How Many Jobs?
9 Jun 2018

How Many Jobs?

by | posted in: Jobs, Planning | 0

The mystery of the 50 jobs!

There have been repeated references in the press to 50 jobs…
…but even in the planning application that is not stated.

The highest figure in the application is 20-40 jobs and this is determined by the number of car parking spaces outlined in the application.

The new RTP Company Polish factory, which is almost twice the size as the one proposed for Skibbereen, employs only 25 people.

The first mention of 50 jobs comes from the article about the rezoning of the site in December 2015.

Green belt rezoning for factory in Skibbereen raises jobs boost hopes

““Details of the factory are not being disclosed at present by the IDA, but we have learned that the company proposing to build it will employ in the region of 40 to 50 people,” said Mr Joe Carroll, the local FF Councillor.”

The following year in The Examiner, the 50 jobs are mentioned again but without source or evidence.

IDA urged to up ante in attracting jobs to West Cork ‘outback’

The article mentions that :
“An Irish-American family with very strong links to the region approached the county council and the IDA to get a site rezoned from agricultural to industrial in the hope of building a plant which will employ up to 50 people.”

The Southern Star takes up the baton in April 2017 with Joe Carroll once more providing the quotes.

US plastics firm plans to create 50 jobs in Skibbereen

“Local Fianna Fáil Cllr Joe Carroll welcomed the application saying: ‘If granted, it will be good news for the region because it could create between 40 and 50 jobs in the area.’”

It is like we are either going around in circles or the proposed plant is actually going to be bigger than stated in the planning application.

And then in July 2017, we have an article quoting Danny Miles, who is the vice-president and managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, of the RTP Company. Surely, we are going to hear the official number of jobs that will be created. Surely, our local newspaper will ask the question.

Plastics factory boss: ‘We want to be part of the Skibbereen community’

“In his statement, Mr Miles said: ‘We look forward to expanding our global operations into the West Cork region. We continue to work with your local officials to provide them with all the information necessary to bring this project to Skibbereen.’

Mr Miles explained that Daly Products Ltd is a family-owned business with ties to the area.

He said: ‘The spouse of the owner, and namesake of the company, was born and raised in West Cork.’

According to Mr Miles, Daly Products Ltd ‘is eager to work with and become part of the local community just as we have done in our 18 manufacturing sites around the world, providing enhanced services to our customers in Ireland and greater Europe, and bringing jobs and opportunity to your neighbourhood.’ Local Cllr Joe Carroll has been a strong supporter of the plan since it was first mooted.”

So. No mention of the 50 jobs. No mention of them but they keep being mentioned again and again without question.

You would think that if jobs is the number one reason this factory is being located in Skibbereen we would have heard exactly how many are coming.

The latest report comes from the Sunday Times on June 17th, 2018.

Skibbereen stars join plastic factory protest

Again there is an unsourced statement – “Those behind the project say the factory will provide about 40 jobs, with this number increasing in the future.”

In the planning application, there is defintely no indication given or offered that this factory is setting a plan of expansion.

Joe Carroll, is once again quoted, and in light of all the above, probably gives the most ironic statement of all.

“There is a lot of misinformation about how the factory will affect the environment and lots of people are alarmed. The council would never support a factory that would hurt the environment.”

We would ask Mr Carroll to clarify his source on the jobs number he quotes again and again.

We would also like his comment on the news today, June 18th 2018, that Ireland is the second-worst European country for tackling climate change.

Ireland second-worst European country for tackling climate change

The country ahead of us in this table is Poland. Site of RTP Company’s other new European production facility which opened in 2017.

How many jobs have been created there at a production site twice the size of the proposed Skibbereen site?

RTP to reopen Nevada plant, grow in Wisconsin and Poland

“The new plant has room for as many as six extrusion lines and is expected to employ at least 25.”

25 jobs?

50 jobs?

40 jobs?

What other information is wrong? If you know how many jobs are being created and you can provide us with evidence, please send it to info@saveourskibbereen.ie.

We would like to know. We would also like our public representatives to let us know what they know.

 

Factory Construction
9 Jun 2018

Factory Construction

by | posted in: Traffic | 0

Proposed construction schedule = 12 months (projected)

Excavation of site = Removal of 40,000m³ /60,000 tonnes of soil and stone
= 1,500 truckloads @ 40 tonne per truck which is
= 3,000 return trips through Skibbereen
= 50 truck loads / per day if excavation is over a 2 month period or
= 33 truck loads / per day if over a 3 month period.
These figures will be doubled if 20 tonne trucks used!!!

This will cause enormous congestion & road safety issues!
A Traffic Survey was called for Skibbereen on 18/09/17. This still has not been undertaken!

Excavation Traffic route:

60,000 tonnes excavation = 40 tonne tipper truck X 1,500 trips!

It is proposed that the excavated soil and rock is moved to various sites including Kinsale, Lissarda, Cape Clear and even Fota Island but this has not as yet been confirmed.

As with a lot of the documents in this planning application it is open ended, lacks detail and is vague.

The proposed routes for these trucks would be as follows:
Skibbereen  – Leap  – Clonakilty – onwards
Skibbereen  – Drimoleague – Dunmanway – onwards
Skibbereen – Baltimore – Cape Clear

This will cause traffic congestion not only in Skibbereen but in neighbouring towns and villages.

Some considerations of the impact on the area include :

1. Dust (residents with compromised breathing in Nursing Home next door)

2. Noise – trucks, rock breakers, construction vehicles

3. Exhaust emissions (from diesel vehicles)

4. Traffic Congestion

5. Road Safety

6. Deterioration of already poor road infrastructure

7. Huge knock-on impact on local businesses & tourism!

The proposed excavation of 60,000 tonnes of soil & rock will be noisy, dirty and add to what is already a congested traffic situation in Skibbereen Town Centre.

Factory Location
9 Jun 2018

Factory Location

by | posted in: Traffic | 0

Why was there no Traffic Impact Assessment (T.I.A.) carried out or called for?

If the site goes above 5,000 square metres it is required.
This factory plan is for 4,800 so it is under the threshold, but Dept. of Transport guidelines state:

“it is necessary to decide which developments should be subject to T.I.A.. One of the simplest ways to do this is to set thresholds above which a T.I.A. is automatically required. This does not mean that the occasional sensitive site that does not meet these thresholds should not be subject to T.I.A. if considered appropriate”.

This site is only marginally short of the threshold and definitely should have had the Traffic Impact Assessment imposed on it. That should have been a minimum requirement from Cork County Council.

The daily traffic movements at the factory are stated as:
1. 80 Car movements 
2. 12 HGV (6 X 2) movements
3. 92 Vehicle movements daily (just under the 100 maximum T.I.A. threshold).

Safety Hazards on the Baltimore Road:

County council require 65 metres sight lines at factory entrances in both directions.
This can’t be achieved in western direction as sight line crosses over front of gardens of adjoining properties.
The major concern here is that traffic coming from Baltimore direction will not have sufficient stopping distance (as required by DMURS, which are the national standards) to react to vehicles exiting from the proposed development.

All factory traffic will have to pass through Skibbereen (up to 6 X 20 – 40 tonne trucks daily once factory is operational) carrying raw materials. 

If you think that Skibbereen is a good location for such a development, please let us know and why.
If you think Skibbereen should be trying to attract businesses and companies that do not require the transport of goods and raw materials, we think so too and we cannot understand why Cork County Council have rezoned a green belt piece of land for such an unsympathetic development.

There is nothing about the local infrastructure, traffic systems, or Skibbereen town centre that suggests this is the type of development that is a good fit for Skibbereen and West Cork. In fact, it is probably the worst development that could have been chosen.

Fire & Explosions
9 Jun 2018

Fire & Explosions

by | posted in: Fire, Public Hazards | 0

The greatest concerns for Emergency Responders, in particular Firefighters is the burning of plastics.
Plastic fire flames spread at 2 feet per second which is 10 times faster than dry wood.
Firefighters have to wear self contained breathing apparatus (S.C.B.A.s) as many of these highly toxic fumes are invisible even after the smoke and smell has cleared.
When fires occur in these factories, burning Polyethylene melts. This smells like wax and produces dripping melting flaming material that spreads the fire more rapidly than in a typical industrial unit.

The Skibbereen plastics factory application does not currently include fire suppression measures (like using steel shutters and CO2) to prevent the spread of fire!! This system is in use in the likes of Irish Distillers.
The evacuation of residents locally and the Nursing Home and Retirement Village is a major concern as many of the residents at the home already have breathing difficulties and some are on oxygen, which is highly flammable.

As per the manufacturer of the processing equipment that will be used in this factory, the process is highly flammable, highly combustible and highly dangerous. In the UK alone, there are 6-10 Plastic Factory fires per year.

A huge problem is the amount of dust that is produced and this dust isn’t harmless!

Daly Products Limited consultants say that they will use a Vario Dry Separator.

“An explosive environment can be created depending on the character and composition of dusts” / “as many dusts are combustible and explosive“. – Keller Lufttechnik – Manufacturer of the Vario Dry Separator.

The above factors with dust, solvents, high temperatures make a plastics factory a dangerous environment to work in or live near, not to mention the emissions that the chimneys disperse.

We have personally spoken to local Firefighters and they have said they have not had any briefing on this factory or the risks it poses.
There is no mention on the planning application of refrigerators for the storage of chemicals like solvents – this is amazing considering what is at stake!

But that fact is not surprising really as information from Daly Products Limited and their consultants, Verdé, have been sparse in the extreme so can slip through planning stages without environmental impact studies, environment discharge licences, industrial emissions licences or waste water discharge licences.

If An Bord Pleanála grant this plastics factory planning permission then a Freedom of Information (F.O.I.) request will need to be sent to the Fire Service & also to the Health & Safety Authority to ascertain what has been required by them in relation to these concerns.

If you have been assured by Daly Products Limited or any local Councillor, think again and look at this closely.

Ask questions.

Is West Cork a suitable location for such a development?
Is it equipped to deal with a major Plastic Factory fire?
Who will pay for the damage to the environment caused by the run-off of waters after such a fire?
Who will pay for the evacuation of local residents and residents at the local nursing home and retirement village?

If you know the answers to any of these questions, please let us know.

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