Leicestershire-based brick manufacturer Ibstock Brick, is to play a part in the construction of 15,000 new homes. The company invested in a new £55m factory to double its production.
Ibstock Brick currently produces more than 850 million bricks a year at 20 factories across the UK.
The firm says the new brickworks, which it claims is the most sustainable and efficient of its kind, is part of its commitment to support the government’s ambition to deliver 1.5million homes by 2020.
The new factory, which has been named Eclipse, will more than double brick production at the company’s Leicestershire headquarters to 190 million soft mud bricks a year.
The new factory alone will provide sufficient volume to build 10,000 to 15,000 additional new homes each year.
Opening the factory, The Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Communities, said: “This government is determined to build a housing market fit for the future, and Ibstock Brick’s new factory will play an important role in the construction supply chain, supporting housebuilding across the country.
“Producing around 100 million more bricks a year, the site will not only support the local economy and provide local jobs but will also help us to build the next generation of homes our country needs.”
Andrew Bridgen, MP for North West Leicestershire, said: “Ibstock Brick’s new Eclipse factory is a significant investment in our local economy. It sends a signal across the East Midlands, and indeed the rest of the UK, that Leicestershire is leading the way in British manufacturing excellence.
“This factory is a beacon of sustainability best practice; both in terms of its low impacts on the environment and its connection and engagement with the local community. I am delighted to be a part of today’s proceedings and very proud that the Eclipse factory will bring continued growth to my constituency.”
