Planning granted for €5m pizza plant
Up to 80 ‘highly skilled’ positions are to be created in the coming months in the west of the county after plans to develop a new chilled-foods factory was approved.
Crust & Crumb Ltd received permission to push forward with a €5 million refit of existing storage located at Annagh, Ballyconnell.
Operated by Fermanagh-based businessman Mark McCaffrey, Crust & Crumb Ltd manufactures a large range of private label chilled pizzas, pizza bases and flat breads, with export markets across Europe and the Middle-East.
The application lodged with the planning section of Cavan County Council was to change the use of eight previously approved industrial/ commercial/ retail/ office units to form a food production, storage and distribution facility.
The works include alterations to the floor plans and elevations including new signage, the provision of two floor silos, along with connection to existing services and associated site works.
The application also seeks permission to retain alternations to previously approved floor plans namely demolition of dividing walls between units 2-4 and 6-8, and creation of new openings in existing walls between units 1-2 and units 4-6.
Permission was granted with a total of six conditions attached, including that carparking would be appropriately marked, and any subsequent use of the Industrial Unit shall not be occupied without prior notice to the Planning Authority.
Its expected that the new plant will be up and running before the end of the year.
Crust & Crumb Ltd already employs 225 people at two sites in Derrylin, and the Ballyconnell jobs are part of a further 150 being added as the business envisages “rapid expansion” on all fronts in the next six to eight months.
The Ballyconnell expansion is the Northern Irish headquartered business' attempt to secure a foothold in Europe ahead of the March 2019 Brexit deadline.
The Crust and Crumb investment is supported by Enterprise Ireland, and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys was on hand earlier this year to welcome the jobs announcement.