UP TO 1,200 JOBS COULD BE CREATED 10 MILES FROM BRIGG

Many people from the Brigg area will be interested in the forecasted creation of up to 1,200 new jobs in Barton - 10 miles away by road.
Wren Kitchens is expanding - great news that has been warmly welcomed by Brigg's Coun Rob Waltham in his role as Leader of North Lincolnshire Council.
Brigg Blog hopes that, in due course, public transport between the Brigg area and Barton will be looked at to help people get to and from this factory.



Green light for £120m Barton business expansion

FROM CHRIS O'ROURKE, NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL

An application from Wren Kitchens to expand their site in Barton upon Humber has been approved by North Lincolnshire Council’s Planning Committee (Wednesday 9 October 2019).
The £120m expansion scheme would almost double the size of the company’s operations on the site – known as The Nest – off Barrow Road in the town, and lead to the creation of up to 1,200 jobs.
Cllr Rob Waltham, the Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Wren and support their growth here in North Lincolnshire.
“Wren’s expansion in Barton will provide a major boost to our local economy and bring more, highly skilled jobs to our employment market. Such a large private investment is a real vote of confidence in North Lincolnshire, and can often act as a catalyst for further investment elsewhere in our area.
“This planning permission is just the start and I look forward to continuing to work with Wren to help expand their workforce and find the right skills they need to support growth.”
Wren Kitchens Managing Director, Mark Pullan, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the huge amount of support we’ve received from the community and the council for this new manufacturing facility. Over 200 people attended our drop-in session providing us with great feedback what we were able to incorporate into our plans.
“Since we set up our headquarters in Barton-upon-Humber in 2013 we have been welcomed by the local community and we have developed strong ties with local community groups, sports teams, charities and schools.”
After launching ten years ago, Wren is now the largest kitchen manufacturer and retailer in the UK, employing over 4,000 people.
Building work on the extension is expected to start in late November 2019.

NF ADDS: This is a very welcome development. We trust that, in due course, consideration will be given to improving the existing bus service linking Brigg and Barton via neighbouring villages to ensure that people can use public transport to get to and from the Wren Kitchens factory if they are fortunate enough to secure jobs. This will be more environmentally friendly than multiple car journeys.  Some people, of course, do not own cars in which case public transport will be essential unless they can arrange lifts with fellow workers who do.
PICTURED: A 450 Brigg-Barton bus in Cary Lane.