Up to 300 new jobs will be coming to rural Somerset after plans for a new concrete factory were approved.

Porr UK Ltd. applied for permission to build the factory on the former Trinidad Works on the A361 near Wanstrow, between Frome and Shepton Mallet.

The company intends to use the site, located near the Torr Works quarry, to manufacture numerous concrete products for major UK infrastructure projects.

Mendip District Council’s planning board gave the green light to these proposals when it met in Shepton Mallet on Wednesday evening (October 12).

The site lies on Haygrove Lane to the south of the A361, opposite the Leighton Business Park, and has been largely underused since Permanite Asphalt Ltd. ceased operation there in the 1990s.

The land is bordered by Haygrove Wood and the freight railway line connecting Torr Works to mainline rail services.

Porr UK intends to bring the site back into use to manufacture trackbed slabs and other concrete-based components, using materials from the neighbouring quarry wherever possible.

The new factory will be built at the southern end of the site. The northern end will be used for storing the slabs and other products before they are transported off-site.

Richard Arnott, Porr UK’s contracts manager, told the board on Wednesday evening (October 12) that a new railhead would be created to link the factory directly to the existing freight route, reducing the number of extra vehicles on the already busy A361.

Councillor Michael Gay said Porr had not provided sufficient information on how the factory would “provide a carbon betterment” for the district.

Somerset County Council confirmed in its local aggregates assessment that the planning permission for the Torr Works quarry was currently due to expire in 2040.

Councillor Philip Ham said the development was “very positive” in light of the current difficult economic conditions.

Councillor Simon Carswell added: “It is important to ensure our communities continue to be able to access a variety of local job opportunities, particularly those which offer decent wages and the chance to learn new skills.

“Young people also require apprenticeships and traineeships with the certainty of completion – and furthermore, we would wish these young people to continue to live and work in this area.”

Councillor Helen Kay said she was sceptical as to how many of the new employees would actually be sourced from the local area.

Councillor Matt Martin broadly welcomed the plans, but warned any increase in HGV traffic would affect the entire district, not just the settlements nearest the factory site.