The Cadbury plant in Bristol is to be sold off for housing.

The closure of the plant, which makes chocolate bars, was announced yesterday, with the loss of 500 jobs.

The 230-acre site however is being targeted by developers, though the company is keen that speculation about its future development should not take place while the job losses are ongoing.

Cadbury's have been looking at the sites development potential for some time and, according to reports in the local press, actually met local councillors to discuss selling off part of the site while keeping the factory going.

Last year the company said it was in discussion with local planners about an "exciting and ambitious development plan" for the site but now it is expected that the whole site will be sold, mainly for housing, though there is the possibility of a small amount of light industrial space being created.

Union leaders have claimed that Cadbury is paying £187 million to equip a Polish plant to manufacture brands such as Double Decker and Cadbury's Caramel.