BALMAQUEEN FISH FARM OFF COAST OF SKYE GIVEN GREEN LIGHT

Balmaqueen fish farm off coast of Skye given green light. Fish farm at Balmaqueen approved after initial rejection due to visual impact concerns.

Councillors have granted approval for a new fish farm off the coast of Skye, despite an earlier bid for a nearby project being turned down.

Highland councillors initially rejected planning permission for a fish farm at Flodigarry, located on the island’s northeast coast, but have now approved a revised application for a site at Balmaqueen.

Both proposals were originally refused last month by the local authority’s north area planning committee over concerns about visual impact on the landscape. The decisions were later referred to the full council, where officers recommended approving the Balmaqueen project.

Organic Sea Harvest, the applicant, had modified its original plans, reducing the number of salmon cages from ten at each site to fewer cages at both Flodigarry and Balmaqueen.

The company had previously lost a planning appeal for the fish farms in 2020.

Councillors opposing the fish farms recognised the potential social and economic benefits of the projects but felt they did not outweigh the negative effects on the area’s coastal scenery and its designation as a special landscape area.

Representatives from Organic Sea Harvest and local objectors attended the full council review in Inverness, where the plans were extensively debated.

Following the meeting, Alex MacInnes of Organic Sea Harvest commented:

“We need to reflect on today’s decision, especially some of the feedback from councillors. We may need to reconsider aspects of our approach.”

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