Plans have been approved which will see a new loom building at Ulster Carpets in Portadown.
ABC planning officers have approved the plans for a major extension to an existing warehouse at the premises on the Garvaghy Road to provide a loom building.
The planning report explains that the extension and additional looms will not generate any additional noise and traffic at the busy industrial site: “The building has a footprint of 2,780 square metres, 13.6 metres in height, 42.9 metres wide and 63.6 metres in length.
“A Noise Impact Assessment (NIA) was submitted in support of the application. The NIA highlights that the existing warp mill building has one beaming machine and will have four looms installed.
“The new building will have four looms only, no beaming machine. The future machines would be the same as the existing machines.
“Ulster Carpets currently operates on a shift pattern from 07:00 – 15:00, 15:00 – 23:00, and 23:00 -07:00, six days a week.
“They will operate in a similar way to the existing warp mill building and consist of similar equipment, albeit modernised.
“It is expected the new modernised equipment will result in quieter operating noise levels.
“Existing noise levels from the existing warp mill building were used to predict worst-case future operating noise levels at the nearest residential receptors.
The new loom building (in green) will be a significant extension within the Ulster Carpets industrial complex. Credit: ABC planning portal
“The NIA predicted operating noise levels from the proposed loom building will not have an adverse impact at the nearest residential receptors.
“The complete building envelope will achieve a minimum sound reduction of 25dB. This will ensure that the proposed development will not adversely impact on the existing residential amenity of occupants.
“The proposal currently generates 242 car trips per day over a three-shift pattern. This proposal offers the same level of parking as the current site.
“DfI Roads have highlighted that this proposal does not appear to have any negative effect upon the circulation space of the site, and would not lead to intensification in use of the site that could justify further site or access improvements.
“With only four additional vehicles and staff, there would appear to be adequate facilities for parking, servicing, and circulating within the site.”
