West Fraser wood panel manufacturer near Inverness and Nairn steps forward in move to switch road transport to rail
Plans which would see a major manufacturer based between Inverness and Nairn switch transportation from road to rail are moving forward.
Wood panel manufacturer West Fraser Europe Ltd - formerly known as Norbord - has now lodged a planning permission for the construction of a rail sidings yard to introduce a more sustainable means of transport to its operations.
According to the planning statement, the move would contribute to reduce West Fraser’s carbon emissions by an estimated 9,000 tonnes, and is seen as an “essential” development for the long-term sustainability of the business.
The plan seeks to get green light for the construction of two rail sidings of around 560m to the south of the existing Aberdeen – Inverness rail line, a connection to the main line to the west of the sidings and the use of a gantry crane (and/or reach stacker) to carry out the loading and unloading of containers.
This comes after pre-application engagement and an early-stage application was lodged in 2024.
In the pre-application consultation report, they wrote: “A number of the feedback received was welcoming of the proposals in terms of its sustainability and positive future operations on site. Participants were supportive of removing HGVs from the roads in favour of the rail facility noting the improvements to the wider area this could bring not least from a climate change and sustainability perspective but also from a transport point of view
“Based on feedback received following the first public consultation event, we understood that the key issue for many people was in relation to the potential impact of noise and lighting, both from the construction period and the future operation of the proposed development.
“Our technical team, Ramboll, have undertaken environmental assessments to determine the Proposed Development’s impact on the local area. The results of the assessments, including any surveys undertaken, mitigation, and enhancement measures, will be reported in an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) that will be submitted with the planning application.”
It also states, in response to a question asked as part of the consultation that there will be initially one train per day, six days per week, which will increase to a maximum of two trains per day.
According to the developer, this represents a sustainable long-term future use for West Fraser, and the proposals are anticipated to remove 20,000 HGV vehicles from the road network.
The consultation is set to close on March 5.
