Highland Council has approved a major expansion of Whyte & Mackay’s operations in Invergordon.
The distiller applied for planning permission to build 42 whisky maturation warehouses on agricultural land near Cromarty Firth industrial park.
Whyte & Mackay plans to phase the development over the next five decades, completing their expansion in 2077.
Highland Council planning officers had supported the application, advising councillors to grant planning permission. They said the whisky warehouses would improve a derelict site and safeguard Whyte & Mackay’s future as a major employer in the area.
However, there were some concerns about the environmental impact of the development. Specifically, the so-called ‘angel’s share’.
The angel’s share is the whisky lost to evaporation during the ageing process. Invergordon community council objected to the Whyte & Mackay planning application expressing worries about Volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions.
However, while Sepa said guidance around VOCs is being reviewed, they did not object to the whisky warehousing plan.
‘Whyte & Mackay do care about the community’
Local councillor Maxine Smith acknowledged the problem, telling north planning committee: “Black mould does exist. Whatever Sepa and the authorities say, locals will tell you different.”
But Ms Smith said the committee had to follow the expert guidance. While she said she “wishes” she could solve the alleged black mould problem, she noted there was only one residential objection.
Ms Smith praised Whyte & Mackay for their contribution to the community. “They have to expand, they have to think 20 years ahead, and that has to be good for Invergordon,” she said. “Whyte & Mackay do care about the community.”
Ms Smith said the company often helped with local causes, and this expansion would benefit the local economy.
Councillor Margaret Paterson agreed, saying this development would make Invergordon home to the largest single whisky distillery in Scotland.
And while councillor Matthew Reiss said of the visuals that he had “never seen anything more ugly”, he acknowledged that Whyte & Mackay’s extensive planting programme would soften the look over time.
Overall, north planning committee welcomed the application, and unanimously granted planning permission.
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