£6m plan to secure Ribena factory deferred

PLANS for a £6m investment to secure Coleford's Ribena factory as a major employer in the Forest of Dean have been deferred.

- CARMELO GARCIA Local Democracy Reporter

The Lucozade Ribena Suntory-owned Royal Forest Factory in Rock Lane is one of their largest in Europe and produces around a billion bottles per year.

The site's owners say the factory has a huge role to play in how it grows.

And plans to become completely independent of its current gas turbine through a new electricity connection were debated yesterday.

The scheme includes creating a sub-station building, compound and two transformers next to the Lucozade Ribena factory.

The proposed plant would operate 24/7 and its main objective is to eliminate the reliance on an on-site gas turbine.

According to a report presented to Forest of Dean District Council planners it is a large consumer of natural gas and is approaching the end of its operation-al life.

As a result, reliability is also diminishing.

Those behind the scheme say the project will mark a significant step towards reducing their reliance on natural gas.