Plans by Chapel Down for a new £32 million winery near Canterbury are once again in doubt as environmental campaigners claim the planning process has been ‘rushed’ and have threatened further legal challenges.
The Tenterden-based wine maker had its plans for a 11,900 sq. m. winery and 8,000 sq. m. warehouse at Highland Court Farm in Bridge approved in August 2023, a decision which Chapel Down CEO Andrew Carter said would “Canterbury at the heart of the English wine region.” He continued, “Canterbury is twinned with Reims, which is at the heart of the Champagne region… Tenterden will continue to produce our luxury wines and we’ll also increase our tourism and education offering there.”
In approving the proposals, planning officers at Canterbury City Council (CCC) said there were exceptional circumstances for allowing the development, which would “significantly expand the nationally important viticultural industry in Canterbury.” However, the decision came after CCC overturned its original planning decision in April 2023 (again to approve the scheme).
Campaigners opposed to the development claim the process was rushed, the public was not given sufficient time to respond to the plans, and that organisations opposed to the scheme were not allowed to speak at the planning meeting. They are now crowdfunding an appeal. Dr Jack Lowe, an environmental activist involved with the campaign, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Basically they [CCC] rushed to approve it. When the application was made, the council only gave seven days between when they announced the planning meeting and when it actually happened.”
Dr Hilary Newport, the director of CPRE Kent, added, “CPRE Kent vehemently opposed the decision to grant planning permission for a winery in the AONB at Highland Court. We never take legal action lightly: it takes a serious financial commitment and at CPRE Kent we operate on a shoestring.
“We took legal advice to explore the necessary first steps to apply to take the decision to the High Court for a Judicial Review of CCC’s decision, but – despite the appalling precedent this decision sets – decided with regret that in this instance we could not invest the financial and staff resources to take this matter further.”
Chapel Down, which is the UK’s largest manufacturer of sparkling wine, and which reported at 14 per cent rise in sales last year, described the latest development as, “unwelcome and deeply frustrating.”