Plans for an £80million fish food processing plant on Skye could be approved next week.
The development would generate pellets for feeding salmon at Marine Harvest fish farms.
The facility would be built on the site of a quarry at Kyleakin near the Skye Bridge.
Marine Harvest’s planning application will go before Highland Council’s planning committee next week.
Councillors have been recommended to approve the proposal.
The processing plant was widely welcomed last year after Marine Harvest unveiled their proposal to build at Kyleakin.
The new development would be made up of a complex of industrial buildings, storage silos and an extension to the existing pier.
Marine Harvest, which is based in Norway, said it expects to be able to produce 170,000 tonnes of feed per year.
Most of the materials used to create the fish feed will arrive by water at the site via the newly extended pier, while some will arrive by road on the A87.
The plans also involve diverting a burn running across the site into a new channel which will pass to the west of the main buildings.
Nine representations were received from members of the public, with some concern raised about the appearance of the facility and increased noise.
Positive comment was received about the economic benefit of the facility.
The site it would be built on includes an exhausted area of quarry, while an there is also a current area used for the removal of aggregates.
In his report to committee, planning officer Mark Harvey said: “The proposed development represents a significant and welcome investment.
“The proposal by its very nature is functional in form and design. It will be comparatively
well hidden from the communities of Badacuil, Kyle and Kyleakin. The development will undoubtedly be prominent and visible when travelling to Skye and will for some alter their perception on arrival.
“Whilst the operational and financial reasons for it
are understood, it is, nevertheless disappointing that the opportunity to actively consider an amended engineering solution and/or to a softer more profiled roof finish and design that would have been less intrusive was not considered.
“Regrettably although these concerns were raised at the outset this was not
explored.”
However, he said any concerns about the design were not sufficient to recommend rejecting the plans.
