Community / Plans in for caravan park and campsite in Tingwall valley
MORE details have emerged of plans for a caravan park and campsite at Asta in the Tingwall valley.
The project, which could include ten pitches for caravans and motorhomes, eight tent spaces and three wigwams, is being proposed by the Scalloway Community Development Company.
Planning permission is now being sought for the development, which would be located just south of the Asta golf club opposite the loch.
On-site facilities could include toilets and showers, laundry, electrical and water hook-up points, waste and recycling facilities and wifi.
The plans also include outdoor amenity space and a recreation area, with existing trees set to be complemented with additional planting of native trees and wildflowers.
It could go some way to filling the gap created by the closure of the Lerwick camp site at the Clickimin in 2014, with the nearest facility said to be at Bridge End in Burra some 20 miles away from the town.
There have been long calls for a campsite to return to Lerwick, but Asta is located around seven miles away.
“The overall vision of the project is to enhance the range of facilities for visitors to Shetland, and Scalloway in particular, with a view to attracting more visitors and business to the village,” the planning application said.
“In addition, it will relieve the pressure of demand for a central site close to Lerwick and the ferry terminal and reduce the informal use of lay-bys, car parks and other pieces of land in and around the Central Mainland.
“It will in effect act as a strategic central hub site in Shetland in the absence of any formal facilities in the Lerwick/Central Mainland, and in the context of a growing demand and increasing numbers of motorhomes coming to Shetland.”
There is also a hope that local people could use the site when walking, running and cycling.
A potential new pathway connecting the site with Scalloway via Berry farm has also been identified.
The site would be a community venture, not a commercial project, with the operation managed by the development company.
The planning application says that the site would be likely to benefit nearby businesses and local attractions.
Campsites, caravan and holiday parks in Scotland, meanwhile, have been forced to close to new arrivals as part of measures to slow the spread of coronavirus.
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