Photo by Isabelle Salomon

Coastal communities in North Cornwall have expressed devastation after Camel Fish Ltd lodged an appeal against the Marine Management Organisation’s refusal to grant a licence for a seaweed farm in Port Quin Bay, prolonging a contentious planning battle that has lasted over a year.

The appeal has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by Dr Angela Mead of Biome Algae Ltd, working in a voluntary capacity. The proposed development would see 144 160-metre longlines deployed in the bay over two to three years, with more than 1,720 buoys featuring marker lights installed in waters 500 metres to 1.4km from shore.

Barnaby Kay, from the Save Our Bays campaign group, said residents and businesses with a stake in Port Quin Bay are once again having to defend the area from the same plans. “Effectively, this is the fourth public consultation on this matter,” he said.

The appeal claims there was “systematic failure by the MMO in the determination of MLA/2023/00307. And that multiple legal issues, significant procedural mistakes and errors have been identified”. However, Kay continued: “North Cornwall communities dispute this and also maintain that the dynamic wave climate, wildlife disturbance, cetacean and seabird entanglement, environmental impact, visual impact and impact on safe anchorage in the bay make this proposal untenable.”

The MMO refused the licence application in April 2025, stating there were unacceptable risks to users of the sea and insufficient evidence there would not be significant impact on the landscape, seascape and environment. The MMO said at the time: “The MMO has considered all evidence presented during the course of this application, from the applicant, our primary advisors, and the public.”

The original applications for two 50.4-hectare seaweed farms in Port Quin Bay were submitted in July 2023, with opponents including Doc Martin actor Martin Clunes and Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln lending their support to the campaign. Biome Algae withdrew their application (MLA/2023/00308) in February 2025, leaving only the Camel Fish application (MLA/2023/00307) to be refused by the MMO in April.

In their appeal, Camel Fish stated they had decided to future-proof their intergenerational business activities through diversifying into sustainable aquaculture, with farmed seaweed forming “a range of marketable products addressing pressing societal needs: food security, regenerative land-based agriculture and alternatives to oil-based plastics”.

Kay added: “Coastal communities and the wider public are absolutely devastated that this process is continuing, despite our colossal efforts to prove that the seaweed farm proposal is unviable in this location. We whole-heartedly support the development of the seaweed cultivation industry in the UK, but not this applicant with this proposal in this location.”

Ben Maguire MP for North Cornwall hailed the original refusal as “a landmark win for our community”, stating that “local voices were ignored throughout the process, and it’s clear that the consultation process used by the MMO was simply not fit for purpose”.

Consultation is now open for public submissions to the Planning Inspectorate, with documents including the appeal, the MMO’s decision report, and community submissions available through the Save Our Bays website and government portal.