Low-carbon improvements are being proposed for Scotland's primary poultry processing plant at Coupar Angus, which form part of a wider strategy that includes a £275 million residential development in West Lothian.
Amber Real Estate Investment (Amber REI) has submitted two Proposal of Application Notices (PAN) to Perth and Kinross Council, signalling the intent to submit planning applications following community consultation.
It forms part of Amber's broader Scottish strategy, financed in part through the proposed delivery of Drumshoreland Garden Community on the site of the company’s poultry farm complex at Clapperton in West Lothian.
Amber says its proposals could trigger a post-Covid investment of £425m across Scotland, providing a boost to the agriculture, food production and tourism sectors.
READ MORE: Chickens make way for West Lothian homes
The Coupar Angus proposal is for a £65m low-carbon facility on neighbouring land to the current plant, which the company currently owns. This would unlock the existing site for alternative uses that may include residential, general industrial, storage or distribution purposes, as determined through the forthcoming planning application process.
Community engagement will now take place in advance of applications for planning permission for works to the current facility, and planning permission in principle for the delivery of a new plant along with redevelopment options for the current site.
Amber recently submitted planning applications in West Lothian for the delivery of Drumshoreland Garden Community, a £275m residential-led mixed-use development. This will include around 1,800 homes, a quarter of which will be affordable homes.
Amber said its total investment across Scotland could reach £425m, including £275m for Drumshoreland and £150m elsewhere, supporting 5,750 jobs.
READ MORE: Glasgow construction group CCG upbeat on trading but flags Brexit challenges
The plan is to improve, replace and expand elements of the Scottish poultry supply chain, strengthening this vital and significant rural employer. This would include: the upgrading of feed mill facilities and provision of new hotel at Edinburgh Airport; a new sustainable farming space across West Lothian; a new animal feed mill located in the Central Belt in the medium to long-term; plus medium and long-term investment in the site at Coupar Angus.
“Should planning permission be obtained, it will be fantastic to see this potential level of investment being used to upgrade the current processing facility in Coupar Angus, delivering new state of the art low carbon facilities," local MP Pete Wishart said.
“In addition to creating much-needed employment, it is a tremendous opportunity to raise standards by improving the facilities, delivering high-quality production while tackling climate change and delivering a sustainable future.”
A spokesperson said Amber REI is encouraging the community to become "fully involved" in the consultation.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here