Trust in discussions to secure restoration of ‘peerie pier’

SHETLAND Amenity Trust has confirmed it is in correspondence with the community council and the SIC to secure the future of a 200-year-old pier on the island of Whalsay.

The peerie dock at Symbister is in a desperate state of repair and requires urgent restoration work to prevent it from crumbling into the sea.

Earlier this month Whalsay Community Council raised the issue once again after attempts to pull together a renovation project a decade ago were unsuccessful.

Shetland Amenity Trust head of engagement Sandy Middleton has now confirmed that ownership of the pier was transferred from Shetland Islands Council to the trust in 2015 for £1 in the hope it could attract external funding for the work.

“Unfortunately the cost of restoration and repair is far more significant than at first thought and we have been unable to secure grant funding to date,” she said.

“We have been in correspondence with the community council on this and are in discussion with SIC to explore options and to seek a resolution to secure the future of this historic dock.”

The peerie dock was once the site of a fish processing and international export business, and later was the island’s ferry terminal.