Emergency services were called to the roastery on Riverside Industrial Estate in October 2018, after a member of staff reported a fire. There were no casualties.
A planning application submitted to Dartford County Council said the building would be restricted to warehousing and handling only, with no manufacturing to be held on-site. UCC estimated the structure would be needed for about 12 months.
Plans for a permanent replacement to the coffee firm’s warehouse are currently in the design stage, with UCC planning to submit them to the council on or around 15 February. Should approval be granted, the company said building would commence between August and September this year.
‘Significant disruption’
In a supporting statement submitted with the planning application, UCC facilities manager Stuart Brand said: “As a business we are working hard to keep our supply chain operational and this is causing us significant disruption.
“The temporary warehouses are essential to facilitate our distribution and will enable us to reduce the increased traffic we are having to make use of, to shuttle our packaging materials around locally.”
The warehouse would also allow UCC to re-hire some of the staff members who were left out of work due to the fire and the disruption it caused to UCC’s supply chain, Brand explained.
Worldwide distributor
UCC Coffee UK & Ireland is a subsidiary of UCC Holdings, which develops, manufactures, and distributes coffee products in Europe, North America and Asia.
Last year, UCC managing director Elaine Swift told Food Manufacture her ambitions for the business – and the market in general – as the company grew to cope with extra demand.
Meanwhile, pastry manufacturer Bakeaway has applied for planning permission to build a new site in Corby, with the potential to create a ‘large number’ of jobs.
