PLANS to build a warehouse at an expanding recycling business has been rejected as ‘inappropriate development within the green belt’.

Despite the setback, the boss says Toughsheet Building Products on Manchester Road, Westhoughton, says he still has exciting plans to grow and employ more people.

Planners at Bolton Council turned down the plans for a 102 metre by 16 metre storage warehouse at the Chequerbent Works.

The proposed scheme would allow deliveries of waste plastics to the site which would be sorted and shredded into smaller pieces.

A machine then melts and filters the plastic into small plastic pellets which are then used to make completely recycled plastic material.

A decision notice from the council turning down the plans said: “The proposed development would harm the openness and purposes of the green belt.”

Toughsheet currently employ 75 full-time staff and hoped to expand the business with the new warehouse.

The extension said it would give the company the opportunity to employ 10 new full-time workers.

Managing director Doug Mercer said the company already have permission to conduct the work on site and the warehouse would have been an opportunity to ‘make the site neater’.

He said: “It’s very disappointing to have it turned down.

“It would give the opportunity to store materials and do our work undercover and make the site look better but now the work will have to carry on as we are now.

“We’ve now invested in £5m of energy efficient machinery for this.

“We are now the largest polythene recycler in Europe. By the end of the year we hope to have over 100 employees, if this growth keeps going.

“Of the 75 we currently employ, 50 live in Westhoughton and I’m very proud of that figure.”

Mr Mercer earlier said that the UK leaving the EU had made it more competitive for companies to do business with Toughsheet.

He added that changes the government is making to the ban of some plastic exports to Asia was also helping the company.

He said: “This has been a great year for us so far so it’s time for us to put our money where our mouth is and invest in the company, expand our site, and bring in more jobs as a result.”

Two objections were lodged against the warehouse plans saying it “would add to the existing disturbance and nuisance already caused to local residents by the existing industrial units and the ‘building and lights scheme could impact on residential amenity”.

Westhoughton Town Council supported the application.