A £50 million turnover cold storage and transport operator has finally won planning permission for a fourth massive cold store – paving the way to creating more than 100 new jobs.

Reed Boardall, which already employs 600 people to help deliver £10 million-worth of food to the nation per day – or £2 billion-worth a year – has been has been negotiating with Harrogate District planners for years.

Now, with the help of planning and urban design consultancy Turley Associates, the Boroughbridge firm has secured planning consent for a new 11,500 sq metre cold store off the A1 at Boroughbridge.

It will not only include storage space in conditions of between minus 20 degrees Centigrade to minus 24 Centigrade, but also offices, so that recruits are likely to range from admin to store manager and operatives to HGV drivers.

The development, which could take a year to be built, is likely to increase the firm’s cold storage capacity by 25 per cent.

Financial director Marcus Boardall said: “It has taken us a long time to achieve planning permission, but now that we have it, we need to look first at the financial implications.

“When we originally embarked on this, there wasn’t a recession – not that the economy has affected us to any great degree – but we need to look at whether we can hit the ground running by having it at least half full from the day we open.”

The actual cost of the development has not yet been assessed, but a cold store there which opened in 2008 cost £7 million.

Dave Trimingham, office director of Turley Associates in Manchester, said: “Two previous planning applications for new cold storage space had been turned down as the potential expansion land is in open countryside.”

A detailed consultation exercise took place with local residents who were actively opposed to the development, he said.

Keith Boardall, the group managing director, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with this decision.

“This next phase of our expansion will enable us to continue to meet the needs of our food processing and retail customers for efficient and sustainable cold storage, consolidation and distribution services. Once completed, the development will create more than 100 new jobs.”