NEW accommodation will be built at a farm which employs seasonal workers to pick fruit at Colworth.
Groves Farm, in Colworth Lane, applied in December to build 35 additional units of temporary agricultural workers’ accommodation, which would be retained on site all year, with seasonal occupancy only.
The seasonal workers are employed to pick soft fruit at the farm.
The number of workers housed would be about 80 to 100.
In its design and access statement, the farm said the employing of the seasonal workers was ‘essential to the viability and vitality of the business’.
It also said: “Soft fruit farming at Groves Farm has been very successful.
“Consumer demand for homegrown strawberries has continued to increase as UK products displace imported crops, reducing food miles and supporting the local economy.
“Fruit grown on the Chichester plain is considered as some of the best available in the UK.”