Finalised Planning Application for New Fish Farm in Isle of Lewis to be Considered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

by Peter Urpeth, Local Democracy Reporter
 A finalised planning application by Bakkafrost Scotland Ltd (BFS) for a new fish farm at North Gravir, Isle of Lewis, is now set to be considered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar following validation of the application in late April.
The proposed fish farm would be comprised of five 200m circumference pens, with 15m deep side walls, and would have a maximum stocked biomass of salmon of 4,680 tonnes.
Designs for the facility submitted by the company as part of the planning application process also confirm that the pens would be arranged in one group, with a feed barge at the southern end of the group.
The fish farm would be serviced from the company’s existing shore base at Gravir.
As a designated ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ development (EIA), BFS had to complete an extensive assessment of the proposed fish farm’s potential impact on the environment, to be completed and submitted as a key part of the application process.
 
An environmental impact opinion on the development was issued by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in 2022 following first-stage communications from BFS, and it stated that the development was “likely to have significant effects on the receiving environment by virtue of factors such as its nature, size or location,” and added:
“The farm on account of its nature, scale and biomass, […] sited in a remote coastal location where there is likely to be cumulative impacts with other existing developments, […] has been determined to be an Environmental Impact Assessment” development, and specified that BFS’s should address matters including the consideration of alternatives and site selection, and “indicate the reasons for choosing the selected option and including site layout and design.”
The EIA should, according to the Comhairle’s opinion notice, focus on the relationship between the proposed site and other fish farms and facilities in the area in terms of a “likely accumulation of effects” on benthic habitats and species, and stated that, “contrary to the view expressed” in the company’s initial environmental scoping report, “a significant environmental effect“ by the development “is likely.”
The Comhairle’s opinion notice concluded, BFS’s EIA should as a result include an assessment of potential changes to the benthic [sea bed] environment, and assess the risk posed to wild fish species from farmed fish escapes, fish diseases, and sea lice.
BFS’s finalised EIA documents, now going forward for planning determination, state:
“The Proposed Development has been designed in such a way to ensure that environmental effects have been minimised through a combination of careful siting in an exposed, high energy location and embedded design and operational mitigation.
“Where a potential risk to the surrounding environment has been identified, appropriate mitigation has been proposed, either through embedded design and operational mitigation, or through additional mitigation, where necessary.”
BFS’s EIA adds:
“It is determined that no significant adverse effects on natural heritage features, including the Inner Hebrides and the Minches [Special Area of Conservation], and the St. Kilda and Seas of St. Kilda [Special Protection Areas], are likely as a result of the proposed development.
“The proposed embedded and additional mitigation, in combination with the varying ecological traits and sensitivities of the identified features, is anticipated to result in sufficient avoidance or reduction of impacts.
“The design and assessment process adopted by BFS has represented a good practice approach to the reasonable development of marine aquaculture. All potential areas of significant interaction between the proposed development and the environment have been addressed, resulting in a well-designed development, incorporating appropriate mitigation measures, at a suitable development location.
“The Proposed Development complies with, and is supported by, the aims and objectives of both national policy and the Development Plan and would make a valuable contribution towards the ambitious growth targets set for the aquaculture industry, whilst also contributing to the industry’s role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals outlined under Agenda 2030.”
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar confirmed this week that the proposal has been the subject of statutory and non-statutory consultations and advertised for public comment, and that to date, the application has been subject to ten public representation comments, and with some consultation responses still awaited.
The application will be assessed by Comhairle nan Eilean, as the planning authority, and a recommendation report on the development will be brought forward to the Planning Applications Board of the Comhairle, most likely in September this year.
Full details of the application (ref: 25/00098/FFPAES) can be found on the Comhairle’s website, with a deadline for public comments set for Sunday 1st June. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

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