Services

Landscape and visual impact assessment

Visualisations and Graphic Support

Key Tasks

Seascape and visual impact assessment

Photomontages

Stakeholder consultation

What we did

Hjaltland Seafarms Ltd lodged an application with The Highland Council (THC) for a new fish farm site within Uig Bay, off the coast of the Isle of Skye to be called Uig Bay Fish Farm. THC  determined that a Landscape / Seascape and Visual Assessment was required as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment in support of the application. This was confirmed by Scottish Natural Heritage in their consultation feedback. ASH was appointed to carry out this work together with the production of visualisations.

The proposed development is to be situated on the site of a previous fish farm which was removed in 2007. Uig is the location of the ferry terminal to the Isle of Lewis and Harris, as well as North Uist. Settlement is mainly concentrated within the village of Uig that wraps around the distinctive bay. The heart of the village is approximately 2km north-east of the proposed development while the nearest property to the proposed site is approximately 1km away.

The proposed development would comprise 8 x 120m circumference cages with a barge located on the north eastern edge of the cages. The proposed feed barge would be a rectangular reinforced concrete pontoon approximately 4m to 5.6m in height above the waterline.  
The assessment concluded that none of the local character types or the Trotternish and Tianavaig Special Landscape Area (which included the area where the fish farm is proposed) would receive effects that would be considered significant. The visual assessment found that significant residual visual effects arising from the proposals would be limited to three nearby receptors including a localised section of the ferry route, a nearby headland and a roadside pull-in on the A87. Taking mitigation into account, residual effects on the residential receptors in Uig and other routeways were not predicted to be significant.