The long-awaited permission was applied for last summer but put on hold earlier this year by the local council, which sought assurances relating to the impact on road traffic. Kronospan then launched a successful appeal with the Welsh government.
Aiden McCooey, principle commissioner at the Planning Appeals Commission, has now backed the scheme on the basis that Kronospan is committed to increasing the use of rail freight to transport raw materials to the Chirk site, which is already served by its own rail sidings.
“I agree that the proposed access arrangements would be adequate and the additional traffic generated by the proposal would not have significant effects on highway safety,” he said.
The new 50m continuous OSB line will be part of a £300m investment programme in the Chirk facility between 2018-2020. Capacity is expected to be around 600,000m3 per year
Chief executive officer Ludwig Scheiblreiter has confirmed that the company is still awaiting the environmental permit that will allow the OSB line to be installed.
