Plans to redevelop a former bakery in Orpington once dubbed an “institution” are set to be approved.

Allied Bakery baked its last loaf of bread in 2015, having stood since 1938, when its parent company ABF Grain Products Ltd agreed its closure.

The huge site, heralded as a “local institution” by the town’s MP Jo Johnson, had about 170 people working there at the time.

Plans to demolish the bakery and rejig the still-operating distribution centre, are set to be approved by councillors next week.

Part of the former bakery would be bulldozed, with the distribution warehouse and workshop redeveloped and two new industrial units build at the site in Cray Avenue.

The proposal would keep the locally listed tower.

According to officers’ reports: “It is considered that the development would sit well within the industrial area with many of the existing buildings being of a similar scale and massing and, overall, would have an acceptable impact on the character and appearance of the area.”

The scheme has been put forward jointly by ABF Grain Products Limited and HE2 Enterprises.

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The companies said in a planning statement: “The scale, layout and design of the proposal will ensure the retention of the locally listed building tower and north wing, with a modern development that will complement this existing heritage asset as well as provide an enhanced employment offer in the area.”

Allied Bakeries produces popular brands such as Kingsmill and Sunblest. When it was fully operational, the bakery was the second largest employer in Orpington.