Supplier wins U-turn from East Ayrshire council

A Scottish food producer that supplies hotels and restaurants across the UK has scrapped plans to relocate after winning a battle against its local council.

East Ayrshire-based Braehead Foods, which supplies venison, game and cooked game to establishments including Gordon Ramsay's London restaurants, wanted to sell a 1.5-acre plot of land to fund expansion plans.

East Ayrshire council rejected the plan on the grounds that the land was located in a green belt area, effectively thwarting the company's move to a bigger plant at nearby Moorfield North Industrial Park in Kilmarnock.

Managing director Craig Stevenson felt the only way to continue the necessary expansion of Braehead Foods, which has a turnover of £4.75m, was to lay off 75% of his 54-strong workforce, abandon Scotland and relocate the business elsewhere, possibly to London.

But following coverage of East Ayrshire's decision and Braehead Foods' plans to relocate, the council appears to have changed its position.

"We have had another meeting with the council, and it has promised to support our expansion plans," Stevenson told Caterer. "While I am extremely pleased about this, I believe the council's U-turn is purely the result of the negative publicity the rejection has caused it."