News / Planners swing behind new roundabout
THE NEW Anderson High School project passed its latest hurdle on Tuesday when a new roundabout and access road at Lerwick’s North Lochside were given the thumbs-up by planners.
Several residents had submitted letters indicating they would object to the development if no new car parking spaces were provided to compensate for the spaces to be lost in constructing the roundabout.
But the revised plans include a crescent-shaped car park with 14 spaces to the rear of Bruce Crescent. It has now been sited far enough away from the houses’ boundary to satisfy the concerns of two Bruce Crescent residents.
New footpaths, landscaping and drainage will also be required in an area of Lerwick set to be transformed by the £43 million project, due to be completed by spring 2017.
The roundabout plans were the subject of a 20-minute hearing before the SIC’s planning committee on Tuesday afternoon.
Chairman Frank Robertson said the new school and halls of residence was a major development which will “change the dynamics of this particular area” in terms of more traffic and pedestrians.
Planning officer Richard O’Neill said that following negotiations with the council, a revised layout was put in place to ensure the crossing point was “safe for all road users and foot users”.
Councillor Billy Fox noted that most of the correspondence relating to the application was “basically representations of support, providing the car parking is put in place”.
There were no dissenting voices against council leader Gary Robinson’s motion to approve the application.
Councillor Peter Campbell said he hoped the new roundabout would not be “another highly expensive” one similar to the roundabout at the foot of the Sound brae.
SIC roads design engineer Ian Smith said it was likely to be a similar size, but assured Campbell that – rather than any fancy design for the roundabout’s centrepiece – this one is likely to be “just plain concrete, it’ll not be a mosaic”.
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