News

Quinn Glass has made a new application for planning permission for its Cheshire plant, more than 12 months after the government refused the previous application.

The application, deposited with Chester City Council on 2 February, seeks to address concerns raised by a public inquiry into the Elton facility.

The company has introduced a travel plan to help staff get to the site and planned a second connection to the rail network.

It will also continue to assess the need for better soundproofing.

The application needs to be examined and will be submitted later in the year for approval by the council's planning board, which receives quarterly updates on the Quinn plant.

A number of local residents have expressed concerns about the facility.

Quinn Group declined to comment other than to confirm it had made the application.

Quinn is also seeking planning permission from the neighbouring borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston, as the plant is also located on land within its boundaries.

The Quinn plant's annual production is estimated at 1.2 billion containers, and it also has a bottling facility capable of processing 400 bottles of wine, or 1,000 bottles of beer, per minute.

Construction began at the former power station in 2003, on the basis of planning permission for a smaller factory, while the company applied to build a larger operation.

In January 2007, the government refused planning permission, but invited Quinn to apply again.

It said the plant provided a number of benefits, particularly in generating jobs and Brownfield site redevelopment.