Tiger Tim Firelighter Factory: Residents Need a Clear Fire Risk Plan

Residents living just metres from Tiger Tim's proposed new firelighter storage warehouse in Rhosesmor are asking Flintshire County Council's Planning Committee to insist on clear, site-specific fire safety measures before permission is granted.

Tiger Tim, the world's largest manufacturer of firelighters, has submitted plans to build a 12.5m high, 1,632 square metre warehouse at its Rhosesmor site, giving it capacity to store 992 pallets of firelighters ready for shipping. The site currently splits storage between on-site and an off-site warehouse; this application would bring all of it on site. The new building would sit just 50 metres from the nearest home, on Wern Road.

The Planning Committee is expected to consider the application on Wednesday, 15 July.

Residents' concerns

Nearby residents have raised serious concerns about the proposal. Dr Emma Poyner said:

"I am fearful for the health and safety of residents in the village. I am particularly anxious about how fire appliances would access the Wern Road side of the site if they needed to respond to a serious fire or evacuate staff safely from the offices."

Bethan Lewis-Roberts, who lives on Wern Road, added:

"We are very concerned about the proposal to store all firelighters on site, instead of using the current off-site warehouse. We believe this creates a major safety issue, with large volumes of firelighters being stored within metres of residential homes and pensioners' bungalows. Tiger Tim has had two previous fires, if there was another with that volume of material on site, we fear nearby homes could be lost.

Road safety is another concern. The proposal to put in a hard edge would effectively narrow Wern Road, making it less safe for pedestrians and more difficult for larger vehicles, including school buses, tractors and trailers, to pass safely.

We are absolutely not against Tiger Tim improving the site. But these serious concerns need to be properly addressed before planning permission is granted."

My view

This is not a normal industrial unit on a remote industrial estate. It is a firelighter manufacturing and storage site in the middle of a village with homes nearby.

That is why the planning committee needs to see a clear, site-specific fire-risk strategy before permission is granted. Residents are understandably asking what would happen if there was a serious fire, how fire crews would access the site, whether there is sufficient turning space for appliances from Wern Road and whether the existing water pressure is strong enough for a site of this size.

Nobody wants to be looking back in years to come, after a serious incident, asking how this was ever allowed without those questions being answered.

I also believe residents' concerns about the scale of the development, and individual properties being overlooked by offices, have been ignored during the consultation period so far.

My fellow local member, Cllr Simon Jones, shares these concerns:

"The key question is whether this particular proposal has been properly assessed. Members should not have to assume that standard industrial guidance is enough for a development storing this volume of firelighters close to homes.

Before any decision is made, the committee should be satisfied that there are clear answers on fire access, water supply, containment, evacuation risk and how nearby homes would be protected in the event of a serious incident."

What Tiger Tim has proposed so far

Tiger Tim's application sets out plans for a new sprinkler system covering the whole site, with tanks to store and use surface water as well as mains supply in the event of a fire. The site plan also shows new sprinkler tanks and a pump house. Councillors say this does not replace the need for a full explanation of how fire risk would be managed on this site.

If you live nearby or have concerns about this application, please make your views known to the Planning Committee before the meeting on Wednesday, 15 July, either through Flintshire's planning portal or by getting in touch with me directly.

Links

The Leader - Flintshire firelighter factory proposals need clear fire risk plan