News / Hjaltland’s latest hopes for new Lerwick housing
SHETLAND’S housing association Hjaltland hopes to have another 21 houses in south Lerwick available for rent if current plans go through.
Local building contractor Elphinstone & Howarth has this month submitted planning permission to Shetland Islands Council to build a mixture of one, two and three bedroom homes on the site of the Old Observatory above Sound.
E&H purchased the site from the Met Office next door to another 22 property housing scheme built for Hjaltland at Nordavatn by another firm.
Hjaltland chief executive Bryan Leask said such design and build schemes were the quickest and cheapest way for them to construct affordable housing in the isles to meet the steady demand for accommodation.
“The waiting list is at 700, mostly in Lerwick and central Shetland, which is what it was 13 years ago when I started this job, despite the fact we have built 150 houses in the past five years,” Leask said.
He suggested this was a result of the shortage in private accommodation due to demand from oil industry contractors involved in the new gas plant and oil terminal upgrade at Sullom Voe.
Hjaltland has worked with most of the main building contractors in Shetland, but the most active firm has been E&H, which has just completed a 40 unit design and build scheme for the housing association at Strand, in Gott.
“It’s a really good method of construction for us because it means the contractor comes to us with proposals and planning permission,” Leask said.
Once planning permission has gone through, Hjaltland will approach banks for private finance and the Scottish government for a housing grant that will allow them to charge affordable rents.
If everything goes well, construction work could begin by the end of this year.
Hjaltland is currently building properties at Burnbank, near Lerwick’s Hoofields, and has tenders coming in for projects at Pegasus Place and Fort Road in the town.
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