Contained within the Brentwood local plan there are plans to transform large parts of the current West Horndon Industrial park into new homes. This will directly affect many small businesses and cause many potential job losses.
Pawle and Co Ltd is a family owned and operated business like many on the site. Pawle and Co was established back in 1992 and has gradually grown to the point we now employ 18 full time staff. The company specialises in sheet metal fabrication and production of related items including life saving defibrillator cabinets of which several thousand have now been produced and can be found around the UK. As a result of the type of machinery and processes used at the current factory it is not as easy and simple as just packing up and moving to a new site. Some of the challenges include moving large heavy specialist equipment and machines which would require a specialist moving company. A new site would also have to be found which was suitable both in terms of electrical connection for the machinery and suitable for the size and type of work we carry out. Many of the new sites around Essex do not allow for this type of manufacturing, nor do they have sufficient electrical supply, ventilation or lighting within the units. They seem to focus on logistics and light manufacture.
Pawle and Co has also built professional relationships with many other companies on the current industrial park and nearby. For example we work with some of the following businesses on the site; GK Engineering, Horndon Powder Coaters, SADS UK, RSC Engineering, Graphic International Design to name just a few. This supply chain would no doubt be severely affected with any move and further jeopardise other jobs on the site. A manufacturing business takes many years to grow and develop and with the current decline in UK wide manufacturing surely it should be sacrosanct to keep current jobs in the sector as well as in the local community.
Pawle and Co accept the current Country wide issue with lack of houses and the need to continue to build homes however there are many alternative options here, for example many of the fields around the borough (and adjacent to the industrial park) and also derelict sites where works for example to expand the m25 have finished. Surely it is better to explore those options rather than risk the future of many local jobs by impacting the current industrial park. Also many of the staff currently employed live locally and in the current economic climate would likely struggle to find new jobs not to mention the upset and stress this would cause to them and their families.
Taking into account all the factors above there are serious concerns that this thriving small business could not withstand a move without significant help in terms of finding a suitable local facility, assistance with moving costs and a grant to support finding new supply chains after the current ones are impacted by the removal of this thriving industrial park. Many of our customers would also see a several week period where no orders could be fulfilled whilst a move takes place. This would further cause financial hardship to the business. This is not just a case of potentially putting us out of business but from a company point of view 18 employees would lose their jobs affecting 18 families and this is just the tip of the iceberg as many business here are in the same position as us. So far there have been no written guarantees that any of the above requests for support both financial and finding a suitable alternative local site have been considered properly.