Moray Council: Go-ahead for 10 warehouses at Rothes
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Planning permission has been given to the Edrington Group to build 10 maturation warehouses at Rothes.
The site to the west of Glenrothes Distillery extends to 50 hectares and includes a former farm.
Moray Council officers recommended that planning permission be granted, stating the warehouses would be an acceptable departure from the local development plan.
However councillor Derek Ross (Speyside /Glenlivet, Independent) voiced his unease at the disruption it would cause to townsfolk.
Speaking at the local authority's planning committee, he said: "Residents will be subjected to construction for nine years. Some might ask does Rothes really matter, with the amount of construction going on?
"I don’t think any of us would want to be residents of Burnside Street. The people in Rothes are sick of having things done to them."
In reply, Cllr Ross was told that the construction period was being phased from this year until 2032 in order to limit its impact on the community.
The councillor, one of three who represent the Speyside ward on Moray Council, also highlighted the high number of lorries that already pass through Rothes on the A941.
In addition, he raised concerns over the amount of ethanol released during the maturation process, and the potential impact it could have on the environment.
Draeyk Van Der Horn (Forres, Green) pointed out that the application was the second departure from the local development plan approved in Rothes in recent weeks.
In February members voted to grant planning permission in principle for a £65 million maltings at Greens of Rothes, on the B9015 road towards Mosstodloch.
Cllr Van Der Horn stated there now seemed to be a "culture of departure" in Rothes.
Cllr Donald Gatt (Keith and Cullen, Conservative), seconded by Sonya Warren (Buckie, SNP) tabled a motion to give planning permission subject to conditions.
These conditions state that, before any work starts, the Edrington Group must provide a traffic management plan as well as finalise its landscaping scheme.
This motion was passed by 12 votes to three, defeating an amendment objecting to the warehouses put forward by cllr Ross and seconded by cllr Van Der Horn.
