News / Planners don’t like Scalloway home plans
PLANNING officials in Shetland have recommended councillors refuse a major housing development to expand the islands’ ancient capital, despite the local community council wanting it to go ahead.
Hjaltland Housing Association has applied to build around 100 homes at Utnabrake, north of Scalloway, to help tackle the long waiting list for homes in the area.
The council is committed to building more houses and has pledged £20 million from its own reserves to build around 200 homes over the next five years, while pressing the government for help to build more.
However the council’s planning department says the Utnabrake development is “premature”, “poorly designed”, wastes good agricultural land and adversely impacts on an ancient monument.
Hjaltland and building firm JHB Ltd have put in two applications for a mixture of private and social housing, with an area for business and commercial development, including a new health centre.
There is a waiting list of 280 people looking for housing in the Scalloway area, half of whom are single people. Around 120 people applied for a recent development of 22 houses in nearby East Voe.
However in November the council rejected Hjaltland’s plans to build 38 houses on good agricultural land at Veensgarth, three miles north of UItnabrake.
The quality of the land is one of several reasons officials are also recommending refusal at next Wednesday’s planning board meeting.
In 2006 Scalloway community council asked for the Utnabrake area to be zoned for housing, but planners say to do so would be premature. The community council supports the plans in principle, though it has concerns about road access, the retention of agricultural land and wants commercial developments to be sympathetic to the area.
The council’s roads department say there is not enough information to approve the bid, Historic Scotland object to a burnt mound being surrounded on three sides by the development
The plans have received nine letters of objection, eight from local residents and one from a woman in Voe, saying this is some of the best croft land in the area, and the development is inappropriate.
The council has also consulted architectural consultants Architecture + Design Scotland, who do not support this major expansion of Shetland’s second largest town.
Planners think it would be a better idea to plan future houses at Port Arthur, which is already a priority zone for housing in Scalloway.
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