A MAJOR employer near Auchinleck has officially submitted plans to East Ayrshire Council for an extension as part of a £50 million investment project.

Wood products firm EGGER has lodged the ideas with council bosses for an extension to the existing plant to house three new lamination lines, a warehouse for storing the paper that is used in the lamination process, and a new log store.

The company says it wants to add a state-of-the-art production line to its Barony site and to create 35 new jobs in the area.

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EGGER's Barony plant opened in 1998 and has seen multiple investments in the site, including an £8m wood processing recycling plant and £4m biomass energy plant to reduce CO2 emissions and gas consumption, along with a purpose-built apprentice training facility.

The application forms part of EGGER Barony’s long term ambition to implement a £50m investment which will enable the plant to add value to the raw chipboard it produces by upgrading it to Eurodekor faced chipboard, a process that is currently undertaken at its Hexham plant.

EGGER announced plans to submit the proposals back in April, with two public consultation sessions following thereafter.

The company said that the feedback from the sessions was positive and members of the local community were pleased with the opportunity for the continued growth of the plant and the local economy through the delivery of additional skilled jobs.

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Steven McArthur, Plant Director Technical/Production at EGGER said: “We are delighted to be in a position to grow our plant.

"Continuous investment into our operations at Barony over the last 20 years has helped to increase production and create new jobs in the local area.

"We are committed to our Barony plant, and value our ongoing discussions with the local area.

"The positive relationships we have built with our neighbouring communities shows that they share our wish to see Barony continually grow.”