Housing / Clear plan for SSEN workers’ accommodation needed ‘quickly’, SIC leader says
TALKS are ongoing with energy developers about providing their own accommodation for workers on future projects – but concern has been raised at the pace of progress.
Shetland Islands Council leader Emma Macdonald said she has a worry that “this isn’t happening quick enough”.
Meanwhile development director Neil Grant said things need to progress with more “urgency”.
A developer central to the issue is SSEN, which has a number of large projects in Shetland on the horizon.
This includes installing cabling between Kergord and Sullom Voe Terminal, and a potential second subsea HVDC link between Shetland and the Scottish mainland which is likely to come with significant on-land infrastructure.
It comes after concern in the past over the pressure visiting workforces can have on the housing sector in Shetland.
Speaking at a meeting of SIC’s development committee on Wednesday, Macdonald said it was “all good that they’ve come and spoken to us, and said that they want to work with us, but I think the timeline of that is starting to slip already”.
“We need to see a really clear plan of how they’re going to house all these people they’re planning to bring here, and we need to see that quickly,” she said.
Committee chairman Dennis Leask said it has been stressed to SSEN that things need to be accelerated “because housing doesn’t happen overnight”.
Grant meanwhile highlighted future energy projects in and around Shetland which also include offshore and onshore wind, hydrogen production and “West of Shetland connection”
He said the accommodation needs are measured in “many hundreds of people”.
“What we’re trying to achieve here is for that not to put undue pressure on our housing market, which requires housing solutions to be brought forward,” Grant said.
An SSEN Transmission spokesperson said in response on Thursday: “We appreciate the support from Shetland Islands Council and local housing stakeholders as we work together to identify workforce accommodation solutions – including how we can deliver a positive legacy through our pledge to support the delivery of more than 1,000 new homes for local communities in the north of Scotland, as part of our accommodation requirements.
“We are currently at the early stages of planning for the second High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) subsea link from Shetland, however we understand the importance of early and substantive engagement on accommodation requirements.
“We are currently working to gather an estimate of workforce numbers to inform future planning, and this will provide the basis of an update that we aim to provide to stakeholders in the coming weeks, that will include details of the timelines involved.”
Norwegian energy giant Statkraft has a number of future projects in the works, including three onshore wind farms and a hydrogen production facility.
When asked this week about the topic, a spokesperson referred back to a statement issued last year.
That comment said: “It’s something that we will assess the need for on a project-by-project basis, as we move closer to construction, and will work with the local authority and other organisations to help meet local needs.”
During Wednesday’s meeting SIC depute leader Gary Robinson also suggested there is a “perfect storm” right now in housing.
He highlighted how there are high build costs to meet required standards, which lead to increased borrowing costs, which then impacts on affordable rents.
Robinson also questioned whether the SIC needs to think about directly investing in housing, otherwise there is the risk of population and economy decline.
North Isles member Robert Thomson said in his ward it can be “quite desperate” – which is why the North Yell Development Council for instance has bought its first property to rent out.
He also said Cooke Aquaculture has moved a couple of prefabricated units to Unst for its staff.
Thomson added that there are a lot of aquaculture staff who also travel from the Shetland mainland to work.
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