On 23 September 2011, AVDC approved Arla's planning applicaiton for a new £150m dairy in Aylesbury. The committee was unanimous in its decision to support the officers’ recommendation to approve the application subject to completion of the Section 106.
This windfall £150 million inward investment is rare in today’s economic climate. Danish dairy cooperative, Arla Foods, has committed to 100 per cent privately fund the project, creating a dairy which can process and package up to 1.3bn litres of fresh milk per year. The scheme is set to deliver a £20m annual wages bill to bolster the Buckinghamshire economy.
Peter Lauritzen, CEO of Arla Foods UK plc, said: “This will be a state-of-the-art dairy designed to help Arla achieve its growth ambitions in the UK. In addition to being one of the largest construction projects in the UK, our flagship building will also be the world’s first zero carbon dairy.”
The project will stimulate the Buckinghamshire economy in a very challenging recessionary market. It will also deliver a welcome boost to the UK construction market by creating up to 1,000 construction jobs over the next 18 months.
Once complete, the dairy will create almost 700 jobs and Aylesbury can provide access to the strong local workforce required. If typical of other Arla dairies, the vast majority of the employees would live within a 20 mile radius of the site.
Arla is aiming for the dairy to be the first zero carbon milk processing facility in the world and, throughout the design stage, the potential impact of the dairy on the environment has been evaluated. Going forward Arla is committed to utilising the best available construction techniques, advanced process technologies and cutting edge renewable energy opportunities.
Arla is proposing to invest in the highway to improve the flow of traffic into and out of Aylesbury including installing signals and widening the A41 at the Oakfield Road/King Edward Avenue and Bedgrove/Broughton Lane junctions in order to reduce current congestion in the area. Also a new shuttle bus service, pedestrian and cycleway improvements will provide colleagues with sustainable options to reach the site.
Arla aims for the dairy to be operational by summer 2013.
