Still no verdict on Quinn Glass plant case

Nearly two weeks after a High Court hearing (10 March) to decide the fate of a Quinn Glass recycling plant which does not have planning permission, the presiding Judge has delayed his verdict. The case against the Quinn plant in Cheshire was brought by rival Ardagh Glass, which deemed it “unfair competition” because it had not obtained planning permission.

After hearing the case, which finished on 10 March, Judge Mole told the court he would reserve his decision until a later date because of the case’s complexity and importance.

The case was the culmination of a long-running battle over the legality of the Quinn plant. Ardagh’s lawyers submitted a legal challenge against the council in February 2009.

Chester City Council, which wants to keep the plant open, is defending its decision to allow the plant to remain, while Ardagh would like work there to stop.

But neither council officers nor lawyers representing Ardagh, Piper DLA, have any indication when a decision will be made.

The matter has also been the subject of parliamentary questions when it was raised by MP Eric Illsley in November 2008.

The Quinn glass recycling plant was initially granted planning approval by the two local authorities involved - Chester City and Ellesmere Port and Neston borough councils. But the case was called in for a judicial review where the decision was rejected by the then Secretary of State Ruth Kelly in January 2007.