Poly tunnel

[Bald Rick]

have a potential diversification that my wife is interested in taking forward that would need one, pretty sure it would fall under agricultural / horticultural use though, she has more time on her hands now our children are a bit older and at school full time, very much at the research and feasibility stage right now however

Used mine back in the day for lambing sheep then switched it to growing cucumbers, peppers, red & yellow tomatoes and aubergines.
If your missus is thinking of it as a sort of greenhouse, remember it will get very hot in summer so it would be worthwhile installing an automatic timed sprinkler system.
Also once the plastic starts to go, it's goosed. Expect 5 years max life before the sun destroys it unless you are thinking of green cladding rather than plastic.

 

[neilo]

We put our first one up in 1993. When we looked into it then, we were told that you ‘might’ get round planning if you don’t concrete the footings in, making it a temporary structure. If we concreted in, it was a permanent structure.
It only needed prior notification anyway, so hardly a problem to obtain.

Ours all came through Polybuild, who were local at the time, but then moved down South IIRC. they put us in touch with an installer that they recommended. Cost, fully erected, was about half that of a similar sized, very basic, portal frame building.
Easy enough to erect the frame, but time consuming bolting the bits together, but many hands are a great advantage to sheeting properly, which is the key to sheet longevity. I wouldn’t entertain peeing about trying to save a few quid sheeting it on the cheap tbh. Last time I had a quote, for 30’ wide by 150’ long tunnels, the sheet was £500 and the removal/fitting was £500, with them doing absolutely everything. We just disposed of the old sheet after removal, which may have been in early November.

As for the tunnel not being for Ag or horticulture, surely you’d just say it was on the planning application, much as most sheds are for ‘general purpose storage’ and not for livestock housing. You might change your mind on what you use it for afterwards.

 

[tepapa]

Farm in England I was on, had to have planning as using it for a sheep shed at lambing so livestock shed but wouldn't need planning if it was a machinery/gp shed.

 

[Getnthair]

http://www.norsemanstructures.com/industry-selector/agriculture.aspx

I think these used to be called Coverall (????) - very smart, sturdy structures. A very tidy look if you are after a quality retail outlet finish? Can be had found in the UK too.

Some precast concrete companies make a foundation structure that would give you a vertical edge - say for storing bulky material against. The Norseman structure is built off the precast walls.

 

[HBush]

I'm told that the quality of the plastic is paramount for longevity.

There was one here, lasted less than 6 months before the plastic was shredded by the wind.

They had some curved tin sheets made to fit the frame.

These lasted about 2 years before the whole thing blew away...

The plastic on my sheep tunnel lasted 12 years before I decided that there were too many crow peck holes to patch. I paid a man to cover it again, but he needed two extra bodies, and a calm warm day to do the job.

 

[Dragon]

http://www.agpolytunnels.co.uk
I saw one from these guys on a farm the other day. Looked a tidy build- for rearing calves.
9m x 50m approx £7500 erected

 

[Simon Chiles]

exactly why I want to be sure I can do it without permission and tell them to fudge off from a position of knowledge !

Surely the answer is to ring up or email your local planning authority, you’d know the answer then, as has been said before things vary wildly according to location I don’t think you’ll get an accurate answer on here.

 

[Clive]

Surely the answer is to ring up or email your local planning authority, you’d know the answer then, as has been said before things vary wildly according to location I don’t think you’ll get an accurate answer on here.

I will do but from past experience their default answer to anything is no ! So I find it helps to call from a position of some knowledge over what they can actualy say no to or not !

 

[Grassman]

I will do but from past experience their default answer to anything is no ! So I find it helps to call from a position of some knowledge over what they can actualy say no to or not !

I'm pretty certain it's like the shipping container job. If its temporary no planning permission needed. If you intend it stays there then you need planning.

 

[renewablejohn]

I would be very wary with the council your not in a good area being so close to the strawberry growers on the M6 who had problems. Mine had already been up more than 4 years prior to putting in an application for an Ag Building by which time they could do nothing about them apart from refuse my Ag Building application which I won on appeal.

 

[rancher]

Can poly tunnels ever look smart?

Don't know if you can link to this but i think mine looks smart
you should be able to see the pics

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/polytunnel-is-a-low-cost-speedy-option-on-sheep-farm-163974

 

[neilo]

Don't know if you can link to this but i think mine looks smart
you should be able to see the pics

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/polytunnel-is-a-low-cost-speedy-option-on-sheep-farm-163974

That does look tidy to be fair, but did it cost much less than a portal frame of the same size?

 

[Grassman]

Don't know if you can link to this but i think mine looks smart
you should be able to see the pics

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/polytunnel-is-a-low-cost-speedy-option-on-sheep-farm-163974

Nice that. Blends in well.

 

[Grassman]

I would be very wary with the council your not in a good area being so close to the strawberry growers on the M6 who had problems. Mine had already been up more than 4 years prior to putting in an application for an Ag Building by which time they could do nothing about them apart from refuse my Ag Building application which I won on appeal.

Is there an actual rule about 4 years?

 

[rancher]

That does look tidy to be fair, but did it cost much less than a portal frame of the same size?

Yea, Tunnel was about 25% less than a portal frame, concrete floor would've been common to both buildings.
The two foot walls wouldn't be much use in a shed
Had to go up in a hurry......it'll last as long as the farmer
I do like it though, plenty of room in it and it's all aluminium or galvanise.
Still perfect after 7 years
Probably have to be re-covered in another seven, but lads are charging €100 plus paint for washing and painting 10m by 5m bays so portal frame is not without maintenance either

 

[renewablejohn]

Is there an actual rule about 4 years?

Yes see here

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ensuring-effective-enforcement#planning-enforcement--overview

 

[ollandroverman]

I will do but from past experience their default answer to anything is no ! So I find it helps to call from a position of some knowledge over what they can actualy say no to or not !

My parents had problems with planners on their holding. They turned to an agricultural planning consultant who provided the solution needed and told the bullying planning officers they were far exceeding their authority.
The consultant was worth every penny.

 

[Bogweevil]

Choose your neighbours carefully - mega scale fruit farmers Hall Hunter at Godalming had the bad luck, it is said, to have some top London barristers as neighbours who unfortunately did not appreciate hectares and hectares of tunnels for strawberries and raspberries. Despite the tunnels being temporary covered only for summer the courts found against them in part, so they have tunnels on some parts of the farm, away from roads, dwellings and farm boundaries but other parts are down to fruit that does not need covers - blueberries and blackberries.

Apparently a polytunnel of no more than 465m2 on a holding of over 5 ha is within permitted development. Bigger tunnels are not necessarily a problem unless they are in a pristine landscape, close to neighbours or roads and so big as to constitute an eyesore. Tuesey farm in Godalming is in the prettiest part of the Surrey hills overlooked by few dwellings, several of which unfortunately were mansions occupied by said barristers. Other tunnels in Kent were in a cluttered landscape with roads, warehouses, factories and electric pylons and were allowed on appeal.

 

[Andrew K]

I will do but from past experience their default answer to anything is no ! So I find it helps to call from a position of some knowledge over what they can actualy say no to or not !

Sounds just like our Council, no vision,no sense.

 

[phillipe]

If your are in a aonb like us you need planning to fart