The site of the creamery in Banbridge, which has been a major employer in the town for nearly a century, has gone on the market for £9.5 million.
Owners Lakeland Dairies confirmed last November that the creamery is being permanently closed from June as part of “operational changes” within the cooperative,
And Belfast-based commercial agent Lisney has just listed the high-profile industrial/warehouse facility on the Rathfriland Road, close to the A1, for sale.
The overall site on which the main buildings are located totals an area of around 12.3 acres, while there is an adjacent 4.2 acres agricultural site.
According to the agent’s brochure, the buildings on the site are predominantly made up of quality warehouse accommodation with eaves ranging from 6 to 9 metres and loading bays or electric roller shutter doors throughout. The total internal area of the buildings is around 212,000 sq ft.
While these buildings have been used as dry stores and cold stores supporting the previous dairy operations, the agents say they could be immediately utilised by a range of end users with little to no reconfiguration or capital expenditure.
The remainder of the buildings, while more specialised to the dairy industry, could be reconfigured or redeveloped to suit the needs of numerous operators.
The additional 4.2 acre agricultural site to the south-east, which can be accessed from the main site via a tunnel under the A1 dual carriageway, offers scope for residential development, or additional warehousing, subject to the necessary planning consents.
The creamery in Banbridge, which Lakeland acquired from Fane Valley in 2016, has acted as a butter churning and packing and powder storage site (no milk has been directly processed there for many years).
In April Lakeland Dairies said its revenues for 2023 were £1.4 billion (down from £1.7 billion in 2022), which give it an operating profit of £12.8m.
