Officials recommend approval for new Scalloway pharmacy building

The building of a new pharmacy on the waterfront at Scalloway should go ahead despite 25 objections from community organisations, businesses and individuals, according to planning officials.

They are recommending that councillors on the planning board approve the traditional style one-and-a-half storey construction next to the Kiln Bar on the village’s Main Street at their meeting on Wednesday.

The application is from Torquil Clyde of Norsepharm Ltd, which controversially won approval for a pharmacy in Scalloway from NHS Shetland’s pharmacy practices committee in February.

A rival bid by doctors at the Scalloway Medical Practice, which currently operates a dispensary, was not heard because NHS Shetland ruled that under legislation governing pharmacy provision it could not deal with the applications at the same time.

In a report for councillors, planning officials recommend conditional approval of the building, which will have the pharmacy and retail unit on the ground floor and a two-bedroom flat upstairs.

They admit that the proposed building will partially block the view from the Scalloway Hotel dining room, but stress that loss of view is “not a material planning consideration”.

The council’s roads department found no reason to object to the development in relation to parking, traffic and pedestrian and general road safety.

However, objections have been received from Scalloway Community Council, Burra and Trondra Community Council, Scalloway Youth Centre Trust, Peter and Caroline McKenzie of Scalloway Hotel and Yealtaland Books/The Scalloway Post Office among others.

Among the objections are that there is inadequate parking provision which it is argued will exacerbate an already bad traffic congestion problem; that it is an unsuitable site within a conservation area; that the building would be detrimental to the appearance of the waterfront; that the design is not in harmony with existing buildings and that the shop window is too large in comparison with other, more traditional windows.