Factory expansion plans
A high-tech engineering company is hoping to expand its Telford base by 10,000 square feet, and councillors will vote on the plans next week .
Torus Technology Group, which produces measurement and testing equipment, has applied to build the new facility on an empty patch of land within the T54 industrial zone.
Telford and Wrekin Council officers recommend the planning committee approves their proposal, but have asked for a £16,000 contribution from the company towards road improvements around the site.
In a report for the nine-member committee, planning officers write: “The application seeks full planning permission for the erection of a 930-square-metre B1-class industrial unit with associated parking, access and landscaping.
“The site is located on the eastern fringe of the Telford urban area, on land to the east of the A442 Queensway and to the south of the A464.
“It forms part of the T54 development, an allocated employment site in east Telford. The site is currently a vacant parcel of agricultural pasture land located in between the applicants’ own existing premises to the north and an industrial unit under construction to the south.”
The report authors add that Torus Technology Group – who are headquartered in Telford but also have sites in Brazil, Hong Kong and the USA – plan to decorate the new building in silver and blue, to match their existing units.
Most of the floorspace will be taken up by a warehouse, but the new building will also include offices and a meeting room.
Hollinswood and Randlay Parish Council have not objected, and no neighbouring residents have contacted the planning department about the application. The report notes that the nearest homes to the site are approximately 300 metres away, on Stirchley Avenue and The Nedge Farm.
The Telford and Wrekin Planning Committee will consider the application when it meets on Wednesday, March 13.
Story by Local Democracy Reporter Alex Moore
