LETTER: Residents opposed to plastics factory

SIR – I refer to your article in the paper dated April 21st, headlined ‘Skibb Plastics firm’s parent to open new Polish facility.’

A significant number of residents and visitors to this area hope that such a factory never comes to Skibbereen! Planning permission has been granted and two appeals are currently lodged with An Bord Pleanála waiting for adjudication on the process to date. 

The article states that - ‘The planned Skibbereen factory will be around 15,700 sq ft’ ... ‘it has been suggested the Skibbereen factory could employ up to 40 or 50 people when expanded’ ... ‘The Skibbereen site will manufacture products with similar materials’. This gives readers the impression that this is a done deal which we hope is not the case! 

The figures regarding the size of the factory in Poland and the proposed development here are also incorrect. The Polish factory is approximately 8,000m in size and the Skibbereen one is proposed to be 4,800m. 

The figure regarding jobs in Poland is correct. They anticipate employing up to 25 people so we could estimate 15 to 20 people employed here. There is no room on this site for expansion to provide the 40 or 50 jobs mentioned if it goes ahead. 

The Polish plant is next to a large road network, on the outskirts of the town, in an industrial site and not near any dwellings.There is huge concern in this area about this proposed development and what materials will be used here, the emissions emanating from the four 17m chimneys being dispersed on farmland, homes, schools and businesses in the vicinity and also in Skibbereen town, the water from the site going into ground water and water treatment plant and eventually into the River Ilen and the potential catastrophic effects of this on the life of the river etc. 

If this development goes ahead, which I and hundreds more hope will not be the case, then is 15 to 20 jobs at any cost justifying of all that will be sacrificed on the other side in this beautiful part of the world? 

Yours sincerely,

Brendan McCarthy,

Skibbereen.