The Isles of Scilly Integrated Area Plan covers the entire Isles
of Scilly, which is also the area covered by Council of the
Isles of Scilly. The Council is a unitary authority and directly
employs one person, the IAP Facilitator, to deliver its IAP
projects that are seeking £3.8 million of Objective One
funding.
Island life has important implications for future development
activity:
1. Location and relative isolation
Scilly is the most south-westerly group of islands in the
UK and has an exceptionally unspoilt environment which is
without parallel in Europe. The distinctive character of the
islands is recognised in a variety of designation - the entire
islands are a Conservation Area, an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty and a Heritage Coast. These characteristics are the
backbone of the islands' main industries, tourism and agriculture
which, in turn support the movement of all goods and people
to/from Scilly.
2. Transport
Transport within Scilly is a major issue because of the absence
of fixed links between any of the five islands. The population
(size 2,049 persons) and service provision is concentrated
on the main island of St Mary's. It is also the location of
all the direct transport services to/from the mainland, except
Tresco heliport, which hosts a direct service to/from Penzance.
3. Basic Infrastructure
The Council has significant involvement in the ownership and
operation of basic infrastructure (notably the sewerage system)
- on the UK mainland this is now the responsibility of the
private sector. This obviously places great pressure on the
local authority’s resources.
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