Councillors unanimously back 'fantastic' Market Drayton Muller factory redevelopment
Civic leaders have thrown their weight behind Muller's plans to redevelop its factory in Market Drayton.
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At a meeting of Market Drayton Town Council's planning committee last week, councillors backed the company's plans for the expansion of its plant on Shrewsbury Road.
The proposal, which would see an existing fruit production building redeveloped to provide extra storage and distribution facilities, could see a total of eight jobs created.
The plan also includes the construction of a bunded silo farm - suitable for 11 silos.
The Muller UK & Ireland Group said the redevelopment includes the demolition of "existing building elements".
The planning application stated that the project will aim to "utilise the existing footprint of the facility in order to facilitate the change of internal use".
The planning application will now go to Shropshire Council for approval.
Market Drayton's deputy mayor Tim Manton welcomed the redevelopment and said he and Councillor Gary Groves enjoyed a meeting at the factory, situated off the A53 roundabout.
"I don't think it is lost on any of the council that they are a significant employer in the town," Mr Manton said.
"The jobs brought a bit more interest to the planning application, and myself and Councillor Groves went for a meeting at Muller.
"This development sort of ties into the town action plan because they occupy a certain part of the town. They are on one of the entrances to the town and we wanted to talk to them about our ideas to improve the town entrances and they were happy to be part of the conversation.
"It is not mega amounts, but eight jobs is eight jobs at the end of the day.
"But what is important to me is that they said they had the top guys from Muller in, and this significant investment could have possibly gone anywhere. It could have gone towards a Muller factory in Europe, could have gone to Muller factories in the UK, but they have chosen to invest in Market Drayton.
"From the perspective of Muller putting their trust and further foundations into Market Drayton, it is fantastic for the town and community that they are happy to put large investment into their factory here."
Mr Manton added that councillors had no concerns over Muller's plans to install a silo farm at the factory.
The existing facility in Market Drayton has been used for the production of fruit puree by Muller for more than 10 years.
Muller's planning application said the facility will "utilise new machinery across a larger floor space in order to produce consumable goods".
It added that the company will use local materials "wherever possible" to "reduce embodied carbon and in support of the local economy".
A spokesperson for Müller UK & Ireland said: "We are committed to supporting the local Shropshire community and investing in our existing sites, as we continue to focus on growth and delivering high-quality products to the nation.
"We’re excited about this site development and look forward to sharing more details in due course."
