Project Cancellation
Drinks conglomerate Suntory Global Spirits has decided to abandon its plans to construct a £150 million whisky maturation facility in East Ayrshire. The proposed site was located at South Drumboy farm in Kilmarnock.
Planning permission for the project was granted last year after Scottish government ministers overruled environmental objections raised during the approval process.
Suntory, the owner of American bourbon brand Jim Beam, had projected that the new plant would create approximately 45 jobs in the local area. The company produces several Scotch whisky brands including Laphroaig, Bowmore, Auchentoshan, Teacher's, Glen Garioch, Ardmore, and Ardray.
In an official statement, Suntory said:
"While we are no longer progressing with the Kingswell project, we are redirecting investment to a local maturation facility.
Our investment in Scotland will continue as we remain focused on the long-term sustainability of our operations, brands and contribution to the economy."
The firm informed that details regarding the redirected investment are not yet available. Previously, the company had estimated that the new facility would represent an investment of around £150 million into Ayrshire.
The proposed maturation facility was designed to accommodate 500,000 barrels of spirits.
Planning Approval and Objections
Several objectors to the proposal had raised concerns about potential noise pollution from the site as well as possible impacts on the water supply for nearby residents. Additional worries were expressed regarding ethanol emissions from the whisky barrels, which some feared could contribute to the development of black mould fungus.
One local resident, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed relief at the project's cancellation, stating to BBC Scotland News:
"There was a lot of concerns here about the potential effects on water supply and the way planning and approval was handled."
Last year, Scottish government planning reporter David Buylla recommended that the scheme be abandoned. He criticized the scale and design of the proposed facility and indicated that he was not convinced that more suitable alternative sites could not be identified.
Despite this, Scottish ministers overruled the recommendation, concluding that Suntory had provided adequate justification for why none of the alternative sites proposed would have been feasible. They also noted that the design of the facility went "beyond a utilitarian warehousing development" and subsequently approved the plan.
