Contract awarded for Pitt Lane flats demolition
IT WILL not be too long before demolition work gets underway on council flats in the Lerwick lanes area after a contractor was awarded the job.
Shetland Plant Hire Ltd will be tasked with demolishing two blocks of flats on Pitt Lane, along with land reinstatement and the replacement of an existing retaining wall.
Work is expected to start on 19 October, and finish a week before Christmas.
The value of the contract, which received six tenders, is listed as nearly £255,000 excluding VAT.
Previous tender documents said that the two-storey buildings – which have been used in the past for temporary accommodation – are made of “rendered cavity concrete blockwork external walls with a timber truss roof construction finished with asbestos cement slates”.
In the consented planning application for the demolition Shetland Islands Council (SIC) said that given the current condition of the buildings, the flats are “beyond economic or practical refurbishment”.
“Removing these deteriorating structures not only addresses safety concerns but also supports the long-term regeneration strategy of the area,” it added.
No final decisions have been yet made regarding this regeneration project, with an update expected to come before councillors in November.
The eight units are located on Pitt Lane in two blocks which are thought to have been built in 1979 with ‘Sullom blocks’ that deteriorate over time. They are within the Lerwick Lanes conservation area.
Other flats on Pitt Lane and Park Lane were taken down between 2012 and 2015.
The vacant flats on Pitt Lane were recently used by the fire service for breathing apparatus training.
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