EXPANSION OF HOWDENS’ RUNCORN FACILITY UNDERWAY FURTHER TO HARRIS LAMB SECURING APPROVAL FOR £100M SCHEME
Work has commenced on a £100million expansion of Howdens’ cabinet making factory and warehouse in Runcorn after Harris Lamb secured planning permission for the project from the local authority.
The planning team at Harris Lamb submitted plans on behalf of the UK’s number one trade kitchen supplier earlier this year seeking approval to expand its Astmoor Industrial Estate site from around 500,000 sq ft to 700,000 sq ft, a 40% increase.
Howdens recently purchased the freehold of the site, which employs over 450 staff, as part of its growth plan for the region.
With a construction crew having broken ground on the project on November 26th, the scheme is expected to take three years to complete. The resulting new factory will house state-of-the-art manufacturing machines which will give Howdens one of the largest cabinet production lines in the world.
As part of the project, Halton Borough Council also approved plans for a new HGV trailer parking area on neighbouring land under the Mersey Gateway Bridge, which will effectively act as an extension to their site allowing greater operational flexibility and providing parking for around 150 HGV trailers.
Jolande Bowater, Director, led the project for Harris Lamb’s Planning Consultancy and said that the team forged a good relationship with officers at the Council and worked closely with Howdens and the consultant teams to ensure that the proposals met all the requirements.
“It’s exciting to see work on this important manufacturing expansion get underway. The planning applications marked the culmination of more than a year’s work by Howdens and their specialist teams to plan and design a scheme that will future-proof the business and its Runcorn site for years to come. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced project and we look forward to continuing to work with the team as the scheme is built out.
“Good relationships with planning officers are essential when it comes to proposals of this scale and we worked closely with planning and other officers at Halton Borough Council and numerous external consultees to achieve the permissions for these sites.
“Having been on Astmoor Industrial Estate for more than two decades, Howdens Runcorn site is one of their two main manufacturing facilities and is critical to the success of the company. This expansion not only represents a huge investment into the region, it secures Howdens’ presence as a key employer in the local area, retaining its workforce and creating new jobs through the construction phase, helping to support economic growth in and around Runcorn.”
A ground-breaking ceremony, marking the official start of the works, was attended by Howdens CEO Andrew Livingston and Operations Director Julian Lee.
Andrew Livingston, Howdens CEO, said; “Our Runcorn manufacturing facility is critical to our business and has been for many years.
“We are proud of our skilled teams who make the facility what it is. This expansion matters to the community and to UK manufacturing.
“This investment demonstrates our commitment to UK skilled jobs and strengthening Howdens’ capability to support future growth here and abroad.”
Photo: Andrew Livingston, Howdens CEO, breaks ground at the Astmoor Industrial Estate site.
Image courtesy of Howdens.