A large salmon farming company has submitted a planning application to build a £5M fish processing factory in Scotland.
The planning application was submitted to Western Isles Council on November 4 by Lighthouse Caledonia. It outlines plans to build gutting and filleting facilities in a 7,000 sqm factory, which will be able to process up to 15,000t of fish per year at Arnish, south of Stornoway.
Lighthouse Caledonia wants the facility to be up and running by the end of 2010. If approved, it will create up to 100 jobs.
When the company was under different ownership last year, Lighthouse Caledonia was forced to close a processing plant in Stornoway, with the loss of 130 jobs. “The submission of this planning application represents a significant turning point and we can now move forward to build our business,” said Lighthouse Caledonia’s chairman Jim Mullins.
Lighthouse Caledonia is a fully-integrated seafood company. It operates from 37 sites with a head office in Edinburgh. It employs over 200 staff. Turnover in 2008 was £52M.