COMMUNITYPROFILE North Mainland Shetland Islands Council Community Work Service Shetland Islands Council Community Profile North Mainland CONTENTS Introduction ......................................................................................................... 2 The Area................................................................................................................ 4 1.0 POPULATION........................................................................................ 6 2.0 CROSS CUTTING THEMES ...................................................... 11 Strengthening Communities................................................................................. 11 Political and Democratic.................................................................................. 11 Culture and Community:.................................................................................. 12 3.0 WEALTHIER........................................................................................ 16 The Local Economy ............................................................................................. 16 4.0 FAIRER .................................................................................................... 21 Outlining a Fairer Society ................................................................................... 21 5.0 SMARTER .............................................................................................. 25 Education and Learning ...................................................................................... 25 6.0 SAFER ....................................................................................................... 29 Crime and Community Safety .............................................................................. 29 7.0 STRONGER ........................................................................................... 32 Housing ........................................................................................................... 32 Community Facilities/Assets/Development...................................................... 35 Transport and Communications ....................................................................... 36 Childcare including pre­nursery....................................................................... 37 8.0 HEALTHIER......................................................................................... 39 9.0 GREENER............................................................................................... 41 Natural Resources ............................................................................................... 41 Appendices ...................................................................................................... 45 1 Shetland Islands Council Community Profile North Mainland Introduction This document sets out social, economic, environmental and cultural information for the North Mainland area. This information has been gathered from statistical data available nationally and locally and from the views of communities from North Roe to Nesting and Eshaness to Mossbank. Effective planning for the future depends largely on a good understanding of what already exists. This profile aims to provide a baseline of information about the North Mainland of Shetland from which service providers, agencies, voluntary and community organisations in the area can develop a shared understanding of the needs and issues within the area. It is intended as a working document through which to stimulate debate, discussion and through which to support and inform action and developments, which seek to improve the local planning and delivery of services. The profile will be updated as necessary via the Local Service Delivery Group (LSDG) for the area, and will be used to encourage LSDG members and others to work more closely together to deliver locally appropriate solutions to identified needs. The profile will assist in the measuring of strategic outcomes at a local level, and contribute to the Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) reporting framework. 1 1 Footnote: In 2004 the Community Planning Board agreed on 7 localities for Shetland “to provide the basis for service planning at a local community level and specifically to support the future planning of health and social care services within the Community Health Partnership”. These are North Isles, Whalsay and Skerries, North Mainland, West Mainland, Central, Lerwick and Bressay, and South. The North Mainland therefore represent one of the 7 localities 2 Shetland Islands Council Community Profile North Mainland Shetland Islands Council area Electoral arrangements Ward 2 Shetland North Alastair Cooper Addie Doull Bill Manson Ward 1 North Isles Laura Baisley Robert Henderson Josie Simpson Ward 3 Shetland West Florence Grains Frank Robertson Ward 6 Gary Robinson Lerwick North Sandy Cluness Caroline Miller Ward 4 Allan Wishart Shetland Central Betty Fullerton Iris Hawkins Andrew Hughson Ward 7 Lerwick South Gussie Angus Ward 5 Jonathan Wills Shetland South Cecil Smith Jim Budge Jim Henry Allison Duncan Rick Nickerson Figure 1. Shetland Islands Council electoral arrangements 3 Shetland Islands Council Community Profile North Mainland The Area The Shetland Islands are the most northerly local authority area in the UK, 298 miles north of Edinburgh, 211 miles north of Aberdeen and at least 50 miles north of Orkney, our closest neighbours. Shetland is only 228 miles from Torshavn in Faroe and a similar distance from Bergen in Norway. Shetland comprises more than 100 islands, 15 of which are inhabited and the total population is around 22,000. The islands lie further north than Moscow and southern Greenland. The North Mainland area takes in the communities from Eshaness to Mossbank and North Roe to Nesting. Delting is located in the north of the Shetland mainland. The main settlements in the area are Mossbank, Voe and Brae, which is the third largest town in Shetland. Brae is the main service and shopping area for the North Mainland. It is located 25 miles north of Lerwick and 6 miles south of Sullom Voe. Delting is unique within Shetland as it contains the principal industrial site, Sullom Voe Oil Terminal, which is the focus of industrial and economic development. The terminal and associated developments, including an airfield, are concentrated around the north­east of Sullom Voe. The terminal, which became operational in 1978, is situated on the southern side of Calback Ness at the entrance to the voe. The Firth and Mossbank community is 27 miles north east of Lerwick. In order to accommodate the incoming oil workers in the late 1970s 200 council houses were built in the area. This is the largest council housing area outside Lerwick. As the oil terminal began to downsize in the late 1980s, good jobs disappeared and people began to move away from the area. This affected the local economy and the social amenities. In the late 1990s, there were 84 empty council properties. Northmavine is the most peripheral area on the Shetland mainland. It is connected to the rest of the Mainland by Mavis Grind. Northmavine stretches from Mavis Grind in the south, to North Roe in the north and Eshaness in the west. Hillswick, Ollaberry and North Roe are the three main settlements in the area. Hillswick and the neighbouring community of Urafirth are spread around the north and west shores of Urafirth, with approximately 100 dwellings. A primary school and a community hall are shared between the communities. Hillswick also has the St Magnus Bay Hotel, a shop and part­time post office services, a Doctor’s surgery/ health centre and a wildlife sanctuary. 4 Shetland Islands Council Community Profile North Mainland The settlement of Ollaberry is scattered around the Bay of Ollaberry with about 70 dwellings. The village also has a community hall, an industrial site, a shop and post office, a garage and a primary school. The settlement of North Roe has developed around Burra Voe, with about 60 dwellings. There is a part­time post office, a community hall and a primary school. Two smaller settlements; Sullom and Eshaness, each with its own community hall, complete the main communities of Northmavine. Nesting and Lunnasting is the Community Council area situated on the east coast of the Shetland mainland. Nesting (located 10 miles north of Lerwick) and Vidlin (22 miles north of Lerwick) are the main settlements in the area. In addition there are a number of smaller settlements at Garth, Skellister, Gletness and Kirkabister linked by roads that hug most of the coastline. There are also many houses that are scattered in the landscape. Whilst some of the land is cultivated around the settlements most of the hinterland around the Nesting area is rough grazing. There are sand dunes at the back of some of the bays and small patches of salt marsh. 5 Shetland Islands Council Community Profile North Mainland 1.0 POPULATION Summary of statistics The population of the North Mainland area has remained relatively stable in recent years with the total population for the whole area being 3,144 in 2001 and 3,140 in 2008, which is a decrease in population of 0.1%. There are some variations in the different areas but this is difficult to specify, as the area breakdowns are not in Community Council ward sectors. 2 Shetland North 300 250 ls ua id 200 v di In 150 r of be 100 Num 50 0 10 ­ 20 ­ 30 ­ 40 ­ 50 ­ 60 ­ 70 ­ 80 ­ 90 & 0 ­ 9 19 29 39 49 59 69 79 89 over MALES 187 230 188 194 239 244 189 78 37 4 FEMALES 187 233 150 205 250