Broomhead speaks out on long-running glass plant saga
THE boss of the Northwest Regional Development Agency has weighed in on a long-running planning permission battle, giving support to a Cheshire glass company waiting to hear from the court of appeal.
Quinn Glass, which employs around 700 people at Elton in Chester, is facing an enforced closure by the local authority following a High Court ruling over planning legislation. The council served the enforcement notice to comply with High Court action brought by Dublin-based trade rivals Ardagh Glass.
Quinn Glass’s factory, the biggest bottling plant in Europe, sits on the former site of the Ince B power station at Elton and was completed in 2005 on the basis of planning permission for a smaller facility.
The company is waiting to hear the outcome of a retrospective planning application to “regularise the existing development”, submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council back in January 2008. If approved it would render the enforced closure notice unnecessary and remove all threat to the company’s future.
Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA, has now weighed in on the debate, calling Quinn a “huge asset” for the region and urging the council to pass the planning application quickly.
He said: “Quinn Glass is a major employer and a huge asset for the North West. The company is in a strong position, financially, and its continued investment is important to the prosperity of the region.
“The success and future growth of companies like Quinn Glass will help guide us through the current difficult economic challenges and the NWDA would urge for a resolution to the planning application as soon as possible.”
The company argued that it has brought more than £300m worth of investment to the area and that a swift and positive is important if the area is to successfully encourage more inward investment.
It said the plant has even led to other companies relocating into Cheshire, such as Recresco, which employs 35 staff at its Ellesmere Port site, where it recycles a variety of materials, including glass.
Adrian Curry, director at Quinn Glass, said: “We have spent 15 months working with the local authorities on this current application. We have had clear direction from the then secretary of state Ruth Kelly and we believe that we have met all the criteria necessary to secure a planning approval which is in the best interests of Cheshire and the North West region.”
A council spokesperson said: “The situation is that Ardagh have appealed against the high court decision to award duristiction to the council to hear the modified planning application from Quinn Glass. Until this matter is resolved it would be inappropriate to comment.”
