MORE than 100 new jobs could be created in Loughton following a decision by a garden furniture manufacturing company to relocate from China.

Li-Lo Leisure Products Ltd, has applied for planning permission to build a factory in Langston Road, after the cost of producing and importing the furniture from China rocketed.

Company owner Richard Maskell, 69, explained: “We moved most of our operation to China 10 to 12 years ago, but in the last two or three years costs have become too high.

“Our head office has been in Loughton for seven years and we have decided to build a factory there.”

Mr Maskell says a decision on the site is due to be made by the Council in September.

And he’s optimistic permission will be granted, adding: “We own the land where we want to build the factory.

"We don’t create any pollution and we are going to create a lot of new jobs.

“I think the Council will want this to happen.

“We are initially looking to employ 100 plus people, and we really want to get things moving as fast as possible.

“If we receive permission I’d like to have the factory built by next summer.”

Mr Maskell started his business, Maskell Ltd, in 1963 and bought Li-Lo Leisure Products Ltd in 1980.

The company already employs around 100 people at warehouse and distribution centres in Scunthorpe and Wolverhampton.

Li-Lo sells its garden furniture to a host of blue chip clients including Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show there were 2,216 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Epping Forest as of May this year.

Figures for the same month show there were 261 vacancies in Epping Forest job centres, suggesting there were more than eight people chasing every available job.

The news was welcomed by Loughton's mayor Caroline Pond.

She said: "In principle I welcome them coming to Loughton and creating local jobs.

"Of course we will have to look at the application in greater detail."

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