Notice of new plan for former yard near Ardersier

Highland Council has been notified of the potential for a renewed bid for planning permission for new port near Ardersier in the Highlands.

The site at Whiteness on the Moray Firth is the former McDermott Yard which opened in the early 1970s.

At its height, the oil industry yard employed about 4,500 people but it closed in 2001 as demand dropped.

Ardersier Port Ltd has given the council notice that it may seek permission for construction work.

This includes the dredging of a channel, quay realignment and the erection of industrial and storage buildings.

It has proposed that the port offer services to the energy sector.

Over the years, there have been various plans drawn up to bring the former fabrication yard site back into use.