Council seeks views on detailed Knab plans
Keegan Murray
Members of the public will be invited to give their opinion on detailed development proposals for “the last big site within the town of Lerwick”.
An eight-week consultation is set to be launched following the completion of a draft masterplan for the Knab site recently vacated by the old Anderson High School.
A representative of design firm 7N Architects was in the isles on Tuesday to give councillors a comprehensive presentation on their proposals for the site which the firm first began working on in summer 2017.
Ewan Anderson, a managing partner with 7N, told councillors that the site could host a mixture of housing, green space and amenities. He detailed plans for the site’s existing buildings also, such as developing student accommodation in the Janet Courtney Hostel.
Mr Anderson earlier commended the council for earmarking the site for varied development, telling them that other similarly vacated sites in the Central Belt would simply “be sold off to the highest bidder”.
“This is a different approach and a very innovative approach”, he said.
Councillors also heard during the meeting that the proposals could take around a decade to complete, with work on existing buildings likely to be the first element.
Chairman of the development committee Alastair Cooper told members that deciding what happens to the Knab site would be the “most important thing” considered by the committee in the lifetime of this council.
“I think it’s taken us quite a while to get to the point that we’re at today but I think it’s time well spent”, he added.
• More in Friday’s Shetland Times
Peter Hamilton
Really? Arthur Anderson gifted these grounds for education. Shetland College is not suitably located.
Lerwick has one Knab. No other public area of scale will ever open up that could add bountiful amenity for everyone Lerwick, all of Shetland and visitors too. There’s ample hilly heath around Lerwick for housing with sizable development planned for North Lerwick of such a scale it threatens the viability of Lerwick’s hinterland, aka Shetland.
Yes additional housing for Lerwick is needed, and will come. This site is ideal for Shetland College, even though relocation could deprive the landowners of an industrial estate of a guaranteed income.
Put the long term best interests of all of Shetland to the fore. This site could beautify Lerwick and comfortably provide easily accessed allotments, an arboretum, senior exercise park, sensory garden, adventure play park and sculpture park too, as well as rehouse the college.
To those that would press for a rethink I’d say Dö Weel and Persevere. Arthur Anderson’s “weel” relates to the common weel, the common good. Use this land for everyone’s benefit. That includes encouraging those who want to continue on in education in Shetland to do so within walking distance of Commercial Street.
Ian Tinkler
An ideal place for a new Windfarm. (Son of Viking). Let us go for the 200meter turbine version for maximum efficiency (PROFIT) and channel the power into Shetland Heating (SHEAP). We have all been told how aesthetic, graceful and utterly safe these turbines are so why deprive the population of Lerwick from such beauty. I understand the SIC, SCT and local councillors ( the real SHEEP) are entirely at ease with wind farms. They will supply our children’s children with abundant bounty and follows the SNP’s, SIC’s and SCT’s policy on all things Green (STUPID). We could even have a play area, nursery and housing developments underneath. Also, the access roads are already there, who could object to that??