HEREFORDSHIRE’S cider industry received a boost when councillors approved plans to build the largest and first ever carbon neutral fruit mill in Western Europe in the county.

The promise of 200 extra jobs and an eco-friendly approach gave developers Universal Beverages the upper hand in their bid to transform Robertson’s Ledbury Preserves’ jam factory into a plant processing 15,000 tonnes of fruit a week.

Managing director David Hepworth told the planning committee: “This project puts Herefordshire at the very centre of the European drinks industry.” Despite objections from the Environment Agency, Severn Trent Water and Welsh Water the company, which has a 15-year contract with Bulmers, will build a 6,000 sq m warehouse, a concentrate building and storage tanks at the Ledbury site.

Approval was granted last Friday subject to planning officers’ conditions that further consultation regarding the supply of water and disposal of waste water takes place to ensure the objections are withdrawn.

Once complete the plant, which is a joint venture between Universal and agricultural company Q Group, will employ around 300 people.

Cabinet member for economic and community services, Councillor Adrian Blackshaw, told the meeting it was an opportunity to explore other markets in the EU and beyond, and said he had no hesitation in endorsing the venture.

He said: “Should this application go through, the facility has the potential to keep cider production at the very heart of our economy.” Ledbury Councillor Kay Swinburne also told members a large consultation process had taken place with residents and the current workforce, and said the company had been “exemplary” in terms of discussing what it wanted to achieve.

She urged them to support the application and said it was of great importance to the economic development of the town.

Up to 18,000 trees and shrubs will also be planted to reduce the impact of several external storage tanks, the highest structures on the site, which will stand at around 27.9 metres tall.