Simpsons Malt asks Moray Council for another five years to begin Rothes maltings project
A firm has asked to push back the deadline for starting work on a new maltings by five years.
Simpsons Malt have applied to Moray Council to extend their planning permission until December 31, 2030.
Officers have recommended that councillors agree the extension at a committee meeting next Tuesday (May 27).
Currently, planning permission for the maltings at Greens of Rothes is set to expire in less than nine months - on February 15, 2026.
If work does before begin before that date, the planning permission will be lost.
The company said extending the deadline would be “prudent” because it was “highly likely” that current “turbulent global trade conditions” facing the whisky industry would continue over the next year.
Simpsons Malt added that the industry’s exports had fallen by 3.7 per cent as it battled low consumer spending, tax rises and regulation.
When complete, the facility is expected to produce a total of 100,000 tonnes of malt per year.
Planning permission for the maltings, set on a 15.8 hectare site, was granted at a meeting in February 2023.
In a meeting report, a Moray Council official said supporting the extension would benefit the whisky industry during a difficult time.
The document added: “Approval of this request variation would support the whisky industry in a period of economic uncertainty.”
