Decision on controversial fish farm is delayed again
A controversial planning decision to establish a 12-pen fish farm near Millstone Point in the north east of Arran has once again been delayed.
The application by the Scottish Salmon Company was first made in August last year, with a discussion by North Ayrshire Council planning committee expected to take place in December. However this was postponed at the request of the applicant and Scottish Natural Heritage.
In October this year, a revised application – reducing the scale of the operation from 20 to 12 fish pens with a 120m circumference and a reduced biomass from 5,000 tonnes to 2,300 tonnes – was submitted and a consultation period was then undertaken with members of the public having until Monday November 9 to submit comments on the application.
The application garnered 397 comments, 374 objecting and 22 in support, with a determination – taking into account the consultation responses – expected earlier this week, on Wednesday December 2.
However, that has now been postponed due to further responses being required from statutory consultees and so will go ahead early in the new year.
A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: ‘The planning application for the fish farm (ref: 19/00609/PPM) was amended by the applicant from 20 to 12 pens.
‘As such, the application has been subject to further consultation. We are currently awaiting a response from statutory consultees, including NatureScot.
‘The application is scheduled to be considered by the Planning Committee in 2021 when the consultee responses have been received and assessed.’
The proposed fish farm has been one of the most controversial planning applications on Arran in decades, with opponents voicing their concerns about a large-scale fish farm being sited in an area of undeveloped natural beauty. Objectors also cited concerns of fish welfare, risks to wild salmon populations and the effects that fish farms have on sensitive ecological systems.
Opponents also staged one of the largest protests in decades earlier this year when more than 200 people walked 3.5km to the proposed site as a gesture to show their determined opposition to the development. This included members of the public, members of Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) and residents of Lochranza, the closest village to the proposed site.
COAST, as the driving force behind the establishment of
‘The application is to be considered by the Planning Committee in 2021...’
the Marine Protected Area (MPA) and the Lamlash No Take Zone, has been instrumental in calling for a halt on the salmon industry expansion on Arran. A campaign, with a petition calling for the rejection of planning permission for new or expanded salmonid production sites in the North Ayrshire Council islands and coastal areas, was also instituted with 7,667 people showing their support.
The outcome of the determination has been eagerly anticipated, not only by residents on Arran but by the Scottish Salmon Company which submitted hundreds of pages of documents, including environmental impact reports and numerous studies by consultants, supporting its application.
The Scottish Salmon Company states that the fish farm will provide employment on Arran by creating six fulltime equivalent members of staff, which will support 31 indirect jobs and six in the wider economy across Scotland with a total Gross Value Added for the Scottish economy of more than £5.9million per year.
In a statement issued at the time of the revised application, a Scottish Salmon Company spokesperson said: ‘SSC has links with salmon farming on Arran stretching back more than 30 years.
‘Throughout this project, we have actively consulted with a range of stakeholders, including members of the community, North Ayrshire Council, SEPA, NatureScot, Marine Scotland, the District Salmon Fishery Board and Fisheries Management Scotland. This feedback has been crucial in shaping our plans.
‘This revised proposal still delivers significant economic and social benefits to Arran and the wider economy.
‘The new employment and investment generated by this site will help support the island’s communities in a time of economic uncertainty. We take our stewardship of the local environment very seriously and the proposed site will adhere to the very highest levels of environmental care and management.’
A determination date will be published once all consultees have responded and a decision has been reached by planning officials.