Shetland councillors back plans to build tunnels to link some of largest islands

A sign for ferries to Unst and Fetlar leaving from Yell. Islanders have campaigned for years for fixed links to replace their ageing ferries. Photograph: geogphotos/Alamy View image in fullscreen A sign for ferries to Unst and Fetlar leaving from Yell. Islanders have campaigned for years for fixed links to replace their ageing ferries. Photograph: geogphotos/Alamy Shetland councillors back plans to build tunnels to link some of largest islands Financing options to be investigated for first two subsea projects that would link Mainland with Yell and Unst Councillors on Shetland have backed plans to build up to four tunnels to link some of the largest and most populated islands, after years of isolation and decline. The council voted on Tuesday to investigate financing options for the first two subsea tunnels, which would link Shetland’s Mainland with the two large northerly islands of Yell and Unst. Islanders on Yell and Unst have campaigned for years for fixed links to replace their ageing and unreliable ferries , after witnessing families leaving, businesses closing and parents forced to live away from home for work. The two projects, the first of their kind in Scotland , will cost about £655m to build and take at least eight years to complete. Emma Macdonald, the leader of Shetland Islands council, said it would press the Scottish and UK governments for help with the construction costs, which were unaffordable for Shetland on its own. “Islands with fixed links repopulate, enjoy economic growth and experience a reduction in their average age,” Macdonald said. “We have no ‘do nothing’ options here. Ferries and tunnels are both needed to unlock the potential of Shetland, and both the Scottish and UK governments have a vested interest in helping that happen.” The archipelago’s roll-on, roll-off ferries are more than 32 years old on average. They have struggled to recruit and retain staff; 50% of their crew are aged 46 or over. They stop operating overnight, have limited capacity and are routinely unable to sail due to bad weather, while facing soaring repair and replacement costs. For many islanders, that dependency increases the sense of insecurity and isolation, and drives depopulation. Relatively short journeys can last hours. Shetlanders often look enviously at their near neighbours in the Danish-speaking Faroes, where its tunnels, including the world’s only undersea roundabout , offer seamless connections, and the Norwegian islands linked by tunnel to the mainland. Councillors hope to persuade Scottish and UK ministers to provide some of the core funding, either through the Scottish National Investment Bank or national wealth fund, by arguing that the islands are an essential part of the wider UK economy. The UK’s only space port at SaxaVord on the far northern tip of Unst is due to host its first rocket launches later this year , and Shetland produces 22% of Scotland’s farmed salmon and 88% of its farmed mussels, while its trawlers land seafoo