A FOOD giant has sparked a wave of concerns after submitting revised plans for a food storage and distribution facility which will have “the capacity to handle nine lorries unloading or loading at any one time”.

Surya Foods is looking to move its warehousing operations from Harwich to a new site in Ipswich Road, Ardleigh.

The original application, which was submitted in 2020, has been reduced in size from 46 acres to just 22 acres and will include 1,300 m3 of office space.

If approved, the site will benefit from a warehouse, distribution centre and a goods yard, together with more than 200 parking spaces.

The operational phase is expected to create between 192 and 613 jobs, further improving the employability prospects in Colchester, Harwich, Clacton, and Manningtree.

However, residents living in the Ardleigh area are concerned it does not have the infrastructure needed to support such a large scale development.

Robert and Jennifer Barnett said: “The lanes are totally unsuitable for the use of HGVs, vans and small trucks.

“The A12 is already a busy road and is currently inadequate for the volume of traffic it carries.

“The lanes and surrounding minor roads will become rat runs for traffic using this proposed development once short cuts get to be known by those who can save travel time to and from their destinations.”

But the firm’s application statement read: “By moving the warehouse and distribution centre to the Colchester end of the A120, it will significantly reduce the number of HGV movements to and from Harwich, as well as at the Harwich site.

“The operations at Harwich will be converted to more food production, which is likely to have a further economic benefit in the area.”

Residents are concerned about the impact on Ardleigh as a village.

Darren Carter, of Langham, said: “I fully appreciate this will create jobs and help the local economy but people move to this area for the scenery and rural lifestyle and not to live near large industrial units operating 24 hours a day.”

A spokesman for Flying Trade has said they "understand the concerns" and "have taken measures to ensure that this site has no impact to the local community or environment" .

They added:"We have worked extensively with Highways England and Essex County Council who have insisted all HGV traffic must be directed along the Old Ipswich Road directly to the A12 trunk road. 

"This avoids the local road network and has also resulted in upgrade works to the Ipswich Road roundabout which forms part of the application and will be funded by Surya Foods.

"We have undertaken and submitted a Landscape Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) which clearly demonstrates the minimal impact this will have as a whole and actually has no impact at all on the AONB (The Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

"Our company holistic objective is to reduce the negative impact on our planet and we have worked closely with specialists to see how we can best achieve this. Our proposal will reduce the transport miles of the business by over 700,000 per annum which offers a saving of over 900 tonnes of carbon annually.

"With fewer lorry movements on the roads, we believe that this is a positive step to a greener planet.

"By relocating the warehouse storage elements of the business, this then allows the existing facility at Harwich to continue to expand their manufacturing arm of the business which will create additional jobs. This proposal will create 348 new jobs in total and adds a further 283 jobs in the wider community.

"The proprietors are a local family who reinvest back into their local community throughout both the Colchester and Tendring boroughs."

Tendring Council will decide on the plans.