Lucozade Ribena factory expansion plans set for approval
More multi-million pound investment plans by one of the Forest of Dean's biggest employers look set to be given approval to go ahead.
Plans to expand and boost the efficiency of the Lucozade and Ribena factory in the Forest of Dean look set for approval.
Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ltd wants permission from district planners to extend a warehouse at the Royal Forest Factory in Rock Lane, Coleford.
The factory was built in 1946 by H W Carter to produce Ribena as demand grew for the brand after it was first created in 1938.
Ribena became stablemates with Lucozade in 1957 through acquisitions and mergers and the site now spans 53 acres and employs more than 300 people.
It produces around one billion bottles each year and plans a £25m upgrade to install a high-speed line boosting capacity to 55,000 bottles per hour in 2027.
And Forest of Dean district councillors are due to consider tomorrow a scheme for a ten-bay warehouse extension which will facilitate the upgrade.
The proposed building will have a steel portal frame with light grey vertical metal cladding to the elevations and roof. It will have an eaves height of eight metres and a ridge height of 9.5m and will cover 3,078 sqm.
Consultants, working on behalf of the applicant, said in the planning application that Suntory is a successful Gloucestershire business and “one of the largest single employers” in the Forest of Dean.
“The owners continue to invest heavily in the site with the latest round of capital spend on infrastructure likely to exceed ten million,” they said.
“The proposal for a new warehouse allows the business to introduce a new production line, replacing two older lines in need of improvement.
“This will improve the efficiency of the factory and unlock future sustainability projects.”
The proposals have the backing of Coleford Town Council who say the “benefits of the development are considered to be significant”.
Gloucestershire Highways have no objections to the proposals as long as the scheme does not increase traffic, change the access arrangements or introduce any new road safety concerns.
A district council planning officer described the company as a “key employer” for the local area in their report and said that the scheme will “further facilitate the economic prosperity and support the existing business at the Royal Forest Factory site”.
“The proposal has been found to not result in unacceptable impacts on the character and appearance of the local area,” they say go on to say in the report.
The development management committee is recommended to grant delegated permission.
Councillors will consider the proposals at the meeting in Coleford on July 14, 2026.
By Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter for Gloucestershire. carmelo.garcia@reachplc.com
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