A MAJOR employer near Auchinleck has been given the green light by East Ayrshire Council to begin part of a £65million investment, according to the company.
EGGER announced hopes to submit plans to the council for the extension earlier this year, before submitting official plans to the local authority back in July.
However, initial Barony plans had said that the plans were part of a £50 million investment, meaning an extra £15m is set to be ploughed into the plant.
Now EGGER Barony says it has received planning consent from the council for an extension to the existing plant.
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This is set to include three new lamination lines, a warehouse for storing the paper that is used in the lamination process, and a new log store.
The plans will aim to increase productivity and create around 35 new jobs at the Barony plant.
This forms part of EGGER Barony’s long term ambition to implement a £65m investment which will enable the plant to add value to the raw chipboard it produces by upgrading it to Eurodekor faced chipboard, a process that is currently undertaken at its Hexham plant.
The investment will also aim to add value to EGGER’s existing production output for Barony, but logistically only add one additional lorry trip to the plant each week.
The company said that feedback from local stakeholders throughout the application was positive and members of the local community were pleased with the opportunity for the continued growth of the plant and the local economy through the delivery of additional skilled jobs.
Steven McArthur, plant director technical/production at EGGER, said: “We are delighted to be in a position to grow our plant.
"Continuous investment into our operations at Barony over the last 20 years has helped to increase production and create new jobs in the local area.
"We are committed to our Barony plant, and value our ongoing discussions with the local area.
"The positive relationships we have built with our neighbouring communities shows that they share our wish to see Barony continually grow.”
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