Sunderland pallet manufacturer expands facilities to 55,000 sq ft site

One of the UK’s largest pallet manufacturing businesses is expanding facilities at its Hetton site following approval for a 55,000 sq ft site redevelopment.

James Jones & Sons, a Sunderland business, will expand and redevelop its premises into a green facility that will include the installation of a biomass boiler.

The business engaged the services of Building Design Northern (BDN), a Sunderland based architectural, structural and civil engineering firm, to design the plans for its new facility, aiding its growth and further support the company’s key ethos of developing a fully sustainable supply chain service.

The new space will support the pallet-making process and will also allow the firm to install a biomass boiler, which will be fuelled by James Jones’s own recycled timber, enhancing the firm’s environmental credentials, reducing carbon emissions and further strengthening the company’s contribution to a circular supply chain.

Peter McKenzie, managing director of James Jones’s Pallets and Packaging, said: “We are delighted to receive planning permission for this development.

“Our business is fully committed to creating a sustainable supply chain and takes every step to ensure that any new developments carefully consider local wildlife and habitats, residents and the environment.

“This development will provide additional employment opportunities for local residents whilst ensuring that the site and activities carried out thereon have little to no impact upon the environment”

BDN was engaged by the firm to develop the commercial scheme taking the project forward though planning to completion on site.

Managing director of BDN, Richard Marsden, said: “We’re pleased to have been able to support Peter and the James Jones team in shaping plans for a new production facility that will aide their expansion as well as making them a more energy efficient business, which will also help keep energy costs down.

“As a practice, we’re very much focused on developing plans that are kind to the planet, but that also help generate cost efficiencies for energy-intensive businesses like manufacturers, so this was a great project that we’re proud to have supported.”

Work will now begin on the new facility, which is expected to be completed in 2022.

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