A VEGETABLE producer is seeking retrospective planning approval to site 20 caravans at its Berwickshire base to house its seasonal workers.

Large-scale agricultural company R & K Drysdale Limited annually require additional production staff to meet seasonal demand for its produce.

The company’s premises at Old Cambus Quarry at Cockburnspath is where agricultural produce grown on a large number of farms in the local area is processed and stored.

The company says the “additional labour is needed to meet the capacity of the business” and that the caravans are “only occupied by seasonal workers for a designated period”.

The caravans are already in place as the applicant, company chairman Chris Keenan, had understood putting them there was a permitted development and did not require planning approval.

But after consultation with the council’s planning department it was realised that was not the case.

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Now a retrospective planning application for the accommodation units has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council.

A planning statement, submitted with the application by Northumberland-based Yeoman Architecture, says: “Over many years the company has experienced an inherent difficulty in filling these positions as persons are not available locally, therefore, operatives are brought in and employed under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme, which requires provision of accommodation to meet the provision of the scheme.

“R & K Drysdale Limited, from years of experience in trying to seasonally meet the staffing issues, are aware that there is a lack of suitable and available accommodation in the local area, therefore, following the template of many similar, seasonal agricultural food processors throughout the country, they are seeking to provide dedicated seasonal agricultural workers accommodation adjacent to their site at Old Cambus Quarry at Cockburnspath.

“The accommodation takes the form of locating 20 static caravans which are connected with the existing on-site utility mains service.

“The site location was previously the site car park; however, this has been repositioned elsewhere on site.”