Newlay Asphalt: Paving the way to a more sustainable future

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The most technically advanced Asphalt Plant in Yorkshire is set to open in Brandesburton next month thanks to an £8million investment from independent asphalt supplier Newlay Asphalt Ltd.

The modern, fully automated plant situated at Catfoss Industrial Estate will be officially opened by Bridlington and the Wolds MP Charlie Dewhirst on Friday 4th April, with production commencing on 7th April.

There will be an opportunity for members of the public and potential customers to tour the facilities at two open days taking place on Friday 4th April 12pm to 3pm and Saturday 5th April 10am to 1pm.

The plant will supply local authorities, house builders and private customers with locally produced asphalt for road surfacing and reconstruction works.

Asphalt is produced by drying aggregates and coating them with bitumen – an organic matter which produces a hard, waterproof material, primarily used in the construction of pavements and roads.

The products are all certified by the UK approved body BSI and produced to British Standards.

Once fully operational, the plant will have a fleet of 12 delivery wagons creating job opportunities for the local community.

Newlay Asphalt is hosting two open days on Friday 4th April from 12-3pm and Saturday 5th April from 10am-1pm.

All are welcome to go along to find out more about how the plant will operate. There will be a guided tour and explanation of the process which goes into producing the Asphalt materials that we drive on every day.

MP Charlie Dewhirst will officially open the new plant on the Friday afternoon.

“We welcome everyone along to our open days,” said Jamie Brown, Newlay Asphalt’s operations director.

“This will be an opportunity for local people to come along and we will answer any questions they may have and explain the process.

“Potential customers, including local councils and house builders, will also be invited along to discuss business going forward.

“We are open and transparent in our operations and are happy to show anyone around at any time to explain what we do.

“We are all local to this area and want to invest in the community because it is our local community too.

“We are very excited about this new facility and a lot of work has gone into getting it to this stage. This will be the newest and most technically advanced plant in Yorkshire and is a project we are very proud of.”

Following feedback from local residents during the planning process, Newlay Asphalt has given careful consideration to minimising the impact of the site on its neighbours.

The overall height of the plant was reduced by five metres and landscaping work is taking place to reduce its visual impact and improve the site’s ecology.

A state-of-the-art filtration system is in place to ensure that any by-product gases are taken back into the plant and filtered before being released, and the main plant has been cladded to further reduce noise levels from the site.

Newlay Asphalt Ltd was established in 2014 with the launch of its first production facility at Dewsbury in West Yorkshire.

As an independent supplier, Newlay Asphalt offers greater flexibility and enhanced customer service.

Since opening, the business has gone from strength to strength, resulting in the investment in a bigger production facility at their original site in Dewsbury in 2022.

With strong links to the area and positive relationships with East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the company felt the need to secure a new site within the East Riding, which would reduce the distance travelled bringing asphalt into the area.

The site at Catfoss Industrial Estate was identified and planning permission was granted in April 2024.

“The siting of the development in this location provides environmental and economic benefits by reducing the number of road miles needed to transport our product into the East Riding,” said Jamie Brown, Newlay Asphalt’s operations director.

“This reduces construction, delivery and production costs for our customers and contributes towards our sustainability objectives.

“This plant provides a massive opportunity for ourselves and our customers, including East Riding of Yorkshire Council, to reduce their and our carbon footprints.

“Reducing its impact on the local environment is a key objective of Newlay Asphalt and as such it is using LPG as the main fuel source rather than traditional fuel oils.”

Danny Sykes, Newlay Asphalt’s business development manager, said: “This provides tangible environmental benefits and is the equivalent to removing 280 diesel cars from the roads, each travelling 5,000 miles each year, totalling 1.39 million miles, nearly 3 times to the moon and back.

“Making the decision to move to LPG (over traditional fuel oils) as the main fuel source for the plant means we can run quieter, cleaner and more efficiently.”

“The increased efficiency of LPG also means we’re further reducing our road miles, as fewer deliveries will be required.

“The system we have opted to install is also hydrogen-ready, positioning us for a future transition as hydrogen becomes more widely available in the UK.”

He added that the site’s air-cleaning system will see the equivalent of 93 Olympic-size swimming pools of air an hour going through an additional filtration system before being released back into the atmosphere.

The company has recently rebranded to reflect its environmental objectives of achieving a full circle economy with a commitment to use recycled materials.

Jamie said: “During the construction of the site we have recycled a lot of the material that was existing at the site and 90 per cent of the material that has been brought in has been recycled.

“We are also investing in new eco-products including a carbon zero asphalt product.

“We have spoken to East Riding of Yorkshire Council about this, and they are very positive as it will help the council to reach its sustainability targets and is the future of the industry moving forwards.”

He added the company also produces a warm mix asphalt which reduces the temperature of the finished product by 30C, reducing the fuel use by 25 per cent and allowing the road surfaces to come back into use more quickly.

The Brandesburton site will also be investing in solar power in the future and installing electric charging points with all future company vehicles being electric.

Investing in the local community is a key priority for the company which is committed to being a good neighbour and having a positive impact on the local community.

All new members of staff have been hired from the local area and construction work has been undertaken by local companies.

“Once we are fully up and running, we will have almost 20 staff on site and we have had a good local response to our job adverts and it is great to see how many people from the area want to be a part of this development,” said Jamie.

“We are registered with the Living Wage Foundation and guarantee to pay above the real minimum wage and are committed to investing in our staff and promote from within the company by training.

“We have also used all local contractors to get the site up and running, which is what we said we were going to do.

“We are creating jobs in the local area and are keen to invest in the local community.

“In Dewsbury, we sponsor an U9 girls’ football team and an U7s rugby league team and support a local special educational needs school.

“We have already spoken to Brandesburton Football Club about their plans for their new clubhouse, which we hope to support.

“We are keen to support a local project each year and hope to make a real difference.”