Kitchener memorial wall approved

The proposal to build a memorial wall next to the Kitchener Memorial, Birsay, has been approved by Orkney Islands Council’s planning committee.

The application was put forward by the Orkney Heritage Society and will see the construction of a wall, which will be just higher than a metre tall and made from Orkney stone, bearing the names of the 735 other men who died in the loss of HMS Hampshire in June 1916.

There were three objections to the application on the grounds of affecting the setting of the listed building, public safety and encouraging activity close to the cliff.

Philosophical objections were also given regarding whether the wall was an appropriate was to commemorate the loss of HMS Hampshire.

However the objections were deemed to be of insufficient weight by the council’s planning department and application was recommended for approval.