The Real Petfood Company – which manufactures premium pet food snacks at its site on Kinmel Park in Bodelwyddan – has confirmed it is committed to spending more than £300,000 on a permanent solution to the issue of the baking aromas which have brought complaints from some local residents. 

The solution will involve the building of two new chimneys through which the odours will be expelled at a suitable height and speed.

Before moving to Kinmel Park, the firm was based in Flint, where in nine years carrying out the same production process, the firm received no complaints about unpleasant odours.

Graham Wheeler, the company’s founder and managing director, said: “It was unexpected to experience problems here as we never did in Flint - it may be due to the topography or particular weather conditions in this locality. 

"However, whatever the reason, we are determined to find a long-term solution as we take our responsibility to the local community very seriously and residents can be assured that we are fully focussed on meeting this challenge.”

When the issue first became apparent, the firm quickly appointed ADAS UK, a recognised air quality specialist, to carry out extensive tests and recommend actions to deal with the odours.  

The company has already taken steps such as converting the cowls on the roof extractors to speed up the dispersal of any odours into the atmosphere and also fully enclosing the baking area to minimise the leakage of any odours into the general factory in the first place.

A planning application for the chimneys, accompanied by a comprehensive assessment of the visual impact, has now been submitted to Denbighshire County Council.  Measures to mitigate the visual impact – such as additional tree planting – have also been included.

More than 30 local residents attended an open day in December for a tour of the factory and to hear about plans to tackle the aroma issue.  A new letter, being sent to local residents and businesses, also invites anyone who wants to study the planning application and associated reports to come and view them at the factory.

The Real Petfood Company – which is a subsidiary of Inspired Pet Nutrition - started production at its Bodelwyddan site about a year ago manufacturing premium pet food snacks and treats under the Wagg and Harringtons brands as well as a wide range of own label products. 

It now has a workforce of 70 having created 40 new jobs in the past year alone with sales growing by some 20%. The objective is for 100 employees within the next three years.