CHESHIRE West and Chester Council has issued an enforcement notice against Europe’s largest glass bottling factory built without planning permission.
More than 630 jobs are at risk after High Court judge David Mole ordered action against the Quinn Glass factory at Ince following a judicial review by bitter trade rivals Ardagh Glass Ltd.
The judge directed the removal of all buildings put up without planning consent and the “cessation of activities” on the site.
However, the council has not revealed how much time Quinn has to comply with the notice.
The company will be pinning its hopes on a successful appeal to communities secretary Hazel Blears against the enforcement notice and she also has power to grant retrospective planning consent.
The Government has previously given a broad hint that an application addressing concerns will be given the green light.
Council leader Cllr Mike Jones said: “We anticipate that the notice will be served at the company’s headquarters in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, within the next few days.”
In the meantime, a planning application to regularise the existing development, submitted by Quinn Glass to the former Chester City Council, remains to be determined by the new authority.
But Mrs Blears has issued a direction to ensure she has a formal opportunity to consider the possibility of determining the matter herself should the planning authorities “be minded” to grant planning permission.
Earlier this year London’s High Court heard the giant factory was completed in 2005 but still there is no planning consent in place.
Quinn Glass spokesman Brian Bell expects the notice will be received this week and will issue a statement at that point.
