Halal abattoir applies to take over Tipton's Tulip meat factory
A meat processing factory which closed with the loss of 650 jobs could reopen if planning bosses allow a Halal abattoir to be built on the site.
Council bosses are being urged to make a quick decision to ensure the deal for the former Tulip Foods factory in Tipton can go ahead.
Pak Mecca Limited is negotiating with the factory’s owners, Pilgrim’s Pride, to buy the land and existing buildings on George Henry Road to open an abattoir to supply meat products in a move it says will create 200 jobs.
In addition to the slaughterhouse the company is also seeking permission for a lairage – an area where animals rest before being killed.
But lawyers for Pak Mecca have warned the scheme could fall through if it is delayed.
Writing to the council on behalf of their client, Shakespeare Martineau solicitors asked planning bosses to make a speedy decision.
They said: “As the applicant and Pilgrim are both under severe time constraints to get the land transaction completed, and given the importance of the transaction to the local economy (our client’s business will generate over 200 jobs on the site), we hope that the council will be able to determine this application promptly.”
Claiming the application is covered by existing planning regulations, they said Sandwell Council does not need to go through a lengthy consultation process, adding: “Given the nature of the application and the evidence submitted in support, we hope that an early decision on the application can be made.”
The factory hit the headlines last year when 10 workers tested positive for Covid-19 and the company voluntarily suspended pork exports to Europe.
Shortly afterwards it announced the closure of the plant following negotiations with unions which began before the pandemic crisis.
