I do from time to time pass by the Mordor of Phosphorus towers B69 at Trinity Street. The signage has changed over time, of course from Albright and Wilson to the ghastly Monsieurs of Rhodia and then the Belgians of Solvay.
If ever there was a brownfield site for housing that would be one. A recent social media post however caught my eye about the annual alarm they sound to still look relevant once a year in October that sounds like an air raid siren. Here is a previous example and note the name.
From 2019 and that Friday 4th October
Of course in the 1970’s it was Cissie Jones’s nose that alerted anyone to spillages or smells emanating from the factory of death where the police admitted they had not a clue as to what to do if something happened, and even in more recent times during a toxic release, the blighters from Langley didn’t sound any alarm at all!
But to the recent post……..
WHO?
At first I thought of a nasal blockage remedy, or maybe the Langley Band venturing into a tribute act to Status Quo. 😆 I straight away investigated who this new name was, and surprise surprise SYENSQO it turns out, pronounced “Science Co” , is a spin off Belgian company which is basically just Solvay in disguise and was set up around one year ago. This split is interesting and for me it perhaps suggests that the writing is on the wall for this long standing site- when foreign owned the break up and eventual withdrawal from the UK is on the cards.
The site employs a shadow force of what it used to back in the Albright and Wilson days- no doubt as a result of lack of human need and also less products being made there.
It has taken Oldbury nearly a year to replace the Solvay branding- perhaps another clue as to how little valued this old contaminated problem site is to the EU Brussels based crew. A satellite entity based in Brexit Britain will be too expensive to keep afloat- unless of course , it pays its way. The parent will not bail it out if it doesn’t and the divestment will commence.
apparently, they have brought together “the greatest scientific minds” LOL
According to their website- the are “explorers”
The new tag line “advancing humanity” is typical of the times- perhaps a nod to AI or hybrid humanity injected with artificial life. It will certainly not be advancing my life in any way and nor will it to the local population who still live in the shadow of a top tier COMAH site that could blow at any moment. Don’t wait for the alarm if there is a real incident- because they won’t sound it.
TRY “EXPLORING” THIS