Greenhouse tomato grower Sterling Suffolk, which began production in a blaze of publicity at its purpose built semi-closed greenhouse at Blakenham in Suffolk in 2019, has ceased production due to current high energy prices.
Managing director Richard Lewis told the East Anglian Daily Times that he could not talk about the future of the company but said no plants had arrived for this year’s crop because of the cost of gas. According to the newspaper the gates to the site are locked and there is no activity apart from security.
The idea for Sterling Suffolk began some 10 years ago when it was originally planned to use surplus heat from the Great Blakenham waste incinerator. After this was found to be uneconomic, the first 5.4 ha greenhouse was built in 2018 at a cost of £10 million, and a 2.7 ha expansion was completed last summer for a further £6 million.
According to the company’s website, ‘Blakenham nursery is the first semi closed glasshouse in the UK and was designed to have a greater energy efficiency than a conventional glasshouse.’
Photo source – Sterling Suffolk