Hi-tech firm’s seeks testing go-ahead

A HI-TECH firm which specialises in engineering equipment for the nuclear industry has unveiled plans to bolster its North Yorkshire base.

James Fisher Nuclear is looking to add testing faciilties at its design and manufacturing plant at York Road Business Park, near Malton.

The firm says its proposed development would enable it to keep welding and fabrication work in-house and safely produce larger equipment, and see it take on five staff, increasing the total workforce at the site to 75.

Planning documents lodged with Ryedale District Council state the unit produces remotely operated mechanical manipulation and handling systems to serve specific requirements “for operating in the most hazardous of environments”.

The papers say the development would not involve the use or storage of any hazardous substances. However, they state: “Due to the severity of the environments where the equipment is deployed, rigorous testing is an essential part of the process. At present, the physical constraints of the building limit the testing and instead, all testing is carried out at another JFN facility in Scotland.”

The firm says the ability to manufacture, assemble and test at the Malton site would not only increase the margin of work in the company, but would set the firm apart from its competitors.

It says as the highly complex and lengthy equipment it produces often needs to be tested at its full extent, the testing building would have to be of sufficient height for a crane to lift equipment into position.

However, in the planning papers the firm highlights that views into the site from surrounding roads and Malton are restricted.