£10m investment planned in Newtownabbey as timber company 'seeks to expand operation'
Permission has been granted by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Planning Committee for a £10m warehouse building at Ballyearl Business Park, Newtownabbey.
The proposal for construction of a building with ancillary office space, external yard, HGV and car parking, associated, site works, landscaping and infrastructure was approved at a meeting in Mossley Mill, on Monday evening.
The planned development is to be located 150 metres south of Houston’s Corner Roundabout adjacent to the A8 dual carriageway with access from an established entrance at Houston’s Corner.
Barry Diamond, the council’s head of planning, described the proposed structure as a “standard industrial style building”. A committee report indicated the application site is located within the countryside and “outside any settlement limit”.
It noted if a proposal for a major development for which a countryside location is necessary because of its size or site-specific requirements. such proposals should be able to demonstrate a “significant contribution to the regional economy”.
Mr Diamond said the proposal will deliver a “significant economic investment” of £10m.
The report noted a planning statement which accompanied the application said the site is to be occupied by James Latham PLC which is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading importers and distributors of timber and timber-based panel products.
Established in 1757, the company supplies trade customers across industries including construction, joinery, retail, and manufacturing.
The company has a network of 12 distribution hubs across the UK and Ireland. It has a base at a site in Duncrue Street in Belfast, which was described in the report as “no longer fit for purpose as it does not meet their storage requirements and provides no capacity for future expansion”.
It was stated the company “seeks to expand their operation in Ireland, and there has been recent growth in demand due to a greater shift towards the use of sustainable timber as a preferred construction and manufacturing material”.
It also said the proposed development “represents a vital and significant investment in Latham’s future operations in Northern Ireland”.
Piers Latham, a company director, said the proposal is “an important part” of the company’s growth policy. “We look forward to becoming a long-term partner in the borough,” he added.
Glengormley Sinn Fein Councillor Rosie Kinnear proposed accepting the recommendation to approve the application, seconded by Threemilewater DUP Cllr Sam Flanagan. Following a vote, planning permission was granted unanimously.
In a statement issued after the meeting, a spokesperson for James Latham PLC said: “We are delighted to have secured planning approval for our new facility at Ballyearl Business Park.
“This is a significant investment in the future of James Latham in Northern Ireland and will provide the modern, purpose-built hub we need to continue growing and serving customers across the region.
“The development will strengthen our supply chain, improve resilience and increase our ability to hold the high-quality and increasingly sustainable timber products required by the construction and manufacturing sectors.
“We look forward to moving the project into delivery and making a long-term investment in Antrim and Newtownabbey.”
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter