Thanet Earth — Seventh High-Tech Glasshouse

Project facts

Location: Thanet Earth, Birchington, Kent

Operator: Thanet Earth

Status: Completed — first harvest April 2026

Investment: £20 million originally announced

Additional growing area: 6.5 hectares (65,000 m²)

Planned additional tomato production: approximately 150 million tomatoes per year

Construction and facilities

The project was delivered by Dutch horticultural contractor BOM Group, part of Atrium Agri, which had previously built three other glasshouses at Thanet Earth. The new 65,000 m² structure incorporates climate-control and screening systems, including dehumidification equipment integrated into its gable ends to help maintain suitable growing conditions throughout the year.

The gable facing the Thanet Way was reinforced to withstand exposed winds, with roadside tree planting providing additional screening and wind protection.

Production capacity

Before the extension, Thanet Earth's six glasshouses had approximately 45 hectares of growing space, with a reported annual output of 400 million tomatoes, 33 million cucumbers and 24 million peppers. TG7 increased the site's growing area by approximately 14%, with a planned additional output of 150 million tomatoes annually.

The company now describes seven glasshouses and estimates site-wide production at approximately 550 million tomatoes annually. A separately audited full-year production figure for TG7 has not been established.

Technology and resource management

Thanet Earth's wider complex uses controlled light, temperature and humidity alongside hydroponic growing systems, integrated energy infrastructure and rainwater management. TG7 includes newly installed climate-control, screening and dehumidification equipment.

These site-wide systems should not be assumed to deliver identical efficiency gains in each building. As new operational data become available, the relevant measures will be changes in actual crop output, growing productivity, electricity use per kilogram, water recirculation and performance improvements attributable to installed equipment.

Why it matters

TG7 is a completed expansion of industrial-scale British food-production capacity. Its additional growing area, climate control, lighting and dehumidification equipment support a larger year-round tomato crop. It also provides a fixed location from which to track future engineering developments and measured changes in output and resource efficiency.

Map information

The marker represents the Thanet Earth complex; the position of the seventh glasshouse within it is not confirmed. [2]