Brevik housing welcomed by community council

PLANS to turn the Brevik House site into a development of over 30 flats and houses has been “broadly welcomed” by Lerwick Community Council (LCC).

The Breiwick Bay Properties Ltd planning application was discussed at a meeting of the community council on Monday and no objections were raised.

The company, which is part of Aberdeen based property developers Ardent Group and features former isles man Martin Watt as a director, launched the plans after putting a proposal for a hotel on the backburner due to the slow down in the oil and gas industry.

The proposal would see Brevik House on South Road demolished to build 24 social/affordable flats which would be sold or put up for rent, and up to nine private properties which are proposed to be for sale, with sizes ranging from one-bedroom to five-bedroom.

LCC chairman Jim Anderson said after Monday’s meeting that the “bottom line” is that the proposed development should be welcomed as it would provide more housing options for the town.

“Whether or not Lerwick needs another hotel is a conversation for another day, but what it certainly does need is housing,” he said.

“And it’s mixed housing, and something personally I think is starting to get bit short in the town is larger sized family homes.”

Discussions have already taken place between Breiwick Bay Properties Ltd, which has ownership of the site, and Hjaltland Housing Association with regards to the site’s potential affordable housing.

In recent years Brevik House, which was built in 1886 and previously used by the NHS, has been utilised by voluntary group Shetland Solidarity with Refugees for collecting aid donations.

The planning application has attracted a couple of objections from the public so far, with concerns raised in areas such as the number of properties, the style of the buildings and the extra traffic the development could bring.