Allensmore Nurseries has applied for planning permission to turn four fields near Madley west of Hereford totaling 28.4 hectares (70 acres) into open-air growing beds, together with internal roadways, a 1.2-hectare reservoir plus three irrigation tanks, and “temporary, portable” cabins.
A network of drains and ditches would take excess rain and irrigation water to the reservoir for re-use, with plants including iris and bulrushes in the ditches removing excess fertilizer along the way.
“No fertilizer run-off will leave the site, a significant improvement on current arable farming practices,” Allensmore’s application says.
Existing hedgerows and trees around the nursery would be kept and expanded, while a proposed embankment on two sides will “provide further habitats” as well as retain any flood water. The impact on local traffic would be “low,” with a maximum of four articulated lorries per day in summer.
Read more at herefordtimes.com