McTaggart mural may mask hatchery
THE WORK of an artist often called the Scottish impressionist may be celebrated if plans for a fish farm are approved.
At a public meeting, on Tuesday, about Marine Harvest’s (MH) controversial scheme to build a 10,000 square foot hatchery near Machrihanish, it was suggested that one side of the building could highlight William McTaggart’s 19thcentury seascapes.
More than 70 people, both for and against the plans, which could create up to 10 jobs, attended two meetings, one at the Ugadale hotel and the other at Campbeltown Town Hall.
Detailed explanation boards explained the lifecycle of the wrasse, known as cleaner fish. They eat sea lice which infect farmed salmon living in sea water cages off shore.
MH spokesman Steve Bracken said: ‘There has been a much higher proportion of young folk at the information day.
‘Many have asked about the potential jobs and said that the exhibition has made it much clearer for them why the decision has been made not to locate the hatchery at the former airbase. ‘From the feedback forms that people completed, we think about 75 percent of the visitors would back the plan. If there is strong support, we will go ahead with the planning application but we want to know the community are behind us .’ There is a vocal protest movement backed by Green MSP John Finnie. Mr Finnie told the Save the Gaul dr ons( ST G) Facebook page that the proposed hatchery, on a valuable landscape in Machrihanish, is a classic ex about ample of a good develop-men tina bad location. Many posts on STG have claimed that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is concerned the danger to the area’s scenic attraction. Mr Bracken disputed this and said that in consultations with SNH the organisation was only concerned with the geology. The area is made up of a combination of trachyandesite lavas and microporphyritic olivine-phyric basalt lavas. SNH advice is to try to ensure that exposed areas of quality rock are not covered up. However, small areas of very weathered rock would be obscured by the build and these were noted by SNH geologists to be low quality in comparison to the examples at the north end. In addition to fauna and flora, feral goats roam the area and another STG post uses the goats to further highlight environmental threats attracted 7,500 views on Sunday. Mr Bracken said: ‘The feral goats roam all around and will always hunt for food.’