Gairloch residents ‘kept in the dark’ over gold mine plans amid calls for community benefit fund
Gairloch residents have called on a Canadian gold mining firm to come clean about its plans for a mine in the area, after documents revealed that the firm has sought permission from regulators to drill several boreholes up to 400m deep.
Documents obtained from multiple Freedom of Information requests show that Galantas Gold have been in contact with a number of public agencies about its plans to exploit gold and other mineral resources on the Gairloch estate.
They show where an initial set of bore holes will be drilled, and outline a larger area between Gairloch and Loch Maree that the firm says is ‘of interest.’
RELATED: Canadian firm acquires exploration rights from Gairloch Estate
Although the firm has not made any contact with the local community council, Galantas have contacted planners at Highland Council to notify them about plans to drill seven bore holes in the Kerrysdale area, south east of Gairloch.
In an email dated May 3, council officials reminded the firm that the area was designated as a “National Scenic Area” but gave the proposed boreholes the go ahead. Planners said that no trees could be damaged without prior agreement from officials and that all drilling should be complete by November 2023.
A further application submitted to environment watchdog, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), shows that the firm intends to drill a 400m deep borehole in the same area.
The “Method Statement” from the firm says that it may extract up to 10 cubic metres of water per day from “the nearest watercourse,” as part of the drilling process. The work on the 400m deep borehole could begin in July and take a month to complete. Once work is over, the waste water will be “pumped out as far away as possible allowing plenty distance from any water course.”
After learning of the details in these applications, Gairloch community councillors said they had hoped for better communication from Galantas Gold at a meeting on June 12.
Locals said that they were particularly worried about the potential impact of any additional water extraction given weeks of very dry weather in the area.
It was noted that water levels in the nearby River Kerry, which is designated as a Special Area of Conservation because it is an important freshwater pearl mussel habitat, were already very low.
Sheena Crawford, Chair of the Community Council said: "I would hope for more, in the current climate, and this day and age, in terms of community engagement and proper communication with the statutory representative body of the community."
"We promote information sharing throughout the community, so we would like to know and feel like we understand more about what's going on."
The community council also called for Galantas Gold to begin discussions now with locals about a potential community benefit fund before mining gets underway in the area.
Drilling machinery has recently been stored at Gairloch harbour car park.
Corporate disclosures by the company show that it has paid £347,000 to the Gairloch Estate for the right to develop the mine, with the estate set to receive 5% of any subsequent profits.
An agent for the firm who is not named in emails released by the British Geological Survey told officials that Galantas “planned to spend a lot of money there in the coming years,” as they anticipate finding a series of other so-called critical raw materials (CRMs) in the Gairloch area, alongside the gold.
“There is potential for a whole raft of CRMs be associated with the gold mineralisation – antimony, bismuth, cobalt, germanium etc etc... I would guess there has never been any real investigation of the potential of these as by-products.”
And in a licence application submitted to Crown Estate Scotland, the firm said it already has finance in place to cover the first two years of planned operations in the area, but more money would need to be raised to fully develop the mine.
Highlands and Islands MSP Ariane Burgess said that proposals for the mine must be scrutinised carefully, and backed calls for a community benefit fund.
“Rural Scotland, and our neighbours in Northern Ireland, has seen a surge in mining speculation due to high gold prices.
“Establishing a community benefit fund would provide a tangible and potentially long-lasting way of ensuring investment in the area stays in the area and is focused on the needs of locals.
And she added: “It’s important the long-term viability of mining companies is assessed to ensure that investors - not communities and the public purse - bear the cost of the inevitable clean-up.”
Maree Todd MSP also backed local concerns about poor communications from the mining firm and offered to support Gairloch Community Council in discussions around a community benefit fund for the area.
“Community engagement is absolutely crucial when it comes to any development that impacts the local community. In my view, proactively informing community councils ahead of works is good practice and provides the opportunity for residents to voice their concerns and have them addressed.
“I appreciate the calls for a community benefit fund to be established and I would be happy to support the Gairloch Community Council in their discussions with Galantas Gold.”
Galantas Gold were contacted for comment but did not provide a response.
