Somerset ice cream firm relocation to create 56 jobs

One Somerset Council member said the 'good location' would lead to the creation of jobs

A Somerset ice cream company is set to relocate to a new home after plans were approved by Somerset Council.

Styles Ice Cream will move from Styles Farm, near Minehead, to the Wibble Farm Nurseries site on the A39. The company has bought the site in its entirety.

The move looks set to create up to 56, mostly part-time, jobs at the former nursery.

Somerset Council member Rosemary Woods said the "good location" would provide extra employment for the area.

Styles Ice Cream has bought the site in its entirety

Since 1988, Styles Ice Cream has operated from its current base at Styles Farm in the village of Rodhuish, near Minehead.

The company will move to the new site in order to expand its operation, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

As Somerset Council has approved plans, which were put forward in early January, the relocation could begin in a matter of weeks.

Under the agreed plans, renewable energy will be generated on site through solar panels, with new office space being created alongside storage and processing facilities.

The plans were backed by both Williton and West Quantoxhead's parish councils and approved through the delegated powers of the council's planning officers.

A spokesman for the council's economic development team said the Wibble Farm site has had a history of commercial and business use.

"This application safeguards a significant number of jobs in an area of the county where employment opportunities are generally more limited," the spokesman said.

"The proposed solar panel installation will reduce the reliance on external sources of energy, thereby increasing the long-term viability of the business."