AGRI-FOOD co-operative Fane Valley has secured planning permission for a £4.5 million industrial facility at its Moira headquarters, which is expected to create 25 new jobs.
The company, which relocated its head office to the Glenavy Road site in 2017, has now been granted permission to build a major new 60,000 sq ft storage facility at the former quarry.
Fane Valley originally secured planning permission in 2017 to develop 20 units to establish the Glenavy Road Business Park.
Part of those plans have now been redrafted for a much larger single 5,500 sqm building, which Fane Valley plans to use for storage and distribution purposes linked with the online sales of agriculture supplies.
It will also be used to supply Fane Valley’s network of 17 stores around the north, and is expected to support the creation of 25 full-time jobs.
Other businesses currently operating from the business park include Greenfield Fertilisers, AB Pneumatics, Scotts Fuels, BPS Group, DWS Controls and Spectrum Advice Network.
A recommendation to approve the plans was backed by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s planning committee on Monday morning.
The same committee also approved plans for a separate unrelated industrial development on Comber Road, Dundonald.
The council said the construction of the nine modern industrial units is expected to attract further investment to the area.
The new units, which have been identified for office and light industrial use, will offer both new and growing businesses modern manufacturing space. Parking for cars and bicycles as well as landscaping forms part of the overall scheme.
Alderman Martin Gregg, chair of the council's planning committee said: “This is really positive news for Lisburn and Castlereagh and in particular, the villages of Dundonald and Moira.
“Both these projects will bring immediate employment and economic benefits to both areas and will help to continue to grow the council’s business prospects.
"By investing and developing new infrastructure we can help create more and better jobs for the people who live in Lisburn and Castlereagh.”
