Part of the former Boat House restaurant in Port St Mary is to be converted into a sea salt production facility after the island’s planning committee unanimously approved the scheme, according to Isle of Man Today.
The application, reference 26/00560/B, was submitted by Helen Crosbie, founder of the Isle of Man Salt Company. It covers a change of use to allow sea salt to be produced, crystallised and packed on site, alongside a retail display, café and event space.
The business began in 2021 as a hobby during the Covid lockdowns, Isle of Man Today reported. Its hand-harvested sea salt and other products are now sold at Selfridges on London’s Oxford Street.
Elke Zinnecker, speaking for the company, told the committee that the business had been drying salt in polytunnels, but that this had restricted its growth.
She said the building, on a corner plot at the junction of Athol Street and Loch Road, had been empty for at least two years. She added that the proposal would allow it to be brought back into permanent use.
The committee heard that the plan had the support of neighbours and the community, and that no objections had been lodged.
In its planning statement, the company said it would use equipment it described as “innovative, energy efficient” to concentrate seawater into brine. The brine will then be moved to a crystallisation vessel and warmed gently so that salt flakes form.
The crystals will be harvested by hand, dried and prepared for packing, according to the statement. Each production cycle is expected to produce about 25kg of sea salt, and the process will be repeated every day.
The approved external works include:
- photovoltaic solar panels fitted to the existing roofs
- new painted signage to replace the current signs
- removal of the existing extraction unit
Isle of Man Today did not report a timetable for the conversion or for the opening of the café and event space.
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