Margate business Speciality Breads has applied to create a 2.678 ha solar farm on agricultural land close to Manston Business Park to power a new £20m ‘bread campus.’
The business, which has been running for more than 30 years, currently operates from two sites at Westwood Industrial Estate and Enterprise Road.
But the bakery business has doubled in size over the past seven years and its two current bases do not have room for expansion.
Planning documents say: “Accordingly, Speciality Breads is looking to create a new headquarters, or ‘Bread Campus’ within Thanet, dedicated to evolving the bread baking business.
“The consolidation of two bakeries into one has clear business and sustainability benefits, and Speciality Breads is seeking a site that will help facilitate a new campus that will help the business grow to become the most sustainable bakery in the UK.
“Speciality Breads is an artisan bread company that has a passion for producing hand-crafted bread of the highest quality, forging the best elements of traditional baking skills and modern food trends. It was the sole supplier of bakery products to the Olympic Village in 2012.”
Speciality Breads is investing in the new state-of-the-art bakery at Manston which is set to open its doors by the end of this year.
The business says: “This move marks a significant step in our journey. Not only will it allow us to expand into the retail sector, but it will also enhance our already much-loved foodservice range—delivering even more variety and quality to our customers.
“The bakery will generate its own solar electricity and house the UK’s first electric/gas hybrid stone bake oven—an industry game-changer—along with a cutting-edge production line, both supplied by Royal Kaak. This technology gives us unrivalled flexibility, efficiency, and consistency in our baking processes while drastically reducing our environmental impact.
“Our partnership with Wildfarmed flour, which began last year, has already seen us become the first large bakery in the UK to use their regenerative flour across our entire range.
“Combined with our move towards plant-based ingredients and the launch of the new bakery, we believe we’re setting a new standard for sustainability in the baking world.”
Managing Director Simon Cannell said: ““The bespoke-built Royal Kaak production line enables us to retain our incredible flexibility and breadth of range, whilst providing a huge step change in both quality and efficiency.
“By making this move, we are future-proofing the business for the next 20 years and developing long-term partnerships with our key customers.”
The new unit is a redeveloped 2006 building which will have rooftop solar panels.
The solar farm, which will have a solar output of 2.7 Megawatts, will allow Speciality Breads to meet sustainability commitments on net zero carbon.
An Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey undertaken in June 2024, says the solar farm site is classified as Grade 2 (Very Good) and 3a (Good) at a 50:50 ratio.
The application says all existing hedgerows and trees would be retained and a new native hedgerow planted along the north, east and southern boundary, with a total of 15 new trees and an orchard in the northwest corner of the site.
New wildflower margins will feature beneath and in front of the new hedgerow, while under the solar panels will be seeded a new area of species-rich grassland.
Construction is anticipated to take five months and the plan is for the solar farm to remain in place for 40 years. The field it is earmarked for was leased to a local farm under the end of the 2024 season. In 2024, the land was planted with wheat before being harvested and left fallow.
The application adds: “After 40 years, the land would revert to the former (current) use for agriculture, this further emphasises the point that BLV is not compromised and the impacts have been mitigated.”
Currently, Speciality Breads bake around 50 tonnes of bread each week. The new production line will quadruple that and there’s room for three more lines as the business continues to grow. There are also plans to expand products on offer.
Why not put PV’s on the roofs?
I do not understand why these large factory style units, and massive car parks, cannot have SOLAR PANELS on BOTH ROOF and OVER the CAR PARKS. Why build on both Agricultural Land TWICE one for the Factory and two for the solar farm…. WHY?
It clearly states in the article ‘The new unit is a redeveloped 2006 building which will have rooftop solar panels.’
Please correct me if I’m wrong but I read this as Speciality Breads are going to move into Eden House, the old Cummins building down Columbus Avenue on the Manston Industrial Estate and put some solar panels on the roof, but also want to power it from some solar panels that they’re going to put on some ground over a mile away?
Ooooft, not long after Crusties allegedly shuttered their Manston factory. Hater for them. I know SB were/are their direct competitor locally.