Plans for wheels plant near Fort William to be submitted

An illustration showing the smelter, right, and the planned new wheels factory

Plans for an alloy car wheels factory in the Highlands are to be submitted to Highland Council on Monday.

The developer, GFG Alliance, plans to build the factory as part of an expansion of its Lochaber Smelter near Fort William.

The plant would employ 400 people and could be built to a design based on the shape of aluminium slabs, which are produced at the smelter.

A series of public consultation events have been held in the local area.

If the project secures planning permission, the plant will convert liquid aluminium from the smelter into about two million alloy wheels a year.

GFG Alliance said there are currently no large volume producers of alloy wheels in the UK, which imports millions of alloy wheels.