A MAJOR Somerset company will be creating up to 300 new jobs after plans to expand its current base were approved.

Numatic International Ltd – makers of the Henry and Hettie vacuum cleaners – has been based in Chard for the last 30 years, having been founded in Crewkerne in 1969.

South Somerset District Council gave the go-ahead on Wednesday evening (November 20) for the company to expand its current base to the north, linking it directly to the A30 towards Yeovil.

The move will allow the firm to expand by one-third over the next five years, creating hundreds of new jobs for local people.

Of the seven new buildings planned for the site, the three on the western edge will be constructed first, with the other four following in the years ahead.

These first three buildings will be used primarily as offices, for storage and for research and development – meaning the noise levels for the neighbouring properties in Nursery Gardens will be relatively low.

A new access road will be created onto the A30, between the current turnings for Monmouth Court and Oaklands Avenue.

James Fox, Numatic’s principal architect, said the new access would take pressure off the existing Millfield roundabout, which connects Numatic’s current base to the A358 and the town centre.

He said: “All manufacturing will be retained within the main site – the buildings on this site will be relatively quiet.

“It will enable the company to grow by a third over the next five years. The access road will be constructed first and should reduce traffic from the town centre.

“This development will create no fewer than 300 extra jobs. We’re delighted that manufacturing will remain not only in the UK, but in this town.”

Andrew Smith, the company’s property and energy manager, said the site currently provided employment for nearly 1,000 people, not including agency staff.

He said: “Not growing is not an option. We can’t say to customers: ‘we don’t want your orders, thank you’.

“This is critical to our future. We try to be a good neighbour at all times, and if there are problems like clanging forklifts, it will be looked into.”

Councillor Dave Bulmer – whose Chard Jocelyn ward includes the site – welcomed the new jobs which the expansion would bring.

He said: “The work that has gone on to bring this application to us this evening is a credit to this authority and to the applicant.

“This will help Chard move forward. Residents often ask me: where will the jobs come from? This is a good example.”

Council leader Val Keitch said she was “astounded and impressed” by Numatic’s work, adding: “This is providing jobs in an area where transport links are not that good.

“I think it’s a flagship employer, not just for Chard but for the district. I am very happy to support this application because we should be encouraging jobs.”

The committee voted unanimously to approve the plans.