We provided Strategic Communications and community engagement services for the development, working alongside the wider project team throughout the pre-application and planning process to clearly communicate the business need, economic contribution and wider benefits of the proposals.
The development represents an investment of approximately £10 million and is estimated to contribute £2.76 million in Gross Value Added each year. It will safeguard existing employment while creating approximately ten new jobs in warehousing, distribution and associated business services, alongside wider opportunities for skills development through initiatives including the Latham Timber Academy.
James Latham is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading importers and distributors of timber and timber-based products, operating a network of 12 distribution hubs. Its current Northern Ireland operation at Duncrue Street has been outgrown and no longer provides the storage capacity, operational efficiency or scope for expansion required to support the company’s longer-term growth.
The new Ballyearl facility will provide modern, fully enclosed storage, weather-protected loading and unloading facilities and increased stockholding capacity. Its location provides strong connections to the strategic road network, supporting efficient distribution to customers across Northern Ireland and improved resilience within the company’s supply chain.
The investment will also support an important part of Northern Ireland’s construction and manufacturing sectors. James Latham supplies builders’ merchants, joiners, furniture and kitchen manufacturers, fit-out companies, landscapers and contractors, with demand increasingly influenced by the growth of Modern Methods of Construction and timber-frame technology.
As part of our role, we developed and delivered a comprehensive pre-application engagement programme, including public information events, engagement with nearby properties and elected representatives, a dedicated consultation website, digital communications and a range of accessible feedback channels. This approach helped ensure stakeholders could understand the proposals and engage meaningfully with the project throughout the planning process.
John Davison, Director, Head of Strategic Communications, said:
“Planning approval for James Latham’s new facility is an important milestone for a significant investment in Antrim and Newtownabbey. The development will provide the space, connectivity and operational capacity needed to support the continued growth of an established business while delivering wider employment, skills and supply-chain benefits.
“It is particularly positive to see a major private-sector investment of this scale progressing in the Borough, strengthening an important part of Northern Ireland’s construction and manufacturing supply chain.”
Michael Jardine, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, commented:
“We are delighted to have supported James Latham and the wider project team in securing approval for this significant investment. From the outset, our engagement strategy focused on clearly articulating why the new facility is needed and the long-term economic, employment and supply-chain benefits it can deliver.
“Early and consistent engagement with local communities and stakeholders helped build understanding of the proposals and ensured that the project’s wider contribution to Antrim and Newtownabbey, and Northern Ireland more broadly, was clearly communicated throughout the planning process.”
25 September 2026
Images courtesy of Whittaker & Watt
