The development at Bandeath Industrial Estate, on behalf of Ian Macleod Distillers (IMD), will house a suite of modern buildings. It is anticipated that 40 jobs will be created once the development is delivered.

The facility will provide additional capacity for the company’s operations across Scotland. Anchored in the industrial area of Stirling, it comprises nine whisky maturation warehouses, a blend centre with associated tank farm, and a well-equipped office building.

Covering 20.2 acres, the site is ideally located with good transport links to other IMD sites and has the benefit of being zoned for employment use in the Stirling Local Development Plan.

Casks from IMD’s distilleries will be filled and matured at the site, augmenting the company’s existing warehouse storage capacity. The distilleries are Rosebank in Falkirk, Glengoyne in Stirlingshire, and Tamdhu in Knockando on Speyside. In time, blended and single malt whisky will be transported by road tanker to IMD’s bottling facility in Broxburn. Once packaged, the products will be sold in the UK and exported to USA, Europe, and Far East, thereby benefiting the Scottish economy.

In addition to the creation of 40 jobs when the development is completed, it is anticipated that construction will employ 55 people. Where possible, local companies will be selected for the design and construction of the complex. The provision of apprenticeships by contractors will form part of the assessment of their suitability.

The site is close to the River Forth with its rich biodiversity, and the design of the buildings incorporates good levels of sustainability with high thermal efficiency, arranged to limit their environmental impact.

These principles are carried through into the construction phase in line with IMD’s own environmental and sustainability commitments. Temperature control in occupied buildings will be managed using electrically powered systems in line with IMD’s strategy of working towards net zero carbon emissions.

Commenting on the approval, Mike Younger, finance director for IMD, said: “This new development at Bandeath will provide additional capacity to support our operations across Scotland. Through broadening capacity in our spirit supply chain there will be a clear beneficial impact to this business and the local and national economy. We welcome the opportunity to provide employment opportunities during construction and when the project is finally built.

“As part of our broader commitment to addressing climate change and delivering net zero, the facility will be highly sustainable and have minimal environmental impact. We will respect the rich biodiversity of its location by the River Forth.

“We would like to thank the community for its support of our proposals and look forward to continuing to engage with them as the scheme progresses.”