currently includes an existing range of large, general purpose agricultural buildings, polytunnels and glasshouses. The new building will be located to the west of this.
The reservoir will be put in place to the rear to accommodate run-off from the building for re-use in irrigation of the land.
A design and access statement says that the new pumpkin storage will be “vastly improved”.
This is because it will have a “better ability to monitor and control temperature, air flow and humidity compared to the glasshouses currently used, which will boost shelf life and quality of sold goods, along with reducing waste levels”.
At the moment, washing and grading is done outdoors. It is hoped the new building will provide a better environment for both products and employees working on them.
A West Norfolk Council planning officer’s report states: “Whilst large, the building would be seen in the context of the other farm buildings of a similar scale and appearance and would not therefore result in an incongruous element in the landscape.”
Meanwhile, a statement from Peter Humphrey Associates says the margins and banks of the new reservoir will be planted with a “species-rich meadow mixture consisting of at least four grass and eight herb species”.
“This will benefit pollinator species such as bees, butterflies, and hoverflies which will in turn benefit foraging birds and bats,” it adds.
The reservoir itself will have shallow sloping margins to create suitable conditions for a range of pond life.
This will also allow access for amphibians, and allow small terrestrial animals to access the water for drinking.
The statement added: “One bat roost box, installed on one of the trees in the adjacent woodland is advised as an enhancement. Bat boxes are more likely to be used by bats if installed on warmer aspects of trees, such as south, west or east sides.”