Business / Replacing Sella Ness accommodation building ‘not viable’
REPLACING the Sella Ness accommodation facility with a new permanent building is not viable or sustainable, according to its owner.
It comes after Delting Community Council suggested that the accommodation facility – used primarily by visiting oil and gas workers – should not keep getting long-term extensions to its temporary planning permission.
An application was lodged late last year to extend the temporary planning consent at the facility for another decade.
The 426-bedroom block in Shetland’s North Mainland currently has temporary planning permission until the end of 2025, which was given by the Scottish Government after its owner Malthus Uniteam appealed a refusal by local councillors.
The new application, to extend the planning consent through to the end of 2035, says there is ongoing demand from the nearby Sullom Voe Terminal (SVT) and Shetland Gas Plant (SGP) as well as from a number of potential future infrastructure projects like wind farm construction.
It has had temporary planning permission in place since opening in 2011 to house workers constructing the nearby Shetland Gas Plant.
The local Delting Community Council, however, wrote to planners to express its concern at a ten-year extension.
The community council instead believes that the extension should be reduced to five years with a permanent, more environmentally friendly building constructed afterwards.
It said with the “next generation of industrial development” in the local area likely by 2030 “it makes sense to plan at this stage for the longer term”.
However, writing to the local planning service on behalf the owners, a representative of architecture and planning firm Thain Harrington Edward said it would not be viable to construct a new building.
They also said the current facility was constructed in accordance with regulations for a permanent building.
The representative added: “The applicant considers that there is a continued need for the facility for the next 10 years, but at this time there is not a certainty that there will be a continued need beyond this period.
“The use of the existing building over the next 10 years remains the most sustainable solution.”
The letter also said an extension would allow the owner to carry out refurbishment.
“Current building regulations have advanced in terms of energy efficiency, which equally applies to all historic and existing buildings,” it said.
“In considering the footprint impact there is embodied carbon in the existing building and carbon costs for new development that need to be considered against any reduction in energy demand in its continued use.
“National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) Policy 9 Brownfield, vacant, and derelict and empty buildings criterion d) states that “Given the need to conserve embodied energy demolition will be regarded as the least preferred option”.
“As set out in the supporting information the 10 year permission for continued use will allow the applicant to continue to invest in a programme of improvements to the building to ensure its suitability for use.
“Some of the proposed improvements will undoubtedly result in enhanced energy efficiency.”
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