Lerwick street nominated for award

With its network of lanes and short distance from Lerwick's historic waterfront, it's little wonder that Commercial Street has been nominated as one of the most beautiful streets in Scotland.

Affectionately known as 'Da Street' by locals, it serves as Shetland's main commercial centre and is home to a post office, banks and a number of independent shops, selling everything from knitwear and gifts to camera equipment, clothing and homeware.

Living Lerwick project manager Emma Miller, who entered Da Street for the award, is delighted it made the shortlist. She said “We all know that Commercial Street is a beautiful area, and now we have a chance to confirm that it is the most beautiful in the country! It’s easy to forget how lucky we are to have a local high street with such a wide variety of goods and services available – and it’s an added bonus that it’s pretty stunning to look at.”

Phil Prentice, chief officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, said: “This competition is about celebrating the incredible work of people up and down the country, who give up their time to improve their local places. We’ve been blown away by the strength of the entries this year which goes to show that town centre revival is on the up, and it’s driven by local people.

“Our high streets and town centres are the beating hearts of communities and local economies, and each has its own unique identity and experience to offer for both residents and visitors. I would urge people to get online and vote for their favourite entry and help us celebrate the success of our thriving town centres.”

Da Street faces competition from high streets in Ayr, Innerleithen, Kirkwall, Linlithgow, Lanark, Milngavie and Rothesay. The winner will be decided by a public vote, which closes on 10 November and announced the following week as part of Scotland's Towns Week.