Mondelēz International (fomerly Kraft Foods/Cadbury) – Bournville

Considered to be a model factory at the turn of the twentieth century on account of its purpose-built housing and pleasant grounds, the Cadbury factory at Bournville has long been an important economic asset to the Birmingham area. Today, approximately 3,000 staff members work at the Cadbury headquarters (now Mondelēz International).

Turnberry was engaged by Cadbury to provide strategic development analysis and planning consultancy services related to improvements to the Bournville site. At the time, manufacturing activities were in sub-optimal buildings, with height restrictions, traffic-flow difficulties and storage problems impeding distribution. Turnberry was appointed specifically to define a Strategic Plan to provide context for future planning decisions, with a particular emphasis on the preservation of heritage buildings.

The Strategic Plan ultimately included several guiding principles to create the conditions for manufacturing to develop at the Bournville site, whilst preserving and rehabilitating the historic building ensemble. After advancing the Strategy, Turnberry obtained planning permission for the various manufacturing and heritage refurbishment projects, and also for a major new scheme for an office and administrative building, designed by Stanton Williams. The scheme was designed to have the least impact on the historic estate, preserving the majority of buildings and improving circulation through strategic demolitions. Turnberry obtained planning permission for the scheme in three months, including significant consultation with and presentations for Councillors, Officers and the local community.

More recently, Turnberry has returned to produce an update to the Strategic Plan, with this work taking account of the progress made since the turn of the decade, and with new capital projects defined for the coming years.

Turnberry act as retained planning consultants for Mondelēz International in respect of their Bournville Factory, providing planning advice on operational development across the site.