£3 million fishmarket development proposed for Scalloway
24th October 2016
Local and visiting whitefish vessels landing at Scalloway are in line to benefit from a £3m development of the fish market, following the decision by Shetland Islands Council’s (SIC) harbour board to back the proposal after being presented with a range of options on the future of the market, reports David Linkie.
Above: Scalloway harbour, where a proposal for a £3m development of the fish market has been approved by Shetland Islands Council.
SIC hopes to attract 50% of funding from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), while the remaining £1.5m could be financed through borrowing.
The fish market, which was built circa 1970 and refurbished and extended in the 1990s, will be turned into a state-of-the-art facility.
Chairwoman Andrea Manson said she was ‘delighted’ to endorse the plans.
“Obviously it has to be the best way ahead, as you’re future-proofing something that’s going to last 15 to 20 years, rather than trying to repair what we have,” she said.
A report before councillors said the market could cope with up to 1,000 boxes of whitefish, but anything above that sees operations become ‘increasingly strained and problematic’.
The harbour board was presented with a total of five options, ranging from demolishing the fish market and shipping elsewhere, to building a market on a new quay, which would have
cost £15m.
The decision to rebuild the fish market comes at a time of increased activity, with the value of landings in Scalloway rising from £4.8m in 2011-2012 to £8.8m in 2015-2016.
The market handled almost 100,000 boxes of whitefish in 2015, an increase of 600% on 2004 figures. Vessels wanting to land fish are occasionally turned away due to lack of capacity.
Andrea Manson added, “There was more fish landed at Scalloway recently than at any time in the past 20 years. You can totally justify spending the money, and the harbour board was delighted to be able to recommend it.”
A decision on whether the project will attract EU funding is expected in November.
Read more from Fishing News here.
Local and visiting whitefish vessels landing at Scalloway are in line to benefit from a £3m development of the fish market, following the decision by Shetland Islands Council’s (SIC) harbour board to back the proposal after being presented with a range of options on the future of the market, reports David Linkie. Above: Scalloway harbour, where a proposal for a £3m development of the fish market has been approved by Shetland Islands Council. SIC hopes to attract 50% of funding from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), while the remaining £1.5m could be financed through borrowing. The fish market, which was built circa 1970 and refurbished and extended in the 1990s, will be turned into a state-of-the-art facility. Chairwoman Andrea Manson said she was ‘delighted’ to endorse the plans. “Obviously it has to be the best way ahead, as you’re future-proofing something that’s going to last 15 to 20 years, rather than trying to repair what we have,” she said. A report before councillors said the market could cope with up to 1,000 boxes of whitefish, but anything above that sees operations become ‘increasingly strained and problematic’. The harbour board was presented with a total of five options, ranging from demolishing the fish market and shipping elsewhere, to building a market on a new quay, which would have cost £15m. The decision to rebuild the fish market comes at a time of increased activity, with the value of landings in Scalloway rising from £4.8m in 2011-2012 to £8.8m in 2015-2016. The market handled almost 100,000 boxes of whitefish in 2015, an increase of 600% on 2004 figures. Vessels wanting to land fish are occasionally turned away due to lack of capacity. Andrea Manson added, “There was more fish landed at Scalloway recently than at any time in the past 20 years. You can totally justify spending the money, and the harbour board was delighted to be able to recommend it.” A decision on whether the project will attract EU funding is expected in November. Read more from Fishing News here.
