North Tyneside council has agreed to the development of the Greggs production site in Longbenton which may produce 125 new jobs.
The council has agreed to the conversion of a redundant freezer and finished goods store into additional production space at the company's Balliol Business Park site on Benton Lane alongside the demolition of several temporary buildings.
In a statement to the council, the applicant said: “Greggs currently have circa 2,200 shops and have plans to grow over 3,000 shops in the next few years. To support this growth, it is necessary to increase production capacity for all products.
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“The Balliol facility currently makes savoury products for the business (e.g sausage rolls, pasties etc,) but by the end of 2023 sales and growth will exceed current supply.
“Greggs have therefore decided to expand operations at Balliol with the introduction of a production line which will increase site output by 30%. This new production facility will be located within the ‘Balliol Freezer’ building that was previously the freezer storage facility for the Balliol site.
“This is now redundant, as frozen savoury products made at Balliol are now stored in the recently completed automated freezer, now BNDC.”
The company also informed the authority it expects to create 40 new jobs for early shifts, 40 late shift jobs, 40 night shift jobs, and 5 day shift positions as a result of the expansion.
The planning report stated: “This proposal will support further economic prosperity and job growth in the Borough supporting Policy S2.1 of the Local Plan and will be supporting continued business investment within an existing business.”
Planning officers did not identify any significant traffic issues arising from the proposal. Ultimately the officers’ report recommended councillors approve the application.
The planning committee did pass construction conditions. Building works are not permitted outside the hours of 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 2pm on Saturdays. No construction work is permitted on the site on either Sundays or Bank Holidays.
The application was granted with nine votes in favour with no abstentions or votes against.
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