A FACTORY owner has threatened to close a factory with the loss of 70 jobs if plans to extend it are not supported by the council. Plans to expand Royston Lead at Pogmoor Works, Stocks Lane, were submitted to the council by owner Gary Farnell.They include ground-floor expansion for a storage area and picking lines, first-floor office space and a car park with 72 spaces.
But following concerns by residents over health risks caused by increased lead smelting emissions, councillors have deferred the application pending further investigation. At the meeting on Tuesday, resident, John Hall, said the factory was already too big for its location next to housing, a school and a children’s recreation area. He said: “Would you want to live next door to a smelting factory and send children to school next to the plant?
In a letter read out at the meeting, Gary Farnell said if the council maintained their obstructive stance he would close the factory leading to the loss of 70 jobs.
Full story in the Chronicle, Friday, September 17.
