Plan lodged for salmon net cleaning plant at Toft

A MAJOR salmon net cleaning and repair plant is being planned for Toft that will bring a rare bit of industry to the quiet township.

Swan Net Gundry Aqua Ltd has lodged plans for the roughly 10,000 square metre site to the north of the road leading to the ferry pier.

Dale Hunter of agents Hunter Planning Ltd said that Toft had been a “good hub” for the development owing to the pier for landing nets and the nearby presence of many salmon farms in the north mainland and Yell.

A supporting statement for the plan, dated 22 February 2019, says: “ The proposal consists of the facilities required for the washing, drying and repair of nets for the aquaculture industry and ancillary infrastructure.”

At present nets from Shetland salmon farms are cleaned and repaired at various locations in Shetland and the mainland. It is believed the Toft plant will add considerably to the amount of such work that can be undertaken in the islands.

The facility will contain clean and dirty net storage as well as a net cleaning and “welfare” building and a filtration unit that will recover copper from the waste water as well as various hard standing and storage areas.