Public invited to gave their say on £80m Glaxo plans

Residents of Barnard Castle are being invited to have their say on the planned designs for Glaxo’s £80million site expansion.
Earlier this year, GlaxoSmithKline’s factory, on Harmire Road, announced plans to expand its aseptic manufacturing capability which would support the production of existing and new biopharmaceutical drugs.
A public exhibition is being held next week to showcase what the state-of-the-art sterile products facility would look like if it is given the go-ahead. It is believed that GSK submitted the planning application for the project on Friday, October 21.
The exhibition will take place at GSK Sports and Social Club on Friday, November 4,  from noon until 7pm. It will also be held on Saturday, November 5, from 9am until 1pm.
GSK staff will be present alongside planning experts to answer any questions members of the public might have.
In a letter to residents, GSK public relations manager Paul Stinson wrote: “Aseptic manufacturing requires a clean and sterile environment so the building will have a hi-tech rather than industrial look and feel.
“We intend to start the phased development work on building in June 2017. Due to high specification and facility validation requirements for a facility of this kind, it will then take between three to four years before the first phase is completed.
“We will do all that we can to ensure that inconvenience and disruption are minimised.”
Work on the new facility will be carried out between 8am and 6pm. An estimated maximum of 32 vehicles are also expected each day during the works for site deliveries and the removal of waste.
The expansion in Teesdale is part of a wider investment by GSK of £275million which will benefit sites in Barnard Castle, Montrose, in Scotland and Ware, in Hertfordshire.
Barnard Castle is one of the drug giant’s biggest secondary manufacturing sites, employing 1,100 people with more employment opportunities on the way if plans for the new facility are approved.
The site also supplies nearly half a million packs of products a day to 140 global markets. It is believed that the planned expansion will help to secure the future of the site for years to come.
Any questions about the project can be emailed to the project team at barnardcastle
consultation@gsk.com or sent in writing to Building Consultation, D block, GSK, Harmire Road, Barnard Castle, DL12 8DT.