Mussel farmers win marina appeal

The mussel farmers had claimed the proposed development on Angelsey, could reduce the crop by up to 40 per cent. Land owners Anglesey Council told BBC News it was "disappointed".

The dispute began in 1999, when the council granted permission for a local developer to build a marina on land owned by the council and Crown Estate, which would affect the mussel beds, according to the farmers. As the beds are protected by fisheries legislation in 2007 the council and Crown Estate launched a legal challenge, arguing that it should not prevent the marina being built. In March 2008, High Court judge ruled that the marina should not be built, but this was appealed in November. Three appeal court judges have now endorsed the original verdict.

The Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) said the case had been watched carefully by UK shellfish farmers throughout. 29 farms, producing £22m of shellfish annually, rely on the same legislation that protects the Menai Strait. "Shellfish farmers around the country have been holding their breath waiting for this verdict," Dr Peter Hunt, SAGB director, told the BBC. Ha added that it would have been catastrophic if it had gone the other way, and now hoped the Government would use the proposed Marine Bill would help avoid similar problems elsewhere.