£100m Islands Growth Deal being signed

SIC leader Emma Macdonald.

Shetland Islands Council leader Emma Macdonald today (Friday) signs an Islands Growth Deal which aims to inject millions of pound into the economy.

The historic milestone follows the long-awaited announcement on Wednesday that the UK government was awarding £27 million towards a new Fair Isle ferry and the piers infrastructure.

Backed by the Scottish and UK governments, the £100m deal secures an agreement to invest in the future prosperity of Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles.

It is anticipated to unlock further investment of up to £293m in match funding and create up to 1,300 jobs across the three island communities.

Mrs Macdonald said: “The deal contains projects which are island-specific and focus on local opportunities and priorities, as well as those which, working in partnership, will help us unlock more economic success for all our islands.

“These vital projects supporting our islands’ sustainability could not have progressed without the UK government and Scottish government’s support and investment.

“Projects in Shetland that are likely to benefit are the Knab redevelopment, Shetland Clean Energy Project, Dales Voe ultra-deep water port, UHI campus redevelopment, mussel-farming innovation Shell-volution, and the Shetland Space innovation campus.”