News / Plans for social housing opposite Islesburgh
PLANS have been lodged for a substantial redevelopment of a run-down site in the centre of Lerwick which would see nearly 30 one-bedroom flats built directly opposite Islesburgh Community Centre.
Hjaltland Housing Association, which submitted planning documents for the development earlier this month, anticipate that the flats would be a mixture of social housing and shared ownership affordable homes.
The King Harald Street project would see the 27 one-bedroom flats, which would be suitable for two people, contained within a trio of two and three storey blocks.
The buildings currently on the dilapidated site, such as the disused old archives premises, would be demolished.
The area is owned by Shetland Islands Council, which would make the land available to Hjaltland once planning permission is granted.
Hjaltland chief executive Bryan Leask said the development of one-bedroom flats would help to meet a massive demand for households of that size.
He said the association currently has a waiting list of around 700 people for Shetland, but a “huge” portion of the demand was for single bedroom properties.
Around 60 per cent of the waiting list is for Lerwick, and over half of that relates to one-bedroom accommodation.
“It’s been lacking in Shetland over the last 30 years. The housing built in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s were all usually three or four bedroom family homes,” Leask said.
“What was not provided for at that time was smaller one and two bedroom accommodation, so that’s where we’ve been asked to fill a gap.”
If planning permission is granted, Leask expects Hjaltland to be on site by late summer at the earliest, with the development set to take around two years to complete.
Hjaltland said in its planning submission that it aims to “create a contemporary development which preserves the overall character of the area and makes a positive contribution to its setting.
“The proposed design is sensitive to its surroundings and will transform what is currently a partly vacant and largely run down site within a prominent part of the [Lerwick New Town] Conservation Area.”
The block of three buildings, which have been designed by PJP Architects, would reflect the size of the nearby traditional stone houses on King Harald Street.
They would be dark grey in colour and their walls would be made from fibre cement cladding.
It is anticipated that demand for car parking space from potential residents would be catered for by existing on-street parking nearby.
It is also expected that some of the ground floor flats would be made especially suitable for people with dementia.
The site previously housed a number of buildings used by Islesburgh when it was run as a school in the 20th century, such as a gym hall and canteen.
When the centre stopped being used as a school in the 1970s, some of the buildings were used for commercial endeavours. The old gym building is currently being used as an auction house.
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