Community / More housing proposed for Staney Hill
THE IMPORTANCE of “joined-up thinking” when it comes to building housing developments in the same area was stressed at the Lerwick Community Council on Monday as members discussed another proposed residential scheme at Staney Hill.
An application for planning permission in principle has been submitted to Shetland Islands Council for a proposed development at the north end of Staney Hill opposite the Wista houses.
The plans, which are being put forward by landowners GB & AM Anderson, would be located near to the boundary of the planned Hjaltland Housing Association development, which could see hundreds of new homes built.
There is no information about how many houses the latest development could include, but the size of the plot is 14,861 square metres.
The application was discussed at a meeting of Lerwick Community Council on Monday and chairman Jim Anderson stressed the importance of “joined-up thinking” when it comes to two potential housing developments in the same area.
“How will it tie in with the Hjaltland development?” he asked.
Speaking after the meeting, Anderson said he would hope issues like interlinking roads and paths would be considered by both developers.
“It was just to make sure that the existing development and the proposed new development at the north end of the Staney Hill, that any paths, roads, the infrastructure etcetera, is through, so there’s no bottlenecks,” he said.
“It makes it a nice pleasant place for folk to live with open spaces, but there’s paths, cycleways and a free flow of folk. That we don’t stifle one bit of development with what we do at another part, and that all these developers get together and make sure that their plans fit together.”
Community council member Gary Robinson emphasised the importance of considering the height of the potential new housing as it would be located up hill from existing developments, possibly causing issues with light.
Karen Fraser added that she was “worried about an increase in traffic in general” in the area and that housing could begin to encroach on a track popular with walkers.
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