Work starts on new meat processing facility

Work has started on a new 8,000 square metre abattoir and meat processing facility in Hortonwood, Telford, which should be operational by July 2013, just eight months after formal planning submission was lodged with the Local Planning Authority (LPA).

Following appointment in September 2012, it took consultants WYG less than two months to deliver full planning consent, with no pre-commencement conditions, allowing the client to achieve its six month construction target.

The £7.5m value project is expected to create 165 new jobs in the Telford area, and secures a sustainable integrated abattoir and meat processing facility closer to livestock resources in Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire and Herefordshire, which will reduce livestock travel, cutting transport costs for farmers and improving animal welfare.

This modern facility will meet all animal welfare, technological and EA legislation.

The project is particularly pertinent in view of the current controversy over reports of horsemeat appearing in the food chain.


Despite a number of changes to the design which, in part, helped to reduce the loss of mature trees and improve the ecological sustainability of the scheme, WYG was able to obtain an unrestricted planning consent within the eight weeks established by the client’s challenging timeframe.

The speed with which this was achieved was, to a large extent, the result of close collaborative working between WYG and the LPA, and other statutory consultees, in addition to WYG’s ability to anticipate their requirements and pre-empt any potential issues early on in the process.

In addition, WYG’s multi-disciplinary expertise came to the fore, involving co-ordination of its diverse planning, transport, flood risk, geo-technical, landscaping, noise and air quality specialisms to ensure an acceptable and innovative project was delivered.

Manchester based Paul Shuker, Associate at WYG, said: "This project is a great example of how the public and private sector can work together to deliver investment, jobs and infrastructure through positive collaborative working, and demonstrates that the planning system plays a key role in economic growth through efficient and timely delivery of developments."