Community / Planners give go-ahead for Staney Hill housing project
Hjaltland Housing Association says ‘breaking rock on the site’ could commence early next year
CONSTRUCTION work on the first phase of the huge Staney Hill housing development could get underway early next year after planning permission was granted last week.
Hjaltland Housing Association (HHA) said it was delighted to get the project “over the line” in a year that was dominated by delays and restrictions.
On Friday, Shetland Islands Council’s (SIC) planning department gave green light for 124 new houses and flats, a spine road plus a green corridor amenity space.
Head of investment and asset management at the housing association Paul Leask said reaching this state had been the joint effort of PJP Architects, Mott MacDonald and HHA itself.
Leask said discussions in relation to the tendering process for the infrastructure contract were already under way.
“Work is continuing on the detailed design for building warrant and we are also in for road construction consent as well as all the necessary statutory approvals for water and electricity,” he said.
“We had some trial pits and rock blast vibration tests already done on the site.
“All that information is being collated to then inform the tendering process for the infrastructure work, which will be putting in all the main line services along with the main spine road and the bulk rock excavation.
“Ideally, we are looking at breaking rock on the site possibly in January next year.”
Once the necessary infrastructure is in place the construction of the first 40 houses could potentially commence in early 2023, Leask added.
He said the association was looking build the 124 affordable houses and flats in schemes of 40 to make the individual contracts more manageable.
“The first houses will be built along North Loch Drive, which is the main road that is already there,” Leask said.
“What we need to do is remove the rock from the upper terrace there and use that rock to build the roads through the site.
“Once the bulk of that rock excavation is done we are looking to start building the first 40 houses.”
Leask said that there would be separate planning applications for the remaining 200 houses that are planned to be built at Staney Hill over the next 12 years.
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