PLANS to upgrade and modernise facilities at the Orica munitions factory at Glazebury have been given the go-ahead by Warrington planners – almost a year after they were first submitted.
The site, in Wilton Lane, has been an explosives depot since the early part of the 20th century and Orica is believed to be the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial explosives.
Occupying some 63 hectares, the site is in the Green Belt and is surrounded by farmland. Much of it is grassland and grazed by sheep. Carr Brook transacts the site.
It is Orica’s main facility in the UK, although it has another in Scotland.
Because of the nature of the facility, it is essential it is in an isolated position, well away from other property, which was why the facility was located in its present position originally.
The new development will involve the demolition of an existing storage building, at the rear of the company’s administration block and the construction of a new manual mixing building within a secure compound.
Explosives have been stored at the site for many years without incident and the new facility will make it even safer, according to the company
Although the development would normally regarded as inappropriate in the Green Belt, there are very special circumstances that override the harm to the openness of the Green Belt.
