Former student accommodation to be converted to office space 

Port Arthur House.

Former student accommodation is to become office space, according to a new planning application.

UHI Shetland has submitted a change of use application for the first floor of Port Arthur House in Scalloway.

The building, which was built in 1999 to provide accommodation for NAFC students, currently has 25 bedrooms.

The first floor has 15 bedrooms and a lounge – but UHI Shetland said these had not been used as accommodation for “several years” due to building work which meant it was “not fit for purpose”.

According to plans lodged with the SIC this space is set to become officer space for 28 staff.

The plans lodged with the SIC this week show how the 15 bedrooms and lounge on the first floor would become office space for 28 staff.

There would be four single person offices and 24 open plan “hot desk” spaces.

Staff currently spread across UHI Shetland’s two campuses – Lerwick and Scalloway – will be moved to this one central location. 

A report accompanying the planning application says the proposal is the first stage of the UHI Shetland Campus Redevelopment Project.

The project has been allocated £2m in Islands Growth Deal funding to transform existing spaces at the Scalloway campus and to enhance the educational experience for student.

UHI Shetland announced plans earlier this year to close its Lerwick campus and operate exclusively from Scalloway.

It is part of plans to address the college’s financial deficit, which has also seen a number of jobs being cut, mainly through voluntary agreements. 

UHI Shetland said the work which left the first floor unfit for accommodation took place before the formation of UHI Shetkand in August 2021.

“We are in discussions with the Shetland Islands Council around further student accommodation in Lerwick,” it added.