Permission sought for new Ballachulish distillery
A planning application for the construction of a new distillery on the outskirts of Ballachulish has been submitted to Highland Council.
Situated 3km west of the village on the southern shore of Loch Leven, the proposed 8,400 sq m distillery site would sit inside Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area and include a three-still production hall, 1800 cask capacity warehouse, external storage space, visitor centre, shop, tasting rooms, and car park.
In a design document submitted to the council’s planning department by applicant Colin Shaw, the development is described as taking "architectural cues from both the surrounding landscape and the distilling process itself".
The exteriors are to be metal cladding panels for the three-chimney production building and timber for public areas.
The application also promises to enhance the local economy, protect the environment, and improve accessibility. This would include prioritising native planting, constructing a pedestrian footpath, and creating a passing place on the site’s access road off the A82.
Those living in the immediate vicinity of the proposed site have met the plans with scepticism.
Iain and Cathy Hall, whose home sits adjacent to the proposed site, said they were not against a development at the location, but the current architectural design resembles "a World War II prison camp" and was not
environmentally appropriate.
"We are not saying we don’t want the the distillery at all - though we have probably got enough of them - but it is just this particular design and some of the things that are being proposed. For example, their waste water would run through our burn where the otter go to wash off the salt water.
"They are proposing to dump their effluent in there, and I swim in the loch: I don’t want to be swimming in their crap,” Mrs Hall said.
The couple added that the development’s need to bore for water was inappropriate in a scenic area and undermined the selling point of the whisky, while an otter survey submitted with the application that deemed the animals absent from the area was also questioned, with the Halls saying the species was frequently seen there.
Highland Council has set an internal target date for the 24/05246/FUL application of April 11. Standard consultation will end on March 5, and neighbour consultation on March 14.
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