A construction firm has touted plans to build a 15 hectare extension to its East Cambridgeshire concrete factory. 

A screening application submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council seeks permission for the additional building on land adjoining the existing site on Wisbech Road in Littleport. 

The plans said the proposed development would enable the production of lightweight and durable Autoclaved Aerated Concrete from a mixture of raw materials. 

The new manufacturing facility would comprise three undeveloped fields and feature a main production building, a site office and workshop in addition to internal roads and a staff car park.

The plans said: "Building heights across the AAC facility would vary from 3m up to 9m. A relatively small proportion of the overall site would accommodate built development, as illustrated on the indicative layout at Enclosure 1 of this letter.

"The factory itself would have a footprint in the region of 13,000sqm, with the remaining areas of the site used for product storage alongside areas dedicated to biodiversity, water attenuation, and landscape enhancement."

The screening opinion document was submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council on behalf of FP McCann and asks whether the scheme would need an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for an outline planning application. 

An EIA would assess the effects of the proposals on the environment, focusing on elements including flood risk and the impact of the extension on landscape and biodiversity. 

The proposal said materials would be imported and exported to and from the site using an existing point of access onto Wisbech Road with manufacturing operating on a 24-hour basis. 

The document added: "Materials would be imported and exported to/from the site using the existing point of access/egress onto Wisbech Road.

"Based on an expected output of 1,500m3 per day, the facility would generate 66no. HGV movements (33no. two-way movements for the importation of raw materials and 33no. two-way movements for the exportation of finished products).

"Manufacturing would operate on a 24-hour basis but there is scope to restrict delivery movements."

If approved, the facility would stand 165 meters away from the closest residential property, which is located on the opposite side of the A10 at Meadow Court. 

The document concluded that any future application would be "informed by technical reports" to ensure the district council can "determine the application" fully informed. 

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