Shetland Islands Council has called on representatives of the construction industry to attend an upcoming event to explore business opportunities for future housing developments in Shetland.

The address the pressure on the local housing market and the need for more houses to be built in Shetland, the council has committed to a substantial programme of new builds over the next ten years in partnership with Hjaltland Housing Association.

There's also planned refurbishments, upgrades and the annual cyclical maintenance of existing housing stock, leading to a considerable programme of works.

The event, on 22 April, aims to bring together construction businesses with Shetland Islands Council and Hjaltland Housing Association, to explore creative solutions to deliver this programme of works. It's hoped that it will attract a range of local industry partners, including representatives from construction companies of all sizes, tradesmen acting as sole traders, building materials suppliers, and related professions such as architects, engineers and quantity surveyors.

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The event will take place at Mareel Arts Centre, with further details of the event available nearer the time. The format will include presentations, question and answer sessions and opportunities for informal networking.

Anita Jamieson, Executive Manager – Housing, at Shetland Islands Council, said: "We're working hard to use available public funding in the next few years, from local and external sources, to address the quality and supply of housing in Shetland. This will help to support and grow the local economy and provide regular work for the construction industry, including training the future workforce.

"There's many opportunities for collaboration between businesses, and those seeking to expand and diversify, to help meet the need for new houses and regular maintenance work. We're keen to engage with the construction industry and related businesses to connect these opportunities and help streamline the workflow for housing related activities. I'd urge anyone in this sector to keep the date free and I hope they can make it along."