Nestle Waters are expanding a bottling and distribution plant based in Buxton, Derbyshire.
The move will create more than 70 new jobs for the local area.
Expanding the site
Part of the new plans from Nestle include increasing the floor space available at their site. Based on Waterswallows Lane in Buxton, it will soon be 27,871m2 larger, given the assumption that the High Peak Borough Council will approve their plans.
The planning documents revealed much about the project and how Nestle plan to move forward. An excerpt read as follows: “The bottled water category continues to show growth as more people make healthier choices and choose to enjoy water. The size of the proposed extension is approximately 300,000 sq ft. and would allow us to create economies of scale by maximising flexibility, production efficiencies and optimising the distribution network of the existing factory, by reducing our use of off-site storage facilities and the related transportation between sites.”
There will be a new water bottling line on the extra ground they are breaking, as well as new distribution and storage facilities. They will also create external service yards and provide landscaping in and around the site to ensure that it looks up to the standards of their prestigious name.
That name has been under threat in the US, where it has transpired that Nestle may have been bottling water that it was not supposed to have access to. In fact, there have been complaints that one of their plants was taking water from Strawberry Creek, in drought-stricken California, without permission to do so.
“Environmental sustainability is again at the heart of our plans with the proposed extension designed to integrate into the surrounding landscape and existing building,” the plans continued. “Our current bottling site has been awarded a BREEAM Excellent rating and we will be targeting the same for the new development.”
New opportunities for workers
There are already 220 people employed in jobs at the site, in a variety of roles from the office to the lines. With the addition of the extra line and facilities, that number is also expected to grow.
“This investment in a key local economic sector is important in many ways. It demonstrates a confidence by Nestlé Waters in its Buxton operation,” said the company. “It provides long-term resilience for this economic sector, added security for existing jobs, lead to the creation of new employment opportunities and it will give support for other businesses in the supply chain.”
Look out soon for food recruitment for the 72 new jobs at the factory, a mixture of temporary and permanent roles. It is likely to go ahead, although public consultation for the planning application is scheduled to go on until the 1st of February.
This is not the only development that Nestle are currently working on – nor even their only development in Derbyshire. They also submitted plans five months ago in order to begin work on a new plant alongside their coffee factory. They plan to cut the amount of pollution as well as liquid waste which is being discharged into the Severn Trent Water Treatment Works.
They have proposed a system which will instead see the entire volume of trade effluent being treated at the facility, before being discharged to Severn Trent Water already dealt with. This will certainly take the strain off the Treatment Works, helping Nestle to reduce their burden on the local area.
It’s a grand gesture and is sure to be thought of favourably as the council decide whether to allow them extra space for their water bottling facility.
