Plan for Telford factory extension which would create 62 new jobs to be considered this week

Plans which would see Cosma Casting UK expand its current operation in Telford have been recommended for approval by a Telford & Wrekin Council planning officer.

The aluminium casting foundry operates 24 hours a day from its Telford Business Park premises – employing around 230 people.

“Their end product is that of high-quality alloy castings for the automotive industry,” said the planning officer.

The plans would see a rear extension to the existing factory, increasing its internal floorspace by 46 per cent.

The extension would house two new die-casting units to support manufacturing of additional product lines from the factory. Plans also include an area for tool storage and two-storey offices.

A new gatehouse building is part of the planning proposals and car parking would be expanded from 229 to 274 spaces.

A temporary contractor’s compound is also proposed, on land currently owned by Telford & Wrekin Council.

No public representations have been made and Hollinswood & Randlay Parish Council has voiced its support for the development.

The borough council’s highways, biodiversity, drainage and environmental health departments have all supported the application subject to conditions.

“The foundry has been operational for many years without impacts on neighbouring properties and it is anticipated that the extension will continue to operate under the same procedures,” the planning officer added.

“A noise impact assessment has been submitted with the application and appropriate conditions would be placed on any decision notice to keep noise levels to an appropriate level.

“Whilst there are some views of the development (as a whole), as defined in the landscape visual assessment – the majority of these are long-distant or glimpsed views whilst travelling the borough’s highway network due to the undulating nature of the area.

“Despite the scale of the proposed extension, these views are of the whole site in context and is not considered that the extension will have any greater impact on the landscape.”

A transport assessment submitted with the plan states that the additional staff would work in shift patterns and an increase in travel movements would take place outside of ‘traditional peak periods’.

As part of the proposed plans the applicant would pay £5,000 towards travel plan monitoring, £7,289 for strategic highways improvements and £250 towards Section 106 monitoring.

The council’s planning officer concluded: “The proposed extension has been designed in both a functional and aesthetically pleasing way, so as to ensure that the development respects and responds positively to its context and enhances the local built and natural environment; with impacts on surrounding landscape designations and neighbouring properties considered negligible.”

Telford & Wrekin councillors will consider the application at their planning committee meeting on Wednesday night.