Yearsley Group's plans for a new cold storage facility south of Peterborough have run into trouble, after the local council raised concerns about its impact on daylight, and the number of staff that might be employed there.
Yearsley wants to construct a new cold store at the Gateway Peterborough site in the Great Haddon Employment Zone. The plans are understood to involve two buildings totalling 385,000ft².
The firm has suggested to Hampton Parish Council that the site will employ around 300 staff, but the council has now called this into question on the basis that the site will be largely automated.
Parish clerk Kate Day told MT : "Similar facilities around the country don’t seem to employ significant numbers of staff.
"We need to establish where these jobs will come from – it has been sold to the public on the basis of the number of jobs and it’s important to ensure that this is correct."
There are also concerns about possible effects on sunlight levels in the area, confirmed Day.
Although there are no residential homes in the immediate proximity, there are fears that the 35m high building will result in locals losing about 10 minutes of sunset each evening, she said.
The council has written to Yearsley to raise its concerns and received a response, said Day. A council meeting will take place on Tuesday (18 September), to consider that response and other aspects of the firm’s planning application.
