Latest UK concrete planning news

The latest UK concrete planning news from BDS.

Capital Concrete was given the green light in January 2024 for the construction of a rail-served concrete batching plant at Langley, near Slough, Berkshire following a planning application submission in July 2023. 

Capital Concrete is a joint venture established in 2018 between Brett Group, Breedon Group and the management team. The company already operates 10 concrete batching plants in and around London.

The new development will replace an existing plant owned by Capital Concrete in Feltham, West London. The Feltham site currently receives its aggregates by road, making the new development more sustainable. The construction of a rail-served concrete batching plant will have a positive environmental impact through the reduction of CO2 emissions by 76% compared to road transport, as well as an economic benefit as a result of higher import levels of raw material.

The proposed development is an extension of Brett Group’s current operations in Langley which utilise the rail sidings to import material and then deliver it to local markets by lorry. 

In order to serve the proposed batching plant, Brett has estimated that 144,000 tonnes of sand and stone will be imported annually by rail, supplemented by road deliveries of 36,000 tonnes of cement and 5,740 tonnes/annum of specialist aggregates. To meet the demand for concrete in the area, Brett will produce around 72,000m³ based on a 50-week working year. 

This application was submitted alongside a parallel application from Brett Aggregates, part of Brett Group, for the construction of a rail-served aggregate bagging plant within the land of the former Langley Oil Terminal, adjacent to the approved concrete batching plant. The planning application was also granted permission in January 2024. This approach reflects the Group’s strategic vision for the area and allows Brett Group to lay the groundwork for future developments whilst maintaining flexibility for various scenarios, allowing Brett Group to adapt to market conditions and opportunities.    

Previously, in July 2022, permission had been granted to Brett Group for a volumetric ready-mixed concrete operation based at the site. However, the company indicated that if the subsequent applications for the concrete batching and aggregates bagging plants, detailed above, were approved, then the development of the volumetric proposal would be dropped.

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