This article is from page 27 of the 2011-06-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 27 JPG
ROCHE Ireland have applied for planning permission to construct a new three-storey building at the company’s plant in Clarecastle.
According to documents lodged with Clare County Council, the pharmaceutical company is seeking to construct a new three-storey building and ancillary works for the purpose of milling an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) at the facility.
A single-storey extension to an existing Nitrogen generation utility building, relocation of nitrogen tanks, a pipe rack, a solvent sump and pumping station and ancillary site works are also proposed within this application.
The proposed three-storey milling building is to be attached to an existing warehouse facility. This will necessitate the relocation of an existing smoking shelter, and the relocation of existing fire escape doors from the warehouse. The application consists of modifications to an establishment within the meaning of the European Communities (Control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances) Regulations 2006.
The proposed location of the milling building is on a green space ap- proximately 16m wide, between an existing warehouse and an existing site access road to the west of the Roche site.
The plant is located in the vicinity of two Natura 2000 sites – lower river Shannon Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and river Shannon and river Fergus estuaries. According to a Natura Impact Statement, prepared by Biosphere Environmental Services on behalf of Roche, “there will be no significant noise / vibration impacts resulting from the proposed building” and “there will be no emissions arising from the extension to the PSA (nitrogen plant) building which is being extended for the purposes of additional storage”.
The Clarecastle manufacturing facility was established in 1974 as Syntex Ireland. In 1994, Syntex Ireland became part of the pharmaceutical division of the Roche group when Roche acquired the Syntex Corporation. Currently Roche Ireland employs in excess of 240 people.
The planning report states that Roche Ireland is a “manufacturing centre of excellence for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients destined for conversion to medicines in dosage form at other Roche facilities throughout the world.”