Last Saturday, I bought some tasty tomatoes in Tesco. On the packet it said they had been grown in Kent. I paid a visit to the 'farm' and discovered it was called Thanet Earth, situated on 220 acres of prime farmland overlooking the beautiful village of Minster and the beaches of Sandwich Bay.
There aren't any fields at Thanet Earth, just an enormous box, the largest greenhouse in the UK, the size of ten football pitches. The lights are on all night, and inside are growing millions and millions of tomatoes.
At the moment, the site is not complete - there are a handful of these enormous greenhouses growing strawberries, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and salad ingredients, but by this summer, there will be seven. It's larger than an airfield.
How on earth did Thanet Earth get past the local planners? Because they promised employment. For the sake of just 550 jobs, a piece of Kent the size of 80 football pitches has been obliterated by these monstrosities.
OK, they recycle their own water and are energy efficient, and my tomatoes only travelled ten miles, but they've been grown in an environment more like Mars than Margate, fed hydroponically with nutrient enriched water, under lights switched on and off by computer.
And as we now know, not even 550 Thanet jobs Janet! But Ms Street Porter, who lives up the road in Whitstable and has been spotted noshing in Ramsgate restaurants, is mainly exercised by the new Waitrose TV campaign starring Delia Smith and Bloomin' Hestenthal, whom she describes as the Eric and Ernie of TV cookery. I too have a beef about our local Waitrose. Arriving near to closing time the other day, I was confronted by this:
I duly did. And then the blasted thing shut! Kuh!
9 comments:
"Local jobs" speak that Tory TDC fell for is people living locally who are employed, so it doesnt matter if they moved to Thanet from another country so long as they live here now! How could they be so naive?
The "Naive-ity" continues at TDC trouble is that its sponsors (the public) are fed up by its mis-management.
The public also want to know who uttered the A*********e statement?
John still waiting for your phone call?
Malcolm
Thanet jobs for Thanet people? How long have you got to live here to be a Thanetian? Do the people who complain about jobs for locals work outside of Thanet. This argument here or anywhere is ridiculous. If you work in London are you denying a Londoner a job? If you work in Dover are you denying a Doverite a job?
How did something so big get through planning? Ask your local councillors or the residents of Thanet. They didn`t just build it on a whim. They did ask.
if janet had driven a mile up the road and seen the 747-graveyard, she would have realised her tomatoes were better off being grown undercover otherwise they might have tasted of Kerosene
How many planning applications get through because someone waved the flag with 'Jobs' on it? Doesn't matter that the jobs can't be kept for locals as that's illegal but if you're a developer come to Thanet, promise jobs and, hey presto, application approved despite concerns over the traffic, the pollution, the fact the jobs may go to workers from the EU who'll work in hothouses or factories whilst the locals who could do the jobs moan that'they're taking our jobs away'?
Can we honestly say we're better off with the developments if our local unemployed are still unemployed and always were and always will be?
I know people who have to travel to get skilled work as the work locally isn't but 'twas ever thus.
Westwood Cross was intended to provide work for locals but how many Thanet-based people work there?
They aren't on all night. The lights I mean. Janet is a bit under educated in biology.
No wonder she changed her name from Janet Bull.
Having lived with two miles of Fewston Resevior in North Yorkshire near harrogate for fifteen years I haven't a clue what Janet is trying to impart to the residents of Thanet - her last communication nationally was berating the |Local Council for not clearing the snow early enough. Fewston is beautiful - but if youchoose to live there it is at the mercy of the elements. Janet is in the hands of celebrity status like too many of minor celebs these days and her views might be appreciated more by harrogate District council than TDC thanks John Kirby
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