Extension sought to Kore factory

A Kilnaleck based manufacturer of insulation products has submitted plans for an extension to existing factory facilities.

Airpacks Ltd, better known as KORE Insulation, wants to add a two-storey extension to its office building and also carry out alterations to the existing accommodation.

Furthermore, the firm has plans to add an extension to its existing industrial buildings to the eastern boundary and also extend the height of the existing external chimney stacks and associated structures.

Permission is also sought to carry out alterations to parking and loading areas on site, to include relocation of HGV parking and loading from the front to the rear of site.

Retention, meanwhile, is sought for the extension to the industrial building to the eastern boundary, as well as the demolition of existing buildings to facilitate site development works.

The current Kore production facility totals more than 45,000 square feet as the local business counts success in the delivery of bespoke insulation solutions to the building and construction industry.

As part of its application, the business commissioned Michael Fitzpatrick Architects as Architectural Consultants to review of the current facilities there and compliance with planning permissions; and provide a forward facing masterplan for the site.

As part of the report, the architects noted that the new extension to the eastern boundary is required to address “operational constraints”.

“There is an existing industrial building already to this location that is in poor repair and will need to be replaced. It is intended that an extension be built to this location taking into account the footprint of the existing building on site.”

The report noted that current daily operations include the filling of two lorry trailers worth of bead insulation material to the front of the site. Kore proposes to relocate these to a “new location with a purpose-built extension” to accommodate the units at the rear of the facility in order to “minimise any nuisance noise”.

A 2.5m acoustic barrier will also be built along the northeast boundary of the site.

Going forward Kore state that its factory facility “will now operate 24/7” and permission is sought for loading of trucks at the front from 7am to 5pm only, with loading of HGVs outside of these hours to be completed at the newly-built unit to the rear. Kore is also proposing to raise the level of the chimney stacks located to the rear of the production buildings by an additional 5.0m in an effort to “move the emissions altitude” to a higher level.

The application was submitted to the council's planning section last month, and a decision is due on or before February 11.