Why move school site? (Sandy McMillan)

The architect's impressions of how the new Anderson High School will look.
The architect’s impressions of how the new Anderson High School will look.

Has the Shetland Islands Council lost the plot? Why remove amenities without a bit of thought going into what is to happen when they are gone?

 The caravan site – well known far and wide as an excellent venue, well established, well liked by those who use the site and its facilities – will close without the Town Hall having found or acquired another suitable site.

Also what about the helipad? As the helipad is used for medi-vacs mainly of patients in urgent need of medical treatment, it would require to be close to the Gilbert Bain Hospital. These two sites at Clikcimin are well established.

What does go in the ears of these 22 councillors and then into their heads? If the school had been left in its original position, over to the north end of the Staney Hill, close by Burgess Street, these problems would not have arisen.

The drawing in The Shetland Times (7th February) shows two oblong huts with a passageway between the two. If you can imagine another hut like the one at the Gilbertson, with a passageway to attach them you have hit the nail on the head, when it comes to the proposed Clickimin school, which I believe is smaller in floorspace.

The leisure centre at Clickimin beware; it could be you next. Well nothing is foreseen by this council, they just smack you between the eyes with what they want. No consultation with the Shetland population.

Why was the school moved three to four hundred metres to the south as originally sited?

Sandy McMillan

13 South Lochside,

Lerwick.

COMMENTS(11)

Add Your Comment
  • Malcolm Thomson-Reeves

    • February 11th, 2014 16:58

    Why haven’t they thought about getting a barge to use as a school until they rebuilt on the site the school sits on now?
    They seem to love those barges!

    Malcolm Thomson-Reeves
    Greystane
    Ollaberry.

    REPLY
  • T Goodlad

    • February 11th, 2014 19:47

    Have to agree Sandy what a waste of public money & ammenites,but my real concern is the additional traffic on Lochside.

    I suggested that Westerloch Road should be extended around the Clickamin Loch,to Lochside,or at least room left to do so in the future, but I fear if this building is positioned as being proposed at present then this may not be possible.

    At the moment the existing AHS has three access roads ,Commercial Street (south),BreiwickRd leading to Lovers Loan and Knab Road to Gressy Loan,.The new school at Clickamin as far as I’m aware will have only one access from a new roundabout located between Anderson Rd and Bruce Crescent.which may also have to serve some or all of the 300 new houses that may be built on the hill, not forgetting the Hostel!

    Will this be enough access to allow repairs say in 20/30 years time or will history repeat itself.

    Also flat roofs are never a good idea –will they be able to support a good fall of snow?

    Some forward planning is required.

    REPLY
  • roy h chamberlain

    • February 11th, 2014 23:12

    As a soothmoother who these days visits once a year (would return if could find permanent accn) I am horrified at the suggested shape of the new school -obviously no thought given to weather -or impact on its environment – or how it will weather…
    certainly there seems that no thought has been given to the loss of income to the local shops during the season or the folk festival or all the other reasons for coming home or coming in fae the outer isles for weekends caravanning – we have met lots of folk coming off the isles to spend a few days in the town – we met many folk who camp or caravan for the fiddle frenzy etc etc i think that a rethink before a shovel is used would benefit the sic – who could use the existing Anderson high school site perhaps the money offered by the Scottish government is too great a temptation – don’t think id fancy me chances being flown to sumburgh or tingwall after a heart attack the going by road to gbh

    REPLY
  • Sheila Newcombe

    • February 12th, 2014 0:37

    Sandy you are s right. Why couldn’t the. school have been built along the arc of the hill towards Burgess Street. That would mean the caravan site could stay. Please be mindful of how popular the caravan site is for locals and tourists alike, and also just how beautiful it has become. I cannot for the life of me, understand why the council has gone from “way over the top” school designs, to two sheds. Surely you can strike a happy medium and come up with, a design for the new school, which is cost effective and pleasing to .the eye

    REPLY
  • John Tulloch

    • February 12th, 2014 18:46

    The last time I was in Shetland I remember looking north from Da Marts and thinking what a good job had been made of blending Clickimin Centre, etc., into the landscape and I feared what the new school would bring to it.

    I was right to be concerned since SIC is clearly bent on despoiling the area by placing an ugly modern building – bigger than necessary to facilitate the centralisation to lerwick od secondary schooling – in the foreground.

    Jonathan Wills thinks it looks like a ‘ghetto blaster’ however Prince Charles’s ‘monstrous carbuncle on an old friend’ springs more readily to mind.

    REPLY
  • Marie Williamson

    • February 15th, 2014 23:08

    why can’t we put likes on peoples comments on this site. i would like to show my appreciation 🙂

    REPLY
    • Rachel Buchan

      • February 16th, 2014 17:29

      That’s what I’ve been thinking for a long time!

      REPLY
    • Bill Smale

      • February 19th, 2014 12:00

      Perhaps we could have an online referendum too so that people can express their views on the proposed replacement AHS…..

      REPLY
  • Sandy McMillan

    • February 17th, 2014 11:01

    Has the Council costed the removal of the Caravan site, priced for the unknown location of another site or is it just going to let it die a slow death, or is this one more of the Councils cut backs.
    As I have mentioned the Caravan site was well established, It was also a pleasure to see both Visitors and locals enjoying the well maintained amenities the pleasant surroundings, This Caravan site had it all going for it.
    In the Summer months and beyond, in fact most of the year it was in use, The Councillors that passed the destruction of the site, and allowed them to use the site for the proposed School, or rather two ugly oblong huts that does nothing to enhance the area, should on there next visit to the Town Hall clear out there desks, and those with pigeon holes empty them and take a walk,
    The same old Council ways absolutely no Consultation with there Constituents in the area. Also I would like to know what age of primary bairns had drawn and submitted the drawings for the School, the bairns did a good job, but what type of Architect watched the bairns as they drew these two sheds.
    Shetland does need a School not two sheds, I hope it is a School that suits both Teachers and pupils alike.
    I go to Glasgow on medical grounds, I pass by Low moss Prison Glasgow, the prison was a open prison, before it was refurbished, and is now a secure establishment, to look at the buildings within, they are near as you could get to the design of the new School, the only obvious difference is that the prison has a four metre plus barbed wire fence surrounding it.
    And also the Helipad, Thousands or even more spent because of the ideal location to the Gilbert Bain Hospital, that takes the injured patients from the helicopter as fast as they can to the Hospital, built approximately four years ago, and now going to be bulldozed to the side for what, the helipad is a life or death requirement.
    But with the look of things it is probably to late own to the Stupidly of the Council,
    Why was the school not left in the original site, Then every one would be satisfied,

    REPLY
  • fraser cluness

    • February 19th, 2014 13:55

    anyone thought of moving the rugby pitch to seafeild, then puting the school there and on the land towards the houses? thus leaving the campsite where it is…… or tempory housing the eric gray centre in the vacant high school and building a new eric gray on the present site? thus the campsite could move to seafeild as suggested. I would have also thought that both a campsite and new eric gray could have fited on the same site. just ideas.

    REPLY
  • David Spence

    • February 19th, 2014 14:41

    I cannot see why they cannot move the campsite further west along the path of the Clickimin Loch, where access to it could still be via the Clickimin Centre or the road going to Westerloch from the south main road. Atleast the campsite would still be within the beauty of Clickimin loch as well as looking out towards the Broch?

    REPLY

Add Your Comment

Please note, it is the policy of The Shetland Times to publish comments and letters from named individuals only. Both forename and surname are required.

Comments are moderated. Contributors must observe normal standards of decency and tolerance for the opinions of others.

The views expressed are those of contributors and not of The Shetland Times.

The Shetland Times reserves the right to decline or remove any contribution without notice or stating reason.

Comments are limited to 200 words but please email longer articles or letters to editorial@shetlandtimes.co.uk for consideration and include a daytime telephone number and your address. If emailing information in confidence please put "Not for publication" in both the subject line and at the top of the main message.

200 words left

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

logo

Get Latest News in Your Inbox

Join the The Shetland Times mailing list to get one daily email update at midday on what's happening in Shetland.