Yell tunnel should be top priority, council consultants recommend
Councillors will be told it could cost £525 million
A TUNNEL to Yell should be the priority for Shetland’s inter-island transport connectivity programme, councillors will hear next week.
Consultants Stantec will recommend that a Yell tunnel is built ahead of other fixed links options and is prioritised ahead of a tunnel to Unst.
It could cost more than half a billion pounds – £525 million – to construct, councillors will be told, with a need for a high level of external funding.
Elected members will be given an update on the SIC’s inter-island transport connectivity programme at a meeting of the full council on Wednesday.
Councillors approved a “direction of travel” towards tunnels to Yell and Unst – and potentially to Whalsay and Bressay in the longer term – at a milestone meeting in June.
The next step is the creation of a 30-year implementation “route map”, which will come before the full council next week.
Stantec, who will introduce the draft route map at the meeting, will recommend that Shetland Islands Council pursues tunnels to both Yell and Unst – with Yell the first priority.
Fixed links for Bressay and Whalsay will be considered in a subsequent cycle of asset investment.
It said it was important that there was a “clearly articulated priority as to which route should be progressed first” if there was funding for only one tunnel.
The cost of delivering tunnels to both Yell and Unst would pass £1 billion.
The council said it was “important to reiterate that substantial and sustained external funding will be required”, and that the pace of implementation “will be almost entirely dependent on securing this funding”.
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Stantec said that the broad principle of the route map was that both tunnels were pursued, either concurrently, consecutively or under a “build and evaluate model”.
It said that all of this would depend on the availability of external funding, and any requirements these funders had.
A Yell Sound fixed link has been prioritised because it would benefit the largest number of people, opening up Mainland Shetland to the people of Yell, Unst and Fetlar, Stantec said.
“In practical terms, it would be easier to deliver,” it said.
“At least a portion of the works could be delivered from Mainland Shetland, whereas all labour and materials for an Unst fixed link would need to be delivered by vessel to Yell.
“It would extend the spinal route in Shetland from Sumburgh to Gutcher, considerably easing access to market for labour, businesses and suppliers.
“This would be particularly advantageous for the aquaculture industry in Yell, as well as SaxaVord Spaceport (although that would still be constrained by the Bluemull Sound ferry service until such times as an Unst tunnel is delivered).”
If an Unst fixed link was progressed first, the Yell Sound ferry crossing would continue to be a constraining factor for the North Isles, the consultants said.
“This would be a particular issue if funding never materialised for a Yell Sound fixed link – whilst not quite a stranded asset, the value of the Bluemull Sound tunnel would be much diminished.”
It added that there was a “window of opportunity” to progress a fixed link for Yell that would negate the need for any further significant ferry investment.
“This would represent a significant financial saving, as the future Yell Sound terminals would have little other purpose and the new Yell Sound vessels would be difficult to redeploy within Shetland.
“This is not the case on Bluemull Sound, where an immediate ferries solution is required, along with continued long-term provision for Fetlar.
“On balance, our view is that a Yell Sound tunnel should be the first priority for the reasons set out above”.
It is important that the council is responsive to available funding opportunities and “emerging political priorities”, the consultants advised.
Delivery of a tunnel for Yell would at least be eight to 10 years away, Stantec said.
As well as fixed links for Unst and Yell, the council should be pursuing an improved ferry service for Fetlar and a replacement for the Whalsay ferry Hendra.
“Given asset age and condition and a range of operating problems including declining service reliability, crewing challenges and sustainedly high vehicle deck utilisation, there is an urgent need for investment in the ferry service,” Stantec said.
The Snolda will need a “short-term” replacement on the Papa Stour route, the Leirna will need to be replaced in the medium-term for the Bressay service, and the finger pier at Skerries is also reaching its end of life.
Stantec said that though the Filla, on the Skerries route, was one of the newer vessels in the fleet, it was the “most fuel intensive”.
Replacing it would support the SIC in reducing operating costs and its emissions.
Councillors will be asked on Wednesday to approve the publication of the draft implementation route map, and to consider and approve the recommendation that Unst and Yell tunnels are pursued, with Yell first.
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