Salmon Production
The growth in the amount of farmed salmon has been exceptional. In 1987 production rested at some 19,000 tonnes, but by 2005 output was well over 100,000 tonnes (as detailed in graphic below. For a table of figures, please follow the link).
Important Changes to the Granting of Fish Farming Consents
On 7 March 2007 an order was approved by the Scottish Parliament that gave planning authorities statutory planning powers for aquaculture developments in marine waters.
The Town and Country Planning (Marine Fish Farming) (Scotland) Order 2007 came into force on 1 April 2007 and replaced the previous 'interim scheme' which had been in operation since the late 1990s. There have been changes in Orkney and Shetland too where applications for fish farms are now being made under the new scheme rather than the current works licence system.
Applications for new sites, or modifications to existing ones, should now be made to the relevant planning department, including the payment of a planning fee based on the scale of development. Wide consultations take place, and the environmental impact assessment regulations continue to apply.
If a site is approved then there will be a presumption that the planning consent will be granted without time limit, an important change to the current system where finfish sites go through a renewal process every fifteen years.
Applications made under the previous scheme, but where a decision was not made by 1 April 2007, will be considered under that scheme through to a conclusion. A cut-off date of 1 April 2010 will be set to consider these applications and any applications still with us on that date will be deemed to have lapsed.
Existing fish farms will be given permanent planning permission once they have been through a review process and they are found to be compliant. The review will primarily be to ensure that a farm has been properly assessed against environmental and nature conservation regulations. This process will be handled by the Scottish Executive directly and further details will be issued soon.
An important point about the new scheme is that the planning permission will be attached to the area of foreshore / seabed in question and will not be company specific. Where the foreshore / seabed is Crown owned then the right to occupy the site will be by means of a lease from The Crown Estate as landowner.
We welcome the new legislation as it will allow us to concentrate on helping support sustainable development of the aquaculture industry through continuation of our research and development projects, by highlighting best practice through The Crown Estate Scottish Marine Aquaculture Awards and supporting the Scottish Government's strategic objectives through, for example, our practical support for the Tri-Partite Working Group Project Manager.
The Crown Estate Lease
An important point about the new scheme is that the planning permission will be attached to the area of foreshore / seabed in question and will not be company specific. Where the foreshore / seabed is Crown owned then the right to occupy the site will be by means of a lease from The Crown Estate as landowner.
We welcome the new legislation as it will allow us to concentrate on helping support sustainable development of the aquaculture industry through continuation of our research and development projects, by highlighting best practice through The Crown Estate Scottish Salmon Awards and supporting the Scottish Executive's strategic objectives through, for example, our practical support for the Tri-Partite Working Group Project Manager.
Further Information
Any questions relating to the current application and consultation process should be directed to:
Paul Bancks
Coastal Manager
The Crown Estate
6 Bell's Brae
Edinburgh
EH4 3BJ
telephone 0131 260 6083
fax 0131 260 6090
email 
For further information on our Scottish holdings, please visit our Scotland page.
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