A controversial bid by the famous Bruichladdich Distillery to build six new warehouses is to be the subject of a local hearing.
The proposal by the distillery on Islay has been met with objections from nine individuals.
Concerns raised include the scale, height, and location of the buildings. Objectors also say the proposed white finish, although in keeping with the main distillery, will be too bright.
The application on land north of Coultorsay, Bruichladdich, includes the construction of six new bonded warehouses, disgorging unit/filling store and welfare facilities, an access road, hard standings, septic tank and drainage infrastructure.
A report to Argyll and Bute Council’s planning committee recommended that planning permission be granted but also advised members to hold a discretionary pre-determination local hearing because of the scale of the proposal and the strength of local feeling.
Senior planner Richard Kerr said: “The distillery owners have identified a need to provide substantial additional maturation capacity in order to meet anticipated future production over the next 15 years.
“Additional land for this purpose is not available to the applicants in the vicinity of the existing bonds, so consideration has been given to alternative sites.
“Unlike other Islay distilleries, Bruichladdich is unique in that it bottles its production onsite rather than elsewhere, so there is an identified need for casked products to remain local to the distillery for this purpose, to avoid the cost and environmental effects of unnecessary transportation.”
He added: “Consideration should be given to the importance of the whisky industry to Islay, both in terms of direct employment at the distillery and indirect service sector business, and in terms of the wider importance of the whisky sector in terms of tax revenue and Scottish export economy.”
A date is yet to be fixed for the hearing.
A spokesman for Bruichladdich Distillery said they had no comment at this time.