A PLANNING application for a coastal quarry at Loch Seaforth in Harris will be submitted by early summer, Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) said last Thursday.

And the company also revealed that they are planning to hold extensive discussions and public exhibitions locally before they lodge their application with Comhairle nan Eilean.

RMC's Head of Planning, Mr Colin D'Oyley told the Gazette the planning application is "virtually complete" but work is continuing on the marine issues of the Harbour Order application which they wish to submit at the same time.

He said RMC are looking at the issues raised recently by the Council in connection with the Redland Aggregates Harbour Order and are following up the "genuine concerns" regarding ballast water and navigation voiced by fishermen at last September's consultation meeting in Scalpay.

Mr D'Oyley went on that the preparations for the Loch Seaforth quarry project are "very complex". However, with a final push, RMC could be seeking planning consent as early as the first quarter of this year but certainly by early summer.

Mr D'Oyley stressed that RMC would not be "dropping the proposals on people", the company intend explaining their proposals widely before formally moving for planning permission.

"Before the submission goes in we will be coming up for a week and holding several local exhibitions and meetings with everybody to explain what the scheme is," he said.

The proposed Loch Seaforth quarry is expected to cost in excess of £10 million to develop and will create an estimated 30 to 35 full time jobs for local people.

RMC plan to extract one million tonnes of Lewisian gneiss a year for the European road stone market. Over the 60 year lifetime of the quarry, production would vary between one and five million tonnes per annum. Total reserves are estimated to be up to 170 million tonnes.

Original article Stornoway Gazette Jan 06 1997.