Information Bulletin
Bressay Link Group
The first meeting of a new Bressay Link Group was held on 6 July 2007. Representatives of Shetland Islands Council, Lerwick Port Authority and Bressay Community Council have come together to form this new Group.
Allan Wishart, the Chairman of the Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, has been chosen by the Group to be its Chairman with the Port Authority Chairman acting as Deputy.
At the meeting, it was agreed that the primary role of the Group is to monitor and guide the STAG (Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance) process that Shetland Islands Council and ZetTrans are to carry out on the Bressay Link.
The start of this process includes an analysis of present and future problems and opportunities with the link between Bressay and Lerwick. Both Lerwick Port Authority and Bressay Community Council, along with other groups and stakeholders, will contribute their ideas to this analysis. The STAG process will evaluate these so that appropriate values can be placed on the requirement for a link. This will in turn assist with an assessment of options for the crossing.
Work already done by SIC and LPA, including the outputs of the facilitation process previously undertaken jointly between the Council and the Port Authority, will provide a valuable contribution and will significantly reduce the overall timescale for the process. The Group will meet again at the end of July.
Allan Wishart said “The Group has made a purposeful start in a good spirit of co-operation. All parties are keen to work together to find the best possible solution to a future link to Bressay.”
Ends
Note to Editors:
- The Group is the Joint Team between Shetland Islands Council and Lerwick Port Authority that was proposed when the full Council met with the full Board of the Authority at the end of January.
- At its Infrastructure Committee meeting in June, Shetland Islands Council appointed the Chair and Vice-chair of the Infrastructure Committee and two senior officials to the Group. Lerwick Port Authority is represented by its Chairman, Deputy Chairman and two senior officials. Bressay Community Council is also represented on the Group.