Bosses given go ahead for Market Drayton sawmill plan
Bosses of a sawmill will push ahead with a £3.5 million development plan which is set to create more than 30 jobs after controversial plans for increased operating hours got the go ahead.
Hales Sawmill will move into a new base at the Adderley Road Industrial Estate, Market Drayton.
The firm will be able to run its kiln and move HGVs 24 hours a day – despite concerns from nearby residents.
The original plans for the site got the go ahead in October, but bosses applied for a change in restrictions to the operating hours, which were approved at a meeting of the North
Shropshire Planning Committee in Edinburgh House, Wem, last night.
Bill Parton, who runs the business with his son, said if the new hours had not been approved then the move would not have gone ahead. He said: "When you switch a kiln on it has got to run for 24 hours."
Originally officers said the site could only open between 8am and 7pm weekdays and 9am and 1pm on Saturdays and wanted it to close on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Now the kiln and HGVs can operate 24 hours a day, with restrictions on forklift truck movements and loading of vans.
