Plans have been submitted to Stroud District Council for a 52,000sq ft expansion to the Stonehouse headquarters of Sartorius Stedim Lab Ltd.

The specialist in biopharma, laboratory, applied and life sciences is looking to double the size of its facility at Stonehouse Business Park and says the development will allow it to expand its workforce from 100 to 250 employees.

The 4,881sq m proposed development is an extension to the existing premises and plans include a further 88 car parking and associated landscaping.

A vacant one-hectare parcel of undeveloped land next to the existing Sartorius HQ and opposite the newly opened Costa Coffee drive-thru will become the site of the expansion.

The new facility will provide further manufacturing and warehousing space for the business.

The applications design and access statement prepared by Gloucester-based architects Roberts Limbrick adds: "The completed headquarters building for Sartorius Stedim Lab Ltd has proven to be very successful in increasing output for the company.

"The brief for this application is to design an extension to the existing building to provide additional facilities to cater to the ongoing sales growth, in particularly facilitating the manufacturing of new products.

"The next phases of Sartorius Stedim expansion should see employee numbers rise to approximately 250 people."

Plans specify that the proposed extension to the facility is designed to be co-ordinated with the existing building in design, and access will be provided from the existing HQ entrance.