Cash gives “more certainty”

SHETLAND’S Hjaltland Housing Association has welcomed news that the Scottish government has pumped a further £87 million into the fund to build affordable and energy efficient homes.

Property services manager Bryan Leask said the extra cash, which brings the government’s investment into housing to £710 million over the next three years, would provide “more certainty” for the future.

This May the association hopes to start construction work at Lerwick’s former North Star building on Harbour Street, the Strand development in Tingwall, and Ladies Mire in Brae. Bids will go in this year for further development in Lerwick’s Pegasus Place.

Mr Leask said they could now revive the practice of looking for potential house building sites to purchase, which has not taken place for some years as funding tightened.