Navigation light set to change hands
(Picture: Craig Taylor)
The responsibility for Helliar Holm Lighthouse in the future looks set to fall to Orkney Islands Council rather than the Northern Lighthouse Board.
Councillors attending the development and infrastructure committee of the council were told that following an “Aids to Navigation” review carried out by the NLB, it was shown that the light was mainly used by those vessels navigating to and from Kirkwall.
Therefore, in terms of the Merchant Shipping Act, the responsibility can be passed over to the local harbour authority, in this case, Orkney Islands Council.
The maintenance costs to the council was reported as being £4500 a year.