Plans filed to Wiltshire Council for a new meal production factory in Trowbridge have offered a first glimpse of what it could look like as plans progress.
Meal producer Apetito, based on Canal Road, has submitted plans to construct ‘Kitchen West’, a new food manufacturing facility on the Canal Road Industrial Estate.
It comes after the company hosted public consultation events to gather feedback ahead of the submission.
Following this, the building design has been refined to reflect local input and community priorities.
If approved, the factory would increase production of pre-prepared meals for the healthcare, care homes, education and social care sectors, as well as its Wiltshire Farm Foods business that delivers meals to elderly consumers in their own home each week.
It would do this by delivering a six-line production facility, with capacity for three-lines initially and space to accommodate the other three-lines in the future.
The proposed development would be located on the former “Pie Site,” which closed at the end of 2024, alongside land acquired in 2021 from Airsprung Group plc and more recently from Bradfords Building Merchants.
Lee Sheppard, director of corporate affairs, policy & sustainability, said: “This new facility is not only a major investment in our future but also in sustainable manufacturing.
“From the outset, our ambition has been to create one of the UK’s most environmentally responsible factories, in line with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.
“We’re already integrating sustainable practices into the deconstruction phase - including reusing entire buildings where possible and recycling materials like concrete for site footings. This alone will reduce vehicle movements by around 1,500 journeys.”
According to a spokesperson for the company, the site will be 20,000 square metres and will reportedly double the firm’s capacity.
The Design and Access Statement submitted to the council offers a first glimpse of what the outside of the factory could look like, with further CGI images expected to be released in the coming weeks.
The design of the new build is inspired by local buildings such as the Trowbridge Health Centre, and the proposed design for the integrated care centre currently under construction, with the company highlighting the timber-frame aesthetic of the buildings.
(Image: Wiltshire Council)
The statement continues: “The proposal will redevelop an underused and vacant site with ageing building stock adjacent to the company’s Pie facility (active since the 1970s), representing both regeneration and an intensification of economic activity at an established industrial location.”
The statement goes on: “Apetito’s aspiration is to construct and operate one of the UK’s most sustainable food production sites, a world class regenerative kitchen for Trowbridge that will have a positive impact on the natural and human environment and provide resilience in the face of the changing climate.”
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If approved, Kitchen West is expected to be operational by mid-2027, with the existing Mill Site kitchens remaining operational alongside the new facility.
The company has already begun clearing the site after being notified by the council in May that prior approval is not required for the demolition of the existing buildings on the site.
Contractors were spotted working at the site on Monday, July 21.
According to a waste management plan, the initial step includes the “deconstruction and demolition of 13 buildings onsite”.
The clearance of the site will involve an approach sensitive to the use of certain materials, and retain as much as possible. Concrete, for example, will be broken down and reused in the footings of the new build, reportedly saving 1,500 vehicle movements on the site.
The statement reads: “The removal of existing structures on the site will be via deconstruction rather than demolition wherever possible."
Wiltshire Council will now consider the plans.
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