Shelter huts proposed at Mossy Hill wind farm as part of public access plans

TWO ‘bothy’ style huts with seating could be installed at either end of the Mossy Hill wind farm as part of plans to encourage people to walk and cycle through the site.

There are hopes that once the wind farm is built, people will be able to walk through the site from the A970/Ladies Drive junction to near the Shetland Clay Target Club.

The bothy or böd style huts have been proposed at either end to provide people with seating and shelter, subject to agreement with landowners.

Construction has not yet started on Statkraft’s eight-turbine wind farm, which will be located on the outskirts of Lerwick and has planning consent.

However, early work is underway on a substation near to the A970/Ladies Drive junction.

Plans for paths and the bothy huts feature in an outdoor access document as Statkraft continues discharge planning conditions.

There is also a mention of potentially linking into the Cunningham Way path, which runs through the back of Lerwick.

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In addition to the tracks needed for the eight turbines, Statkraft intends to create up to 1.5 km of new paths for recreational use which would link the site to the B9073 and Ladies Drive.

Public parking is proposed at the entry point at Ladies Drive.

For an exit point on the ‘Scalloway’ side of the site it appears no final decision had been made, but there is reference to east of the shooting club or potentially linking into a possible new Shetland Islands Council path in the area.

A map showing the potential paths on the wind farm site. The yellow crosses are where the shelters may be located, and the green lines highlight where additional paths would be installed to enable people to walk or cycle through the whole site. Image taken from Statkraft’s planning documents.

A map showing the potential paths on the wind farm site. The yellow crosses are where the shelters may be located, and the green lines highlight where additional paths would be installed to enable people to walk or cycle through the whole site. Image taken from Statkraft’s planning documents.

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Statkraft is also proposing interpretative boards for the site. The developer said this could “explain the background, benefits and science behind the project’s green energy credentials, and also to provide information around the flora, fauna, and landscape of the site”.

Regarding the shelters, the documents state that their design is based “loosely on a traditional böd, but deconstructed to a degree”.

“The overall form, proportions and even materiality are recognisable, but the component parts are broken down to provide a more open, airy and defensible space, providing shelter/shade whilst still offering views out from within, and also visibility from outside to inside,” they add.

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Turbines, which will be 145 metres tall, are expected to be delivered to the Mossy Hill site in 2029.

Earlier this year it was announced that Amazon had signed a power purchase agreement with the wind farm.

People can also walk on the paths on SSE’s much larger Viking wind farm in the Central Mainland of Shetland.