A well-known County Armagh company which has been supplying farm machinery for generations is hoping to demolish its current premises in favour of a new state-of-the-art base.
Burke’s of Cornacriebe Ltd, which is a recognised New Holland dealership, must act or facing losing its contract as its existing home has been viewed as no longer fit for purpose.
Proposals for the new two-storey development have now been lodged with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.
And New Holland has also written a letter in support of the proposals, with Burkes trading on their site at Markethill Road, Portadown, since 1910.
The plans detail the “demolition of existing and replacement of existing agricultural equipment premises”. This would include an increase to the site, new steel framed and insulated cladding – with workshop showroom, stores and offices – as well as a new external office and ancillary storage buildings.
Siteworks, security fence, together with a new site entrance, external lighting and landscape, with planting, also feature in the proposals.
The ambitious scheme is required to fulfil contractual obligations.
A supporting statement explains the company’s proud history and why it must now proceed with a development capable of accommodating needs going forward.
It states: “Burkes of Cornascriebe is currently a fully franchised New Holland Dealership, offering agricultural machinery, tractors and spare parts. Specialising in the sale of new and used New Holland tractors, light industrial plant and equipment, while also servicing agricultural machinery.
“In conjunction with the agricultural machinery, the business supplies essential items to the broader rural community, such as animal feeds, tools, workwear, and other related items.
“Burkes was established in 1910 by William Henry Burke, who built the business as a general merchant. His son Billy Burke entered the company in 1946. In 1959 he started to trade in second hand tractors. In 1963, he was appointed Fordson retail dealer to Irish Road Motors. By 1965, he had become the main dealer for the area for all new Ford range.
“The business has continued to prosper and is now a fully franchised New Holland Industrial Dealership along with agricultural, machinery, compact lines and spare parts. The business now trades as Burkes of Cornascriebe (2014) Ltd with the support of the family and is preparing for the next generation of service.
“The proposed scheme is critical to maintain the dealership’s operational viability and contractual standing. Currently, the business is operating at maximum capacity and faces a significant risk of losing its franchise agreement with New Holland due to a failure to meet mandatory dealer standards during recent audits.
“The facility currently lacks the necessary infrastructure to comply with brand requirements, specifically regarding the provision of adequate training, meeting and staff welfare facilities.
“Furthermore, the dealership is failing to meet the required technician headcount threshold, an issue that cannot be rectified within the current buildings due to the severe space constraints in the workshop and support areas.
“Official correspondence from New Holland’s corporate headquarters confirms that the current facility is no longer fit for purpose as a modern agricultural depot when compared to the other existing sites in their network.
“New Holland Agriculture is one of the largest worldwide manufacturers of agricultural machinery with a dealer network in the UK of privately owned businesses containing over 100+ depots in sites around the UK, exclusively in rural locations, serving the local farming communities.
“The primary customers for the existing and proposed development at Burkes at Cornascriebe are rural dwellers, in particular the farming community. The premises is both a hub and essential supplies premises for the farming community.”
To ensure it can keep its contract, Burkes now hope to construct a ‘replacement development’ which would offer floorspace of in excess of 35,000 sq ft.
It is intended to demolish the existing and build a two-storey outlet which would operate as a new tractor showroom and workshop.
The ground floor of the new main building will contain a number of storage areas, a large showroom and retail/display area, offices, a service changing area and workshop space. The first-floor level will comprise a large storeroom, offices, a boardroom, two staff kitchen spaces and a seated waiting area.
Also included is an additional ancillary storage shed, external office building, and new vehicle parking area, comprising of 36 parking spaces for customers and staff, as well as New Holland vehicle display areas.
There will be one access point from the Markethill Road.
According to the supporting statement: “The proposed development seeks to consolidate all business operations into a single, purpose-built one site facility offering a substantial improvement over the existing fragmented arrangement, which is currently spread across three neighbouring sites.”
The company currently boasts floorspace and ‘ancillary spaces’ of close to 18,000 sq ft and the demolition will be phased “to keep the business operational” during construction.
The proposal consists of an increase in site area, but “it is not considered a major increase”.
Burkes of Cornascriebe’s business interests currently includes three separate parcels of land, but all will be consolidated on just one after the redevelopment takes place.
As the supporting statement explains: “The proposed development seeks to consolidate all business operations into a single, purpose-built facility offering a substantial improvement over the existing fragmented arrangement, which as stated previously is currently spread across three sites, physically separated by the road network.
“The current proposal is designed to provide adequate on-site capacity for all services, customer parking, vehicle display and vehicle movements thereby eliminating the need for off -site parking, and staff and vehicle movements across various sites.
“In its current format the enterprise almost ‘takes over’ the junction of the Markethill Road and Cornascriebe Road; the proposal is therefore considered betterment for the company operationally and for the public in terms of public safety and visual amenity.”
Such changes would be the end of an era for an instantly recognisable family enterprise.
But the statement adds: “Reflecting the history of the site it is proposed to construct a small external sales office to the front of the site, a nod to the past, designed to reflect the history of the first building on site. The existing buildings to be replaced do not, however, contain any historic or architectural interest.”
The operating hours of the new showroom and workshop building are expected to be 9am to 5.30pm, from Monday to Friday, and 9am to 12:30pm on Saturdays.
The plans are considered to bring about a “betterment to surrounding land uses, through the amalgamation of the existing sites into one improved site, and the introduction of operating hours which can be conditioned”.
As the statement concludes: “The proposed design has been influenced by the specific operational needs of the applicants and the standards set by the New Holland dealership.
“As a long-standing local enterprise, Burkes of Cornascriebe plays a vital role in the agricultural sector, a cornerstone of the Northern Ireland economy, and provides essential employment opportunities.”
The application will now be advertised shortly.
