ECONOMIC, political and personal rivalries will be played out before a planning inquiry which will determine the future of 500 jobs at a glass bottling plant near Chester.

Quinn Glass has opened the case in favour of retrospective planning consent for its factory at Ince which is already producing containers for the food and beverage industry.

Inspector J Stuart Nixon will hear evidence from both sides before making a recommendation to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott as to whether the factory should be allowed or demolished.

The planning application was 'called in' by Mr Prescott before the last General Election on grounds the project had 'more than local significance' after lobbying by

Labour MPs in South Yorkshire where Quinn's rival firm, Rockware, is based.

But fighting Cheshire's corner will be fellow Labour man Andrew Miller MP (Ellesmere Port & Neston) who will give evidence to the inquiry next month.

Rockware, which controls 40% of the UK glass bottle market, has hired a top barrister to argue why the Quinn Glass factory should close.

And the battle is personal. There is said to be no love lost between Sean Quinn, managing director of Quinn Glass and fellow Irishman Paul Coulson who heads Ardargh, the owner of Rockware.

There are also high stakes for Chester City Council which approved planning permission but was challenged by Rockware in the High Court landing Council Tax payers with a £45,000 legal bill.

Last month it lost another battle when Judge Andrew Gilbart QC overturned its decision to grant an operating permit to Quinn and condemned its 'lax' approach.

Opening the case for the applicant, Neil King QC, said: 'This application is of great importance to the economy of the region and to the UK glass industry.

'It is supported by both the local planning authorities within whose area the application site lies and by Cheshire County Council, but is opposed by one of the UK's existing glass manufacturers, Rockware Glass, whose focus of objection was economic.

'That focus has now shifted to the more local impacts of the development about which those bodies with local planning functions and local democratic accountability are satisfied, and which have no direct relevance to or effect on Rockware's interests at all.'

Mr King QC said the scheme was in line with development plans, traffic impact would be minimal and emission and noise pollution would not be excessive.

The inquiry, at Chester's Queen Hotel, will take place over 16 days and is expected to come to a conclusion early in the New Year.