Jobs boost as firm’s growth gets go-ahead
THE economic outlook for Macclesfield has been boosted after its biggest employer was given permission to build a major manufacturing base.
AstraZeneca has received the go-ahead for the 8,890sq m facility at its Hurdsfield site, which will employ 72 people.
Cheshire East Council has given planning permission to redevelop building 52 at the site, despite concerns there is a ‘high risk of contamination’.
In a council officer’s report it said permission should be withheld until a separate planning application to agree a remediation strategy is approved.
The report said: “The application site was previously used for waste disposal and presents a high risk of contamination that could be mobilised during construction.
“Given the above risks, the local planning authority is not able to grant planning permission for this application until the extent of contamination is known and the remediation strategy agreed.”
But the council elected to pass the application with a condition that the remediation strategy must be agreed before work starts.
The application is for a pharmaceutical facility that would house manufacturing, technical, storage and preparation areas.
According to documents submitted with the application, the facility would meet regulatory requirements and supply the worldwide market for the next 20 years.
Of the 72 jobs at the development some would be created and others secured.
But it has not been said how many fall each category.
A report by consultants BakerHicks, says: “The construction of building 52 will ensure AstraZeneca maintain their position as a leading global biopharmaceutical business and marks a long-term commitment to continued manufacturing at the Macclesfield campus.
”In short, the proposed development will have a positive effect on economic growth in the area.”
However, a note of caution was sounded by AstraZeneca’s successful request for planning permission to allow five years until the development is begun, rather than the usual three.
Another report submitted with the application by Frost Planning, before the Covid crisis, explained this is to allow ‘the current political environment to become stable’ and more investment friendly.
It says: “The reason being AstraZeneca’s Macclesfield campus is trying to attract internal corporate investment, which is very difficult in the current political environment.”
An AstraZeneca spokesman said: “As with any historic industrial site, we are following the normal processes to sample and remediate any historic ground contamination, if present. This is standard procedure. We requested a five year period for planning permission to provide us with maximum flexibility in the current climate.”