A pharmaceutical company has been given the green light for expansion plans so it can make life-saving climate-friendly inhalers and create another 150 jobs.

Bespak, at Holmes Chapel, specialises in inhaled and nasal drugs for conditions such as asthma.

On Wednesday (3 December) Cheshire East's southern planning committee unanimously approved an application for the company to expand its manufacturing lines on to a 1.98-hectare area of its site to the west of the existing manufacturing building and to the east of London Road.

Chris Hirst, CEO of Bespak told councillors: "We develop and produce life-saving respiratory medicines, including the pressurised metered dose inhaler, PMDI.

"These devices currently use high global warming potential propellants, and the regulated changes mean the industry must transition to low carbon propellants, and we, at Bespak, are leading that transition."

Mr Hirst said the UK is a global centre of excellence for PMDI technology, but only five per cent of the inhalers used in the UK are manufactured in the UK.

"This creates a vulnerability in our healthcare supply chain," he said.

"Our proposal addresses this by enabling production of up to 80 million more PMDI devices using low carbon propellants serving both UK and global markets.

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"So, the benefits are clear.

"There is significant local investment, we're producing significant new skilled jobs, and we're producing a stronger UK manufacturing base for these critical low carbon medicines."

The application proposes a new 7,091sqm two-storey extension to the existing building and will occupy an area on the building's south-western elevation which currently comprises a soil mound.

An external service yard and a covered storage area of 270sqm are also proposed.

Ward councillor Andrew Kolker (Con) welcomed the proposal and moved it be approved.

"This is an excellent employer, and to have an additional 150 good quality jobs within Cheshire East and within the Holmes Chapel area is very desirable," said Cllr Kolker.

"I like the architecture of the building… the glass frontage does look quite impressive.

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"I don't think you'll be able to see a lot of this from the road looking at the planting schemes.

"It won't be like a factory standing out in the landscape."

The move to approve the application was seconded by Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Con) and the vote was unanimous.