Public Notices
November 2026 Cairnadailly Drilling Works - Advance Public Information Notice
October 26, 2026
Office address: Unit 11, Castle Street
Castlepark Industrial Estate, Ellon, AB41 9RF
Website: www.aberdeenminerals.com
Email: info@aberdeenminerals.com
Freephone: 01358 747560
Date: 26 October 2026
Advance Public Information Notice
Exploratory Mineral Drilling Works at Cairnadailly, near Ellon
We wish to notify the public of plans for an upcoming programme of exploratory mineral drilling works at Cairnadailly Farm, AB41 8QJ, located in Aberdeenshire between Ellon and Auchnagatt as indicated in Picture 1. Three short boreholes are proposed, with works due to start on 4th November and provisionally scheduled until 22nd December.
All works are carried out in cooperation with the landowners. In accordance with Class 53 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992, operations will be carried out between the hours of 7am and 6pm only. They will also be carried out in accordance with Environmental Authorisation (Scotland) Regulations 2018, Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995 and other applicable regulations.
We aim to minimise and mitigate any impacts of the works on local residents and farming operations. The company is contacting householders in the immediate vicinity of the site with more information.
The drilling forms part of Aberdeen Minerals’ ongoing appraisal of potential for naturally occurring bedrock deposits of nickel, copper and cobalt minerals which were first discovered and drilled in the nearby Arthrath area in the 1960s and 70s.
Nickel and cobalt are classed by the UK as “critical minerals” due to their importance to the country’s economic interests, and copper is classed as a “growth mineral” due to its use in electrification. Aberdeen Minerals is working under agreements with local landowners to assess the economic potential for these metals in Aberdeenshire.
Two short boreholes were previously drilled in the vicinity of Cairnadailly and Blindburn farms in 1969. Recent survey work by the company has returned subsurface indicators of prospective geology, which the new drilling is designed to either confirm or disprove in an initial test.
The works will involve one small rotary drill rig (Picture 2) and supporting equipment to be provided by Priority Drilling UK Ltd. Two to three drillers will operate the rig. The rig will drill a small diameter (75-100 mm), angled borehole into the ground to recover a continuous “core” of rock (Picture 3). Each borehole will reach less than 200 metres vertical depth.
Our geologists will use the core to measure the properties of the rocks and take samples for further investigation. These investigations are preliminary and exploratory in nature at this time, and the results will be used to make an initial assessment of mineral potential at this location.
If you have any questions about these plans, please contact us using the details at the top of this letter. More information about Aberdeen Minerals is available on our website www.aberdeenminerals.com.
On behalf of Aberdeen Minerals,
Fraser Gardiner
Chief Executive Officer
