Former Stromness care home to be sold

St Peter’s House, the former care home in Stromness, is to be put up for sale by Orkney Islands Council — with hopes that it could be a possible development site for low cost or student housing.

The property has been deemed “surplus to requirements” — meaning that the council has no further use for it.

A brand new care home facility, Hamnavoe House, became operational in Stromness in January this year

St Peter’s House occupies a prominent site extending to 0.5 hectares with commanding views across Stromness. The internal floor area extends to 1,690 square metres comprising a stone-built manse dating from the early 1900s, an extension dating from the 1960s and a further extension dating from the 1990s. The building is in a reasonable but tired condition and was no longer serviceable as a modern care home for older people.

In February this year OIC development and infrastructure committee considered a new Stromness Place Plan, which was developed alongside the Stromness community and represented their aspirations for the town.

The plan included an aspiration that the building be considered for other uses such as student housing, low cost homes for local need, and specialist elderly housing through refurbishment and/or demolition and new build — all of which could potentially be achieved through private developer ownership.

Stromness and South Isles Councillor James Stockan said: “St Peter’s House has been at the heart of our community for decades now, with many local families passing through its doors to visit elderly friends and relatives.

“As our older folk now settle into their new home at Hamnavoe House, it’s important that we now look to the future of this site.  The building and grounds have a great deal of potential and I look forward to seeing what comes next.”

A new care home for Stromness, a long term aspiration for the town, opened in January 2020, securing future provision for older folk in need of residential accommodation.

Construction was carried out by Orkney Builders (Contractors) Ltd. with the two-year construction project completed on time.

The new care home currently has 30 beds, but has sufficient space for 10 more to be made available at a later date.

The home’s name, Hamnavoe House, was selected after a community effort. Local school children suggested names, Stromness Community Council whittled these down to a shortlist – and a public vote was held during the ‘What’s Next for Stromness’ public consultation events in 2019.