A NEW planning application has been lodged for the development of barite mine in the Perthshire highlands.
Oilfield services company M-I SWACO submitted the plans to Perth and Kinross council to develop the mineral's resource at Duntanlich, in hills north of Aberfeldy.
The site is in the National Scenic Area of Loch Tummel which is home to one of Scotland's most famous panoramas, the Queen's View on the eastern end of the loch.
Barite is a mineral which is an essential component of drilling fluids to prevent "blowouts" during drilling operations, making it a vital resource for the North Sea oil industry.
M-I SWACO claims Duntanlich holds the only known significant deposit that is economic to work and its development would enable the UK to become self-sufficient and secure in its production.
The proposal is for a production rate of 120,000 tonnes a year, which the company says would supply the whole of the UK's requirements for more than 50 years at planned production rates.
It would provide 30 skilled jobs and is a replacement for the company's mine at nearby Foss, which it has operated since 1985.
The complexity of the Foss deposit has meant is has been increasingly difficult to mine, while the new site boasts a resource of more than seven million tonnes.
Previously, a planning application was lodged by the company in 1992 but was turned down on the grounds of the potential environmental impact.
There were also concerns raised at the time about the impact on the road network in the area and the proposal had raised objections from local landowners.
Appeals from the company were dismissed by the Secretary of State in 1995 and subsequently by the Court of Session in 1996, which said the "environmental disbenefits outweighed the economic benefits" of the application.
M-I SWACO said that the new proposals had been informed by extensive community consultations, with events held in Ballinluig, Pitlochry and Aberfeldy, and integrated three years of environmental studies.
The company, which is part of Schlumberger, the world's largest oilfield services company, said there would also be no visibility from the Queen’s View, with no or minimal visibility from the rest of the surrounding area.
Project manager Ian Hughes said: "We are clearly delighted to be able to be lodging this planning application, which will ensure the UK is self-sufficient in barite.
"Such a project will not only have a significant positive local economic impact, diversifying the economy of this rural area where employment is reliant on tourism and forestry, but will also have national significance in terms of providing vital continuity of supply for the North Sea oil and gas industry.
"We have learnt a lot from the time of the previous application and have made significant adjustments to our proposals.
"We have engaged extensively with the local community and other key stakeholders to ensure the success of this important project for both the local area as well as nationally."
Mine traffic will travel on a new access route from the site to the A827 close to the A9 Ballinluig junction, avoiding towns and villages in the Tay Valley.
A spokesman from Forest Enterprise Scotland said it had worked with the company on the new proposal, as part of the haulage route from the mine to the public road would be on land they manage.
He said: "The proposals will be taken through the open planning process and if successful we will be happy to continue assisting with the project."
A spokesman for the John Muir Trust said the conservation charity had looked into the plans and that it would not be objecting to the development.
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