Nobody puts Shetland in the corner: Law bans box around islands on maps
A new law means that from now on, the islands must be depicted accurately on officials maps, rather than being boxed off.
Thursday 4 October 2018 18:04, UK
The Shetland Islands must be represented accurately on official maps, rather than being boxed off to save space, after a new law came in to force.
Sections of the new Islands (Scotland) Act have now come into force, including a "mapping requirement".
It follows a campaign by Shetland MSP Tavish Scott, who said the archipelago should be "in the right place on the map".
Reacting to the latest development, he said: "The box is closed.
"It doesn't exist, whether that be in the Moray Firth or east of Orkney.
"Shetland is now in the right place. It is ridiculous that I had to change the law to make this happen but so be it."
He said there was more to be done, however.
Mr Scott added: "Islands proofing - ensuring the islands are recognised in any law or government regulation - must work.
"There are too many cases right now where that is not happening, such as the government imposing car parking charges on lifeline airports where there is no public transport alternative.
"For the Islands Act to be worth the parchment it's written on, these things must change."
The Shetland Times said the act also included greater flexibility in the electoral representation of island communities.
Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has said his constituency suffered a similar mapping dilemma.
"There have been a number of occasions that we have found ourselves bundled in a box and stuck in the Moray Firth," he said.
Speaking earlier this year, Conservative MSP Peter Chapman said he was against the proposal.
Losing detail in favour of a "whole chunk of sea" would be counterproductive, he said.