A BID to “modernise” Dunbar Cement Plant has been given the green light by East Lothian Council.

Tarmac Cement and Lime Limited asked the local authority’s planning department to consider various proposals which would form part of “a continued drive to improve efficiency and sustainability” at the business, to the east of the town.

Dunbar Cement Plant, which employs more than 140 people and contributes £8 million to the local economy each year, has now been given the go-ahead to create a cement mill grinding station, storage silo and various other facilities.

According to the planning officer’s report: “In a supporting statement submitted with the application it is stated that the proposal is part of Tarmac’s long-term internal upgrade and modernisation programme at Dunbar cement works.

“It asserts that the cement mill is necessary to produce new grades of cement required for modern construction and the cement market.

“The proposed mill will replace two existing mills on the site and will be more energy-efficient and quieter than those existing mills.

“The supporting statement also asserts that the cement works benefits from rail sidings on both the south and north side of the East Coast Mainline.

“Trains run under a load out structure that feeds cement into rail tankers.

“At present, trains are fed only on the south side using adjacent silos where train capacity is already fully used.

“Additional products must therefore be exported by road.

“Until the late 1980s, the northern siding was also fed by a large silo that was dismantled. It is now proposed to reinstate a modern silo on this side to increase rail capacity.”

Oliver Curtin, Dunbar Cement Plant manager, was pleased that permission had been granted, with further permissions to be secured before work gets under way, with staff levels to remain the same.

He said: “We’re pleased that East Lothian Council has approved our application to upgrade the facilities at Dunbar.

“The plans will allow us to bring the latest technology to our operations, build on our offer to customers and maximise use of the rail network for transportation across Scotland and England.

“We will now work with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to secure appropriate operating permits.

“Once the necessary environmental permissions are in place, we will create a detailed plan for construction and operational timescales.”