A LONG-RUNNING Clevedon timber merchant is set to expand – creating more jobs in the town.

The owner of Staddons plans to relocate the business from its current Parnell Road site to a larger facility at Tweed Road Industrial Estate.

The proposals have already created two extra jobs and following the move another five full-time positions will be created.

W M Staddon & Son was set up in Clevedon in 1921 by William Staddon, has remained in the family ever since and is now owned by his great-grandson, Ian Staddon.

It has been based in Parnell Road since the 1940s but has now outgrown the site.

The new facility at Tweed Road will see the business move into three industrial units, covering 12,000 sq ft, allowing it to expand and also incorporate a builders’ merchants with self-service warehouse.

An application to change the use of the Tweed Road units has been submitted to North Somerset Council and, if approved, it is hoped the new facility can open in June.

Ian Staddon said: “The self-service warehouse will allow them to grab a trolley, get what they want and simply take it to the till.

“The day of the independent is returning.”

In a bid to be more eco-friendly at the new site, all waste wood shavings will be made into logs for use on barbecues and fires. Proposals to install 8,000 sqft of solar panels on the roof are also in the pipeline.

At the Parnell Road site, plans were put together to develop the land for 11 dwellings - four flats and seven houses. However, following concerns about the overdevelopment of the site, the application has been withdrawn.

Mr Staddon still hopes to develop the site and new proposals, including no more than nine dwellings, will be drawn up.