BP plan office block

OIL giant BP hopes to build a large two storey office block in Shetland as yet another sign of the second oil boom the islands are experiencing.

On Tuesday morning Shetland Islands Council granted temporary planning permission for the oil company to knock down a redundant helicopter hangar at Sella Ness industrial estate and to build offices with 2,500 square metres of floor space.

The plan covers 20,000 square metre area and includes car parking for 101 vehicles.

The plans tie in with BP’s long term ambitions to refurbish the Sullom Voe oil terminal and to bring on stream new oil and gas fields west of Shetland.

The company said in June that it planned to double the workforce on site at Sullom Voe to around 1,000 people for the best part of the next decade to extend the life of the plant for 30 years.

The company is also exploring the idea of building an accommodation block in the vicinity to house 400 workers to carry out the refurbishment programme.

BP were granted temporary planning permission for 13 years by councillors on Tuesday.

The company said it would now seek permission from the other partners in the terminal to go ahead with the development.