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| Rich in wildflowers and butterflies - the site earmarked for the controversial development |
FRESH controversy has blown up over the salmon-rearing factory proposed for Cleethorpes.
The campaigning organisation, Animal Equality UK, says North East Lincolnshire Council was irresponsible in granting planning consent without first having ordered an Environmental Impact Assessment on what is a designated Local Wildlife Site.
Now it has asked Levelling-up, Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove to intervene on the basis that the consent granted at a planning meeting on November 29 was flawed.
Given that the 12-hectare scrubland site - which is located between Blundell Park and the Humber estuary wall - is known to be rich in wildflower and butterfly species, it raised eyebrows that NELC did not insist on a preliminary eco-assessment.
By contrast, the council's planning department chose to disregard a letter from Natural England which stated: "It is Natural England’s advice that there are potential likely significant effects on a statutorily designated nature conservation site, and further assessment is required."
Whatever the response of Mr Gove's department, the firm, Aquacultured Seafood Ltd, is likely to press ahead with the project which promises to create 80 jobs and supply 5,000 tonnes per annum of "nutritious and responsibly farmed" salmon per annum.
But any new whiff of uncertainty over the scheme will not help ASL in its ongoing quest to persuade financial backers to stump up the estimated £75-million needed to fund the venture.
* See also: https://grimsbypost.blogspot.com
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| Abigail Penny, of Animal Equality, and fish expert Dr Mark Borthwick both spoke against the project at a November 29 planning meeting held in Grimsby Town Hall |
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