A subsidiary of the Co Tyrone industrial machinery specialist Euro Auctions has secured planning approval for a £20 million facility in Co Antrim, which is expected to create around 290 jobs.
Tamar Selby Ltd, which is owned by the Dromore businessman Derek Keys, has secured permission for a 240,000 sq ft storage and distribution warehouse at Nutts Corner.
The plans, green-lit by Antrim and Newtownabbey’s planning committee, centre on a site directly south of Lidl’s distribution hub on Dundrod Road.
It comes just over 18 months after the collapse of a £775m deal to sell Euro Auctions to Canada’s Ritchie Bros.
Billed as one of Northern Ireland’s biggest ever takeover deals, the Canadian group pulled out of the deal after the intervention of the UK’s Competition and Market Authority (CMA).
Euro Auctions has continued to expand its presence in Northern America, acquiring Canadian business Michener Allen Auctioneering in October.
The Co Tyrone company is also investing closer to home, and last month secured planning approval for a new warehouse and office building at its Dromore headquarters under its Tamar Selby subsidiary, which operates as the group’s property development arm.
The latest plan in Co Antrim will see 20,000 sq ft of offices and a 7,000 sq ft workshop building erected next to the 211,000 sq ft warehouse at Nutts Corner.
The facility will include 63 dock levellers, 62 lorry parking spaces and 129 car parking spaces.
Commenting on the project, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Mark Cooper said: “This major investment by Tamar Selby Group further bolsters Nutts Corner’s reputation as a hub for distribution excellence.”
Chairman of the planning committee, Cllr Robert Foster added: “The connectivity and central location at Nutts Corner make this the perfect location for Tamar Selby Ltd to set up business.”
