SAT - Allover - Chris Morphet
Wednesday 4 December 2024
 6.9°C   W Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts
GR Direct - Winter Sale 2024

Marine / Fetlar salmon farm given approval but concern raised over Cullivoe road

A salmon farm off Yell. Photo: Hans J Marter/Shetland News

A PROPOSED new salmon farm off Fetlar is the latest development to have been affected by the condition of the road towards the Cullivoe Pier in Yell.

The 12-cage Cooke Aquaculture farm at the Wick Of Gruting, which could create four new full-time jobs, has been given the green light by Shetland Islands Council (SIC) planners.

But as the company intends to transport fish by sea via Cullivoe to its Mid Yell processing plant, the single-track road towards the pier was raised as a concern by planning staff.

Cooke also plans to construct the cages at Cullivoe Pier before towing them to the site by boat.

The B9082 stretch of road towards the pier, which is used frequently by the aquaculture and fishing industries and generally sees up to seven articulated trailer movements a day, is deemed not fit for purpose and was recently approved by councillors as the SIC’s top road upgrade priority.

However, it could only be 2027 before any overhaul of the road is completed.

The road has already stalled North Yell Development Council’s plans to upgrade the area’s industrial estate and install a new marina, with the community project instead exploring whether it can transport material for the work by sea instead of driving it to the site.

A condition has been placed on the salmon farm planning decision that haulage of its construction materials, feed or harvested fish is prohibited on the B9082 until suitable road improvements are completed, or a traffic management plan has been agreed.

Roads staff confirmed, however, that since a report on the condition and maintenance issues of the B9082 Cullivoe road was produced a number of minor repairs and sealing works have been carried out.

If the road has not shown any notable signs of deterioration or damage then a controlled number of additional HGV movements may be allowed, possibly in 2021 at the earliest.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

It was hoped that an assessment could have come back by now, but the SIC roads manager Dave Coupe confirmed the situation with coronavirus has delayed this.

The general condition of the road, however, does not cover the issue of its narrow width and lack of passing places which can pose a problem for trucks.

Cooke Aquaculture said during the planning process that there could be alternative options for getting fish ashore, although they would be less desirable than shipping it to Cullivoe.

That could include using different piers, or potentially building infrastructure to pump fish directly into the Mid Yell processing plant.

Cooke also hopes to recruit locally in Fetlar for the new jobs which could be created.

The salmon farm, meanwhile, would feature 12 cages sized at 120m in circumference.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.