Planning approval for Grimsby RAS salmon farm

Planners have given formal approval to the £75m Grimsby salmon farm project. It can now move forward, eight months after it was first announced.

The company behind the plan, Aquacultured Seafood, intends to build the RAS (recirculating aquaculture system) facility on an industrial site close to the fish docks and many of the town’s seafood businesses.

The plan still has to go before the full council for final approval, but that is expected to be a formality.

A report to North East Lincolnshire Planning Committee said: “The proposal would represent a significant economic investment into the area, creating a number of jobs through construction and then operation as well as supporting the food processing and manufacturing businesses in the area.”

“It will not cause harm to residential amenities or business amenity, the visual character of the area, drainage and flood risk, highway safety and amenity, the Humber Estuary designations, the onsite biodiversity and local wildlife site allocation.”

There were some objections, mainly from residents who live near the site and from environmental  and wildlife related groups. There is also a Facebook page with the heading “Say No To Salmon Farm”.

But it also received support from various seafood industry groups including the Grimsby Seafood Village and Grimsby Fish Market. The site is on a designated industrial development area.

The project was first announced last February and Aquacultured Seafood held a public consultation in the early summer when they gave a full outline of what they intend to do. They pledged no smell and very little noise from the site. The project is expected to take three to four years before it goes into production.

Protesters outside Grimsby FC (photo: Scamon Scotland)