Dec 09, 2008. /Lesprom.com/. Forest Garden has made 53 staff redundant while transferring 103 workers to its expanded Hartlebury facility, following the closure of its site in Eardisley, Herefordshire, last week. Wooden garden building manufacturer, Forest Garden, is spending GBP 2.5 million ($3.7 million) centralising manufacturing and distribution operations to Hartlebury, Worcestershire, HortWeek reported. The new-look Hartlebury site will offer an additional 10,000 sq m of manufacturing buildings and four hectares of stock storage, creating the largest manufacturing and distribution facility in the sector. Chief executive Jonathan Halford said: "While it has clearly been a difficult time for both our Eardisley employees and the local community, I'm really pleased that so many workers have decided to relocate and join the expanded Hartlebury team. Halford said 2009 "is undoubtedly going to be a challenging year for many businesses but I'm confident that the proactive action we have taken will put us in an excellent position to continue the progress we have made over the last few years. "We now have the best operational infrastructure in our sector by some distance and this, combined with the experience and strength of our team, means we can look forward to 2009 with confidence and enthusiasm."