Kingsbridge Estates has appointed Amiri Construction to develop 11,000 square metres of manufacturing space at Chichester Food Park.

Above: CGI of the new factory

The £19m Drayton development will expand manufacturing facilities for Natures Way Foods (NWF), a supplier of ready-to-eat fruit and salad products.

Construction work has now started and completion is due by spring 2017.

The new facility, designed by MH Architects, will create a low-energy, sustainable chilled building with a focus on reduced impact on the environment. Finished with a curved solar PV roof and silver surface to ensure heat reflection, the building will also have an unusual roof drainage system to capture rainwater and run off to nearby pond systems. 

Amiri Construction previously worked with Kingsbridge Estates to extend Natures Way’s Runcton facility and build its Merston plant.

NWF chief executive Susan Barratt said: “With the build of Drayton we plan to create one of the most advanced fresh food manufacturing facilities in the UK by creating a new facility that is innovative, green and a brilliant place to work.”