BOSSES at Brunner Mond have revealed £10m expansion plans.

The Northwich-based soda ash manufacturer is to build a new facility at its Lostock site - using money unlocked by the approval in April of plans for the Winnington Urban Village.

The sodium bicarbonate manufacturing plant will have a capacity of 50,000 tonnes a year, and is due to open in two years. Some 14 jobs will be created, and bosses say it will improve the firm's long-term prospects.

The investment follows Vale Royal Borough Council's decision to grant outline planning permission for the regeneration of 140 hectares of disused land at Wallerscote into a 1,200-home village.

Managing director John Kerrigan said: 'One of the main reasons for seeking to develop the urban village was to generate much-needed funds for reinvestment in our future.

'This new plant will greatly improve our business and will bring an additional 14 jobs to our 450-strong Northwich workforce - a further commitment to the future of the company and to the local economy.'

The facility will allow Brunner Mond to meet growing demand for its range of environment-enhancing Briskarb flue gas treatment products, which neutralise the gases produced during combustion processes. It will also produce Alkakarb, used extensively in poultry and livestock feed.

The company has said that the urban village was an 'integral part' of its strategy to sustain Brunner Mond's business and the 2,000 jobs it supports, directly and indirectly, in the local economy. Mark Chitty, director of corporate affairs, said the windfall would make the business much more stable.

He said: 'We need to spend £6.5m a year just to sustain our assets, and so we needed to generate funds for any extra investment we make. The urban village has been critical in enabling us to develop the business.

'Our traditional product, soda ash, is a commodity chemical, so is affected by peaks and troughs in the market. Ten soda ash plants across Europe closed in the last 15 years. The weakest don't survive and our game plan is to make sure we are not one of them.

'The sodium bicarbonate prices are much more stable, and it is a massive growth area for us.'