Differing views on pitch proposals but committee sides with keeping Brae astroturf for hockey
THERE remain mixed views among elected members on the future of hockey pitches in Shetland – but at the topic’s latest airing in the chamber on Monday councillors sided with keeping one in Brae.
Although the education and families committee backed the Brae option, rather than the prospect of constructing a new hockey pitch at the Clickimin in Lerwick, the final decision lays with a meeting of the full council on 30 June.
Shetland North councillor Andrew Hall led the charge by saying the hockey pitch moving to Lerwick as part of the new Brae High School project would not the best outcome for this community – or folk in areas such as the North Isles or the West Mainland.
His proposal won seven votes to three, with Hall supported by Liz Peterson, Moraig Lyall, Bryan Peterson, Stephen Leask, Ryan Thomson and Davie Sandison.
Shetland Islands Council had consulted on two prospective options regarding the hockey pitch, which relate to plans for a new school in Brae.
The current plan is to build a new synthetic football pitch on the current school site once the old buildings are demolished. This is because the new school is proposed to be built on the existing grass pitch.
A second option is for the council to purchase the existing Brae astroturf hockey pitch from Shetland Recreational Trust (SRT) and resurface it for football and create a new 3G hockey pitch in Lerwick.
The SRT said it would be supportive of plans to hand the Brae hockey pitch over to the SIC, with the charity essentially losing money on the facility each year. It brings in around £15,000 in income, but comes with £20,000 running costs.
No surface currently meets the performance requirements for both football and hockey, and as a result, pitches must continue to be designated for either football or hockey, and not both.
Estimates from the council show that it could cost £7.97 million to build a new 3G football pitch on the existing Brae school site, but would cost £7.46 million to instead build a new 3G hockey pitch in Lerwick and play football on the former Brae hockey surface.
The SIC said the £510,000 saving related to reduced groundworks, lower pitch construction costs because parts of the hockey pitch would be reused and reduced requirements for roads, footpaths and kerbing.
Over the course of 25 years, however, the SIC said it could cost £1.29 million more to maintain and replace both a synthetic football pitch in Brae and 3G hockey surface in Lerwick.
Strong opposition has been voiced to plans to take the hockey pitch away from Brae, but the SIC said the majority of people responding to a public consultation picked it as their preferred option.
While Shetland Hockey backed the idea of a new hockey surface in Lerwick, two clubs – Delting and Whalsay – voiced their opposition to the plans.
At Monday’s education and families committee meeting, children’s services director Samantha Flaws said both options were capable of being delivered. However, officers have not put forward any recommendations and have left it open for councillors to use their judgement.
Although there are suggestions that the existing Brae astroturf pitch has around five years of lifespan left, Hall said he felt the surface was still in good condition.
He said the Midway pitch, introduced in 1994, was the result of “extraordinary” fundraising effort from the community – with a further upgrade taking place there in 2013.
Hall claimed that having a central hockey facility in Lerwick would risk reducing involvement among people in communities like Brae, the West Mainland and North Isles.
He also said the North Mainland will “bear the brunt” of future renewable developments in Shetland, and added: “It cannot be right to depend on the North Mainland to generate economic growth for Shetland while simultaneously reducing the facilities available to that community.”
Also backing Hall was Shetland West member Liz Peterson, who said it would be “completely unfair” to take a hockey pitch away from Brae.
Shetland Central councillor Moraig Lyall questioned the SIC’s role in hockey pitch provision – highlighting that the local authority had not supported other local sporting groups like gymnastics or indoor riding, or had offered to help towards a reopening of the SRT’s Scalloway pool.
She was also concerned that a pitch in Lerwick could impact on the timeline of a new Brae school given that the hockey association has requested continuity of service.
However Lerwick South member John Fraser said that while he appreciated the passion from Hall and had sympathy for those affected, “Shetland as a whole takes precedence”.
He said having a hockey facility in Lerwick could open up the sport to more people in Shetland.
Fraser’s ward colleague Neil Pearson also said that “love it or hate it, Lerwick is the most accessible location in Shetland for a single facility”.
Pearson said his real preference would be to have hockey pitches in both Brae and Lerwick, but that is not an option.
Emma Macdonald, who is on the committee as SIC leader and not as a Shetland North member, said that sticking with the current proposal and keeping the hockey pitch in Brae is more focused on delivering the new school project on time.
This position was backed by education and families committee chairman Davie Sandison, who said the current option would still result in a “brilliant” new pitch in Brae for other sports.
Flaws also told the meeting that a new pitch in Brae could be open 24/7 for kickabouts, like the recently installed North Loch 3G surface at the Clickimin is, although bookings would take precedence.
In Monday’s vote John Fraser, Neil Pearson and Catherine Hughson were those who supported including a Lerwick pitch in a full business case for the new Brae school, with Emma Macdonald abstaining.
The end result of Monday’s meeting was that the education and families committee will recommend to the full SIC – meeting on 30 June – to incorporate the Brae option into the full business case for the new school.
However, the item will also go in front of the SIC’s policy and resources committee on 24 June.
In January 2024 the SIC approved an outline business case for the Brae campus, with an estimated cost of approximately £42.5 million, subject to the approval of a full business case.
The full business case is now expected to come in front of councillors next year.
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