Planning permission is being sought to raise the height of the B7 chimney from 53-metres to 73-metres so the glass melting furnace, which was mothballed in November 2008, can be fired again.

Des Hewitt, from the firm in Monk Bretton, has submitted the application which states it is the company's intention to restart the furnace and the additional height is required on the chimney to satisfy the council that the emissions will meet environmental regulations.

When the Dublin-based firm stopped production in the furnace it cited a lack of demand caused by the recession.

A former worker said there are about 500 tonnes of cold glass in the furnace which it would be impossible to melt away with the chimney at its current height.

The firm already has a permit which included an environmental assessment stating that an upgraded and refurbished furnace, together with the installation of new emission abatement equipment, would comply with the environmental regulations.

To comply with the permit requirements, the existing chimney needs to be taller to disperse the emissions in accordance with the environmental assessment report.

Then called Redfearns, the glass works was the largest private employer in Barnsley in the 1970s, but since then the number employed has dwindled and in 2007 the firm said it employed 450 people.