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| Residents are worried a proposed salmon-breeding farm may have adverse impact both on their amenities and on local environment |
PRELIMINARY proposals to build an indoor salmon-breeding 'farm' in Grimsby have upset nearby residents.
A London-based consortium, Aquacultured Seafoods Ltd, has earmarked the former railway sidings, off Salvesen Road, on the docks estate, for its £75-million project.
But there have been objections from householders in Harrington Street, Daubney Street and Manchester Street who have voiced concerns about potential noise, smell, pollution, increased traffic and the loss of wildlife, including butterflies and songbirds.
The controversy has come to the attention of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust whose planning chief, Tammy Smalley, has not expressed a view but has asked to be kept updated.
No formal planning application has yet been submitted to North East Lincolnshire Council but this could be forthcoming shortly.
Below is the report from the December 26 (2022) edition of the Grimsby News:
AN ambitious plan has been unveiled for a £75-million indoor salmon 'farm' in Grimsby.
A London-based consortium, Aquacultured Seafoods Ltd, has earmarked the former railway sidings, off Salvesen Road, on the docks estate, for its ambitious project.
The 11-hectare triangle-shaped site is currently vacant and has become an ‘unofficial’ nature reserve. It is designated as a Local Wildlife Site.
ASL has offices in Jermyn Street - one of the most fashionable parts of Westminster.
Currently, it has no trading history and assets totalling less than £20,000.
However, it is sufficiently confident about its brainchild to have engaged agents Montagu Evans to produce a comprehensive report on what is proposed.
Says the document: "Once fully operational, the proposed building would provide 40,000 sq m of floorspace and associated plant/infrastructure.
"This would provide for an enclosed aquaculture facility producing approximately 5,000 tonnes gross of whole fish per annum.
A dedicated area would be set aside for bio security and disinfection, and there would be 77 car parking spaces and three loading bays.
Access to the salmon farm would be off Salvesen Road via a new shared access point.
On the technical side, the 'facility' will contain a marine recirculating aquaculture system, known in the industry as an RAS, within both freshwater and saltwater tanks.
The freshwater tanks would support the early stages of the salmon life cycle and the larger saltwater tanks provide the environment for the salmon to grow to 4-5kg in size.
Associated infrastructure would include a water treatment plant, a fish processing line and a feed storage unit.
It is understood that ports company have agreed to provide the amount of fresh water required from their own boreholes located nearby.
Salt water, meanwhile, would be abstracted from a borehole constructed on site.
Assuming ASL can secure both funding and planning consent from North East Lincolnshire Council, the salmon 'farm' could create dozens of jobs and consolidate Europe's reputation as one of the world’s foremost fish-processing towns.
The consortium’s seven members are well connected and bring a broad range of entreprepreneurial expertise and experience to the project.
At least, two already have connections with the seafood sector - Colin Anderson at Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd and James Fox-Davies at Fowey Shellfoods Company Ltd.
In the event that planners looks favourably on the project, ASL will probably need to commission an archaeological survey of the site because it is an 'historic landscape'.
Some mitigation may also be necessary for potential loss of wildlife habitat.
The firm hopes to submit a formal planning application in the New Year.
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