News / Over 30 houses proposed for Scalloway
PLANS have emerged for 32 new houses to be built in Scalloway in a bid to ease pressure on the local waiting list.
A public meeting is set to be held in the village by the end of June as part of the pre-planning consultation stage.
The proposed plans, which are being devised by E&H building contractors for Hjaltland Housing Association (HHA), would see units built on land at Upper Scalloway on the north side of the school.
The land is located in the same area where a much larger scheme of affordable housing, private dwellings and an industrial estate was previously proposed by developer JHB Ltd in 2009 before being turned down by planners.
HHA chief executive Bryan Leask said Scalloway is the association’s second highest demand area after Lerwick.
It currently has 545 people on its Shetland-wide waiting list, with 45 people for Scalloway.
Leask added that the availability of land for new builds in the village has previously been scarce.
“It’s been quite constrained in Scalloway really over the last five years,” he said.
“We developed the last houses at Endavoe in East Voe, and really since then it’s been picking up fairly small gap sites.
“The availability of land to do any kind of significant numbers is pretty limited in Scalloway as it is with the current local development plan.”
E&H managing director Bobby Elphinstone said the company was hopeful of submitting a planning application in August.
“We’ve done a design in principle which has a mix of housing that would be compatible with the demand in the area,” he said.
“There is demand there and there’s a will from the council to develop the area.”
Scalloway Community Council’s Mark Burgess encouraged anyone with views on the new proposal to get in touch with community council members ahead of the public meeting, which is being hosted by the developers.
The news comes as the Scottish Government funded Making Places scheme continues to look at how Scalloway could be developed in the future.
Workshops and events were held in the village in May as the scheme was given the new name of Recreating Scalloway.
The proposed housing development, meanwhile, would be a design and build project in which E&H has access to the land.
The building contractor is involved in the design, negotiation and consultation elements before bringing a proposal to Hjaltland, which would then decide if it wants to take the idea forward should the plans receive approval.
Hjaltland works in partnership with the Scottish Government, Shetland Islands Council and other agencies to provide affordable housing for rent and, where appropriate, low cost home ownership.
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