Organic Sea Harvest Wins Approval for Balmaqueen Fish Farm After Lengthy Battle
Organic Sea Harvest (OSH) has secured planning permission for a third salmon farm at Balmaqueen, northeast Skye, following a vote by Highland Council on Thursday. The decision comes after a series of planning rejections and appeals dating back to 2020.
OSH’s application for a nearby site at Flodigarry was rejected earlier in the day. Despite acknowledging the social and economic benefits the farms could bring, councillors opposing the Flodigarry plan cited the importance of protecting the area’s unique visual character.
Speaking to SalmonBusiness, Managing Director James Deverill expressed mixed feelings: “Whilst we’re naturally disappointed that we were refused permission to invest in a new farm near Flodigarry, we were very pleased to have been granted permission to develop a neighbouring farm near Balmaqueen. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the local community in Northeast Skye for their continued support.”
OSH revised its original plans, reducing the number of pens from 12 to 10 and decreasing the maximum biomass volume for both sites. This was the company’s second attempt to secure approval for the sites after initial rejections in 2020 and 2021.
The company operates farms at Culnacnoc and Invertote. Balmaqueen will be its third site.
