One of the Boston area’s largest food manufacturers, Bakkavor Meals, has lodged a major planning application with Boston Borough Council seeking permission to significantly extend its Laburnum Farm site in Old Leake.
The proposals include a 1,998m² extension to the main production building, creating new cooking facilities, chilled high-care work-in-progress storage, and an improved goods-in area, alongside a 97m² extension to the existing effluent treatment building.
Bakkavor Meals Boston, part of the UK’s leading fresh prepared food group, has operated from the Old Leake site for many years, specialising in producing ready meals for Marks & Spencer, including its well-known Italian range. The company says the expansion is the next phase of the site’s development and is essential to meet growing customer demand.
The planned extension would replace ageing temporary Dawson chilled storage units that are now well beyond their serviceable life. By consolidating operations under one roof, Bakkavor aims to streamline its production flow, improve food safety, and increase overall efficiency.
The new layout will link the extension directly to the existing cookhouse, add upgraded washroom facilities, and enhance goods-in storage to support the increased cooking capacity. The design also allows for improved segregation of low-risk and high-care areas, an important factor in maintaining hygiene standards in food production.
The site, located around nine miles from Boston and 15 miles from Skegness, is surrounded by agricultural land but has long been used for industrial-scale food production. The development footprint falls entirely on previously developed land — including existing buildings, yard space, and staff parking — so no loss of greenfield land or landscaping of ecological value is anticipated.
A revised staff parking layout and a small extension to the car park are planned to offset spaces lost to the building works. Bakkavor says there will be no increase in staff numbers or heavy goods vehicle traffic as a result of the project.
The extension will match the existing factory in height, style, and materials, using steel portal frame construction and dark green insulated cladding panels to blend in with the rural industrial setting. One small section of the rear extension will have a slightly higher roofline (11.7m) to accommodate taller storage requirements, but this will be screened from view by existing buildings.
This is not the first time expansion has been on the table. In 2017, Boston Borough Council approved a larger 4,775m² extension for storage and office space, but the scheme was never built. The company says the need for growth has remained for the past eight years, but operational priorities have shifted from storage to increased cooking and production capacity.
Pre-application discussions with the council earlier this year were reported to be “largely supportive” of the new proposals, with the full application now accompanied by a flood risk assessment, transport statement, drainage strategy, noise assessment, and biodiversity considerations.
If approved, the extension will help secure the site’s role as a major employer in the area and strengthen Bakkavor’s position as a key supplier to Marks & Spencer.
Boston Borough Council will now review the plans before making a decision.
