Community to get first look at Orkney UNESCO site proposals

A community engagement exercise is due to get under way this month on future plans for the UNESCO Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.  

The Orkney World Heritage Site programme — a partnership between Orkney Islands Council (OIC) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) — is one of several projects and programmes being developed as part of the Islands Growth Deal with the team in the process of developing a draft Programme Business Case which will help with securing investment.   

There are three key elements to the programme. These will be the focus of community engagement over the next few weeks to ensure that proposals are informed by local knowledge, evidence and stakeholder priorities.  

The three key elements are: 

• Travelling to/from and moving around the World Heritage Site and Stenness village i.e. how pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles move around and how this is managed.  
• The options for a potential Orientation Centre within the Stenness area 
• Interpretation for the World Heritage Site as a whole.  

The community engagement includes public drop-in sessions, themed workshops, meetings with residents, school engagement activities and stakeholder discussions.  

“UNESCO recognises that local communities are key partners in the stewardship of World Heritage Sites, with community participation being essential to the long-term conservation and sustainable development of heritage assets,” said Inga Burton, OIC’s officer for sustainable regeneration and the Arctic.

“The work being taken forward through the Orkney World Heritage Site programme links with other key documents such as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney Management Plan and provides an opportunity for the wider community to engage and participate in shaping how we protect and connect with the World Heritage Site moving forward“ 

Public drop in sessions will take place as follows: 

• Monday, September 21, 5-7pm – Kirkwall Drop In Session — Old Library, Laing Street, Kirkwall 
• Tuesday, September 22, 6-8pm – Stenness Drop In Session — Stenness Community Hall 
• Wednesday, September 23, 5-7pm – Stromness Drop In session — Warehouse Buildings, Stromness 
• Thursday, September 24, 5-6pm — Sandwick Drop In Session — Sandwick Hall 

The Heart of Neolithic Orkney was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. Four sites make up the World Heritage Site — Skara Brae settlement, Maeshowe chambered tomb and the Barnhouse Stone, the Stones of Stenness and the nearby Watch Stone, the Ring of Brodgar and a series of nearby mounds and the Comet Stone.  

World Heritage Sites (WHS) are places that have been judged to have Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) — cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.

Once a World Heritage Site is inscribed it must be managed to ensure that the OUV is maintained and protected for the future.  

The Islands Growth Deal is one of a series of Region and City Deals that have been funded by UK and Scottish Government across the UK. 

The deal is built around three themes including leading the way to a low carbon future, supporting growth and future industries and thriving sustainable communities creating opportunities for economic growth and sustainable jobs across the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. 

It is a ten-year package of investment totaling £100M from UK and Scottish governments.