Council secures £670,000 for Stromness low-carbon travel project

Orkney Islands Council has secured £670,000 in funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for a low carbon travel project in Stromness.

The project, known as the “Stromness Multi Modal Low Carbon Transport and Active Travel Hub” has four key elements such as providing locally produced renewable energy to the MV Hamnavoe in Stromness, installing an electric bus charger at the town’s ferry terminal, installing electric vehicle charger points for ferry users and procuring electric bicycles for use by members of the public, plus associated shelters and charging points.

The funding will come from the European Regional Development Fund’s Low Carbon Travel and Transport Challenge Fund, a capital fund that aims to facilitate the delivery of active travel and low carbon hubs and paths.

This most recent round of ERDF Low Carbon Travel and Transport Challenge Fund has resulted in nine successful bids across Scotland, with just over £5.3m from the European Regional Development Fund and Transport Scotland to be awarded to a mixture of local authorities, a national park authority and a regional transport partnership and a registered charity

The Stromness project is the most northerly of the successful projects to receive funding.  Additional funding for the project will come from the Council’s own funds and from HITRANS.

Brian Archibald, head of marine services, engineering and transport at Orkney Islands Council said: “Orkney has an excellent reputation for low carbon and renewable energy innovation and I am delighted that this project to remove carbon from the ferry, bus and car transport modes in Stromness has been given recognition and generous financial support from the Low Carbon Travel and Transport Challenge Fund. We very much look forward to working with colleagues across the renewable energy and transport sectors in Orkney and at HITRANS to deliver this innovative work as soon as possible.”