A FRENCH glass manufacturer is looking to invest in a new factory near Selby, creating over 160 jobs in the first phase alone.

The Saint Gobain company, which employs 30,000 people around the world, has homed in on Eggborough as the site for a £80 million flat glass manufacturing plant.

The company has narrowed down its search to two sites in Yorkshire and Humberside, as it seeks to establish its first foothold in the UK.

But Eggborough has emerged as the clear favourite because the company would be able to plug into electricity provided by Eggborough Power Station.

Saint Gobain bosses have also been impressed by the road and rail network on Eggborough's doorstep.

The company has an annual turnover of £2 billion a year, and has factories all over Europe as well as in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, America, Mexico, Colombia, China, Thailand, India, Japan and Korea.

It has been in talks with Yorkshire and Humberside Development Agency (YHDA) and Selby District Council with a view to submitting an application for the 80-acre site next door to the power station.

YHDA's head of corporate affairs Martin Liddament said the final choice of location depended on the outcome of ground survey work currently being undertaken at both sites.

He declined to reveal the whereabouts of the other possible location, but said the Eggborough site's close proximity to an existing power station was a big plus point because the company used a large amount of electricity in its process.

The new plant would create 166 local jobs in the first phase of operations, with production expected to start by the end of 1999.

Saint Gobain had employed planning and technical consultants to help produce an environmental impact assessment report before putting in a planning application.

The company had stressed its commitment to detailed consultation with local residents and Selby District Council should it proceed with the Eggborough site.

The district council's head of environmental services Mike White said the proposed site was next to the A19 trunk road next door to the power station.

One of the company's main ingredients was sand, and it was looking at the opportunity of bringing in sand via the power station's existing rail network.

He said: "There have been very positive moves by Saint Gobain in relation to Eggborough, and they are looking to get a planning application in very quickly if they decide on that site."

District councillor John McCartney, who represents the Eggborough ward, said he welcomed the prospect of new jobs coming into Selby area.

But he said there were environmental problems to overcome, including air emissions and the risk of ground water pollution.

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