A SCHEME to extend an existing warehouse site on the outskirts of York could help to secure hundreds of local jobs, according to a document presented to council planners.

Rosti Automotive Stamford Bridge Ltd has submitted an application to City of York Council’s planning department to extend the warehouse space on the site at Stamford Bridge Road, Dunnington.

The Dunnington facility plays an important role in relation to Rosti Automotive’s production facility in Stamford Bridge, as it is used for storage and distribution linked to a major contract with Jaguar Land Rover.

The site has operated since the mid-1980s as a transport depot for various businesses in the York area, and since 2011 has had a single user, McKechnie Plastics, which was acquired by Rosti earlier this year.

The present buildings provide about 4,600 sq metres of warehouse space and the application would involve a single-storey extension, adding a further 1,430 sq metres of space.

A planning statement from consultants England Lyle Good on behalf of Rosti Automotive says the latter has won an extension to its contract with Jaguar Land Rover. This will mean an increase in production at its Stamford Bridge site, which in turn will take up space presently available for finished goods storage there.

The statement says: “As part of this contract Jaguar Land Rover need to be assured of appropriate secure and covered storage facilities to accommodate this growth - or else the contract will be withdrawn.”

But it also points out that the application site is in the green belt, which means it is necessary to show there are “very special circumstances” that outweigh any possible harm.

It says: “There is a clear need for, and notable economic benefits associated with, the continued effective use of this site as part of an established business and wider network of allied businesses in this area - and indeed nationally.”

This includes “securing 420 production and high-calibre staff at Stamford Bridge (as opposed to other production plants within the Rosti group)” and a £40 million production contract, which is expanding to £50 million, to supply Jaguar Land Rover.

In addition the statement says this would ensure return on £5 million plant and machinery investment at Stamford Bridge, retain on the long-term use and occupancy of the application site and continue its positive impact on ancillary businesses and the local economy.

It calls the proposed extension a “modest change” which would be secondary in scale and nature to the existing development, adding: “The site is not in an intrusive or unduly remote location within the heart of the green belt.

“The actual impact on the openness of the green belt and wider landscape is minimal given the extent of other development in this location.”

Earlier this year Rosti Automotive agreed to help subsidise the number ten evening bus service from Nether Poppleton to York city centre and Stamford Bridge because many of its workers in Stamford Bridge use the service to get to their shifts.