Fish farm plan hauls up protest
Anti-fish farm campaigners have welcomed a ‘huge response’ objecting to the latest planning application from Dawnfresh, which is seeking ‘permanent’ permission to store equipment on the Loch Etive shoreline.
Dawnfresh argues the ‘tucked away’ site is not easily visible, and it would only be needed for ‘temporary storage’ to inspect equipment ‘quickly and easily’.
The campaign group Friends of Loch Etive (FoLE) said: ‘Dawnfresh has been storing fish farm equipment on the shoreline at Inverawe for some years, despite not having planning permission from Argyll and Bute Council.
‘A legal planning enforcement notice was served by the council in 2017 to try to end the practice. By then, Dawnfresh had already been refused once by the council, in 2016, when it tried to secure what is known as a Certificate of Lawful Use. In 2016, Dawnfresh had also lost an appeal to Scottish ministers to allow them to use the Inverawe shoreline.’
A spokesman for FoLE continued: ‘It seems Dawnfresh has not understood that the community of Loch Etive does not want it to be able to store unsightly cages, other fishfarm equipment and debris on the shoreline at Inverawe as and when it wishes.
‘Loch Etive does not belong to Dawnfresh. It is everyone’s to enjoy and it is essential that it is protected from yet more creeping industrialisation.
‘It may well be very convenient for Dawnfresh to just pull up old cages and equipment on the shore and leave them there, but the very beauty that attracts all sorts of visitors to Loch Etive will be lost if Dawnfresh keeps applying for and being granted yet more of the loch for its own commercial gain.
‘The worry is that the Etive businesses that rely on tourism and recreation, those businesses which respect the loch and its ecology, will suffer.’
Alison Hutchins, farming director for Dawnfresh, said: ‘Dawnfresh has worked with the local community regarding the planning application to allow temporary storage of equipment for maintenance purposes on the shore near the base at Loch Etive.
‘Maintaining equipment such as pens close to the base allows us to inspect equipment quickly and easily, with minimal transportation or logistical issues, reducing risk and ensuring we minimise the environmental impact on the local area. Furthermore, the site itself is largely tucked away in a small cove with a lot of tree cover opposite the Bonawe Quarry but beyond Taynuilt Pier so is not easily visible to any local residencies or visitors to the area.
‘We are keen to work with local people to overcome any legitimate concerns they may have and to find constructive solutions but believe that this application represents the most suitable solution, environmentally and operationally, at this time and hope that councillors will support this application.
‘As part of our support for the local community, we are one of the main sponsors of this year’s Taynuilt Highland Games and would encourage anyone who wants to discuss this with us in more detail to come and speak to us then as well.’