100 jobs to be created as poultry giant’s £12m expansion project gets green light

Up to 100 jobs are to be created after plans for the final phase of Salisbury Poultry’s £12m expansion project were approved by Wolverhampton Council.

The last stage of the three-phase project at Bilston in Wolverhampton includes a 11,000 sq m purpose-built chilled and cold store, and a despatch facility at Salisbury Poultry’s Murdoch Road site to meet the projected needs and improve efficiencies of the business.

Salisbury Poultry has more than 800 employees and has a turnover in excess of £130m.

After a rapid period of growth, it embarked on a major expansion project in 2020 involving both construction of new and improved facilities. The three-phase project is expected to be fully completed in 2023.

Plans for the scheme have been handled by architectural, planning and building surveying practice Cassidy + Ashton.

Cassidy + Ashton will now take forward the approved plans and appoint contractors, with construction expected to start by Summer 2022.

Phase two of the project involving a three-storey extension to provide expanded production capacity and a modern office at Salisbury’s Vulcan Road site in Bilston, is still under construction and is expected to be completed by the September 2022.

Guy Evans, director at Cassidy + Ashton, said: “This has been a major expansion project spanning several years. We are proud to have supported Salisbury Poultry on many fronts from the early design and planning stages through to completion. As a multidisciplinary practice we stand well-equipped to offer professional support for large commercial projects such as this one.

“Not only will the new facilities planned for Salisbury’s Murdoch Road site provide a more effective operation, they will also set a precedent for further regeneration in the wider area.”

Mulkh Mehta, director at Salisbury Poultry, said: “Over the past five years there has been a rapid increase in demand in the food industry. Our business has needed to grow exponentially over a short period of time to strengthen our position in the market.

“We have made a great investment in bringing our business to the forefront of the food processing sector, and our expansion plans also promise the creation of jobs in the Midlands region, which is a great boost to the local economy.”