Green light for new £150m drinks canning factory in Co Antrim will create 200 jobs

An artist’s impression of a new £150m drinks canning factory to be built in NewtownabbeyA new £150m drinks canning factory in Newtownabbey that will create around 200 new jobs has been given planning permission.Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) has received the go-ahead to build the 42,585 square meter facility at Invest NI’s Global Point Business Park.The company aim to use the plant to maintain supply to key customers like Diageo and Coca Cola and meet demand for a growing customer base in Ireland, the UK and Europe.Approximately 160 jobs will be created on site at the manufacturing facility, while another 30 indirect jobs will be created for suppliers and business at the site.AMP first revealed its intention to build a factory at the site in November 2021, with planning permission granted by Antrim and Newtownabbey Council at a meeting last night.David Spratt, CEO of AMP Europe, said the relative ease of the planning process had made choosing Newtownabbey an attractive option.“We are delighted to be granted planning permission to deliver a new innovative manufacturing facility in Newtownabbey and progress closer to the creation of nearly 200 new jobs for the local employment market whilst also supporting circular economy growth,” he said.“We appreciate the excellent support from the council and the constructive engagement with the local community.”AMP is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is 75% owned by Ardagh Group, an international packaging group that has its origins in glass manufacturing in Dublin in the 1930s.The company said a focus on using metal cans contribute to circular economy, by using a significant amount of recycled content to meet sustainability targets.Stephen Ross, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, said the planning approval news had now cemented the borough’s reputation as “an economic stronghold”.“This £150m announcement represents the confidence investors have in the area,” he said.“The economic importance of this development and the benefits it will bring not just to Antrim and Newtownabbey, but to the whole of Northern Ireland, cannot be overstated.“The Ardagh facility is part of a high-quality portfolio of manufacturing projects planned for invest NI’s Global Point Business Park in Newtownabbey.“With other major projects in the pipeline, such as the Belfast Region City Deal Queen’s University Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) and the Sensata Technology Centre, this highly desirable site is fast becoming a hub of manufacturing excellence.”He also pointed to the recent approval of a £4m steel manufacturing facility for Steel Mac Distribution (SMD) Ltd, and said the council was now “well on track” to meet a target of £1bn of investment to create 2,000 jobs by 2025.The planning approval was granted following a period of pre-application community consultation and engagement with the council and Invest NI.According to the council, the granting of planning permission in just over 18 weeks reinforced its position as the top council for planning and a prime investment location for major projects.The council said recent figures from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) showed that Antrim and Newtownabbey remained the only council in Northern Ireland that was within the 30 weeks target for major planning applications. This includes approval for a new £10m Dobbies flagship store at the Junction in Antrim, which was processed in under 25 weeks.