Crisps factory destroyed in fire to be rebuilt

Firefighters worked through the night when the fire broke out in May 2020

A crisp factory destroyed by a fire in 2020 will be rebuilt after plans were approved by councillors.

Ross Taylor, who owns the Corkers Crisps site in Pymoor, near Ely, said it was a "tragic day" when he lost the family business five years ago.

Redeveloping the factory would reinstate 120 jobs, a meeting of East Cambridgeshire District Council's planning committee was told.

Conservative councillor Lucius Vellacott said the restoration would create a "huge employment benefit" for the area.

The gourmet crisp business once turned over £10m a year at the family's potato farm.

Mr Taylor founded it in 2010 and previously told the BBC it "went up in minutes" when the blaze broke out in May 2020.

Mr Taylor said he was "so proud" of the business

Speaking at the planning meeting on Wednesday, Mr Taylor said: "We supported a lot of jobs over the years and brought a lot of young people into jobs and trained them.

"It has been a big journey for us as a family to lose our family farm.

"We were so proud of this business, it was such a big loss to the area."

One person raised concerns at the meeting about emissions from the factory when it reopens.

However, Mr Taylor said only condensation was emitted previously and this would be managed by a steam turbine.

He insisted the factory "basically won't emit any fumes at all".

Extra parking spaces have been included in the approved plan

Alan Sharp, a Conservative councillor, praised Mr Taylor for his resilience in light of what was a "very sad situation".

He questioned why an increase of car parking spaces was included in the plan, but was told this was to allow for "a better designed layout".

Councillors unanimously approved the plans when it was put to a vote.