Thursday June 5th 2025
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Scientists will use a shipping container to help them develop tropical seafood using artificial intelligence on land in Midlothian.
Midlothian Council planners have given the go ahead for the container to be placed on Dryden Farm, Roslin, which is owned by the University of Edinburgh, at a historic battle site.
A report from planning officers says the shipping container will be used to store equipment which will help with the “development of AI powered aquaculture systems for growing tropical seafood in Scotland”.
The application for the shipping container which will be based on hardstanding next to buildings already in use at the Roslin site, was granted permission by planners this week.
Despite being placed on part of the Battle of Roslin, battlefield site, planners said the container would not impact the site and Historic Environment Scotland made no objection to its use.
Research into using AI to produce systems which can produce seafood has been hailed as groundbreaking by the industry as it aims to find ways to farm fish sustainably.
The Roslin Innovative Centre last month revealed a firm it was working with had received funding from Scottish Enterprise among others which will allow it to advance its technology towards commercialisation.
The technology was described by the centre as a “groundbreaking, sustainable aquaculture system designed to produce fresh, antibiotic-free tropical seafood locally—right where it’s consumed”.
Granting permission for the shipping container, planners said: “Dryden Farm is a long established development within the green belt and the use and size of the proposed container will ensure that it will not have a detrimental impact on the objectives of the green belt.
“The scale, character and appearance of the unit will be in keeping with the character of the wider farm complex and there will be no impact on the landscape setting of the battlefield site.”
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