Firm will leave area unless plan approved
F● RESENIUS Kabi is planning to build a warehouse with offices near its existing premises in Manor Park in Runcorn.
The healthcare technology firm said the expansion of its operation across two sites will allow the business to grow. As part of the works an access road on land off Eastgate Road would be extended.
The site boundary encompasses 9.78 acres of farmland but the company has warned that if it cannot expand its Runcorn business, it will have to move from the borough.
A planning application filed by builders CDP Ltd said the plot is limited by woods to the north designated as a nature conservation area.
It said Fresenius Kabi moved to the Eastgate Road site in November 2006 and previous expansion has taken place with the installation of 91 parking spaces and cycling storage in 2013 when the operation employed 300 workers around the clock.
The report said building a second warehouse will create jobs and investment, boost growth and benefit from using a relatively flat site and ‘accessibility by major transport infrastructure’.
Public consultation is open until October.
It said constraints on the project include the conservation woodlands, which ‘ should be preserved’, and a drainage ditch to the north and east of the site.
Halton Borough Council has set a provisional target decision date of December 11.
In conclusion the application’s design and access statement said: “Overall, it is considered that the design approach represents a positive balance between supporting the operational requirements of the business and mitigating any adverse impacts on its surroundings.
“The development can therefore be considered to comply with local and national planning policy in design terms.”