Thanet Earth, the UK's largest greenhouse complex, has been honoured by the Institute of Horticulture (IoH) for its contribution to the country's horticulture industry after being handed the prestigious Norah Stucken award.
The site, which has permission to construct seven greenhouses covering 55ha of land, was praised for the impact that it has made on commercial salad production in the UK.
'Thanet Earth was always going to be one of the most ambitious projects ever seen in the horticultural industry, but it had a number of hurdles to overcome before it could become a reality,' said the complex's technical manager Rob James as he collected the award. 'From funding to planning permission, environmental consideration and logistics, it has taken a considerable effort from many people to reach commercial production in such a short amount of time.
'To be given this award is testament to this and to the vision of those who have worked so hard to take Thanet earth of the drawing board and make it part of a bright future for the British salad-growing industry,' he added.
Thanet Earth's greenhouses represent the largest single-structure growing sites in theUK, with on-site packhouse packing all produce grown,with the crops marketed to the retailers via Thanet Earth MarketingLtd, also based on-site.
Handed to outstanding horticultural projects, the award commemorates Norah Stucken, the longstanding publisher of trade magazine The Grower.
