Ninety jobs will be created now Toyota’s South Derbyshire car factory has been given the go-ahead to extend its dispatch yard.
The firm’s Burnaston site will also be able to store an extra 3,500 new vehicles after approval was given by South Derbyshire District Council following a planning committee meeting.
The move will allow Toyota, which makes the Auris and Avensis models at its Burnaston site, to replace an existing arrangement where the vehicles are stored off site.
The current dispatch yard employs 65 full-time staff and 25 part-time roles. But now, following the approval of the extension, this will rise to 120 full-time and 60 part-time jobs.
The majority of cars produced at the Burnaston factory are exported and the new dispatch yard extension, sited next to the plant's solar farm, will store newly made cars before they are exported to dealerships across Europe.
The yard, which will cover around 15 acres, is to be built on countryside which is already owned by the motor giant, which has been making cars at Burnaston since 1992.
The development will result in the loss of some trees and hedges but Toyota said that it will be planting several more as part of the project.
The firm has said that the development will increase the number of car transporter movements per week by around 40 to 60. Currently, there is an average of between 70 to 100 transporters per week.
But a planning department report, which was submitted ahead of the meeting of the district council’s planning committee, recommended that the scheme be approved because of its economic benefits.
It said: “One of the most important considerations in regards to the proposals is the economic benefits that arise from the development.
“Toyota is a successful company and has been producing cars at the Burnaston site for almost 25 years and is one of the largest employers in the area.
“The proposal would allow the significant expansion of this local business adjacent to their existing site and would assist in economic regeneration.”
