Smithy Mushrooms Limited is one of the leading producers of exotic mushrooms in the UK, supplying large retailers, including Marks and Spencer, Booths and Tesco. Acland Bracewell are delighted to receive instructions to provide advice on site acquisition, full project management from concept to final design finalisation and submission of a full planning application for a purpose-built mushroom farm in conjunction with their existing agricultural business, for both growth substrate (oak sawdust logs) and exotic mushroom production.

The development is required to meet the needs of the business, which is constantly expanding and has now exceeded capacity at its existing site and includes portal framed buildings, car parking, hardstanding and sustainable drainage system. If approved, the development will provide an additional 70 jobs, resulting in a total of 140 members of staff and would allow Smithy Mushrooms Limited to displace imported logs and mushrooms and expand to meet customer demand.

At the date of instruction, the site is bare land and all located within the Green Belt, as defined within the West Lancashire Local Plan 2012-2027 (2013). The development is for agriculture and so the principle of development is appropriate in the Green Belt.

Significant technical and master-planning work has been undertaken by a range of technical consultants to ensure that the development is sustainable and deliverable, at the planning application stage, to seek to reduce pre-commencement conditions, in order to meet client time frames for delivery of the project.

Acland Bracewell has provided tailored advice on extensive community engagement with the local community and key stakeholders and the Local Planning Authority, utilising their knowledge and experience in this specialist agricultural sector.

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