Revelations on council’s £1.1m Stenness land buy
But no answers on why elected councillors were kept out of the loop on Barnhouse
It remains unclear why Orkney Islands Council (OIC) spent £1.1 million on land in Stenness without councillors being informed.
New information has come to light about the deal to buy the land at Barnhouse in Stenness.
This includes the first official confirmation of the price that was paid, using money from the strategic reserve fund.
The documents also reveal that the 122-acre plot is not required for transformational plans to create a network of paths or a new heritage visitor centre.
However, the council believed that owning the fields and derelict buildings at the Stenness site would “greatly improve” the chances of making the project a success.
Plans to make the purchase were also justified on the grounds of improving road safety for tourists visiting the nearby Neolithic sites.
It was at the start of June that OIC made public that it had acquired the farm and lands of Barnhouse, including Gull Cottage.
The council said the land was bought by the chief executive Oliver Reid under “delegated powers.” Councillors were only informed of the details after the purchase.
Newly disclosed papers say the possible acquisition of Barnhouse was originally due to go before the asset management sub-committee of elected councillors.
The Orcadian asked the council why the land was bought without councillors being informed ahead of time.
A spokesman for OIC said: “The council’s Scheme of Delegation enables the chief executive to acquire land and property assets for strategic reasons.
“As such on this occasion the chief executive chose to exercise his delegated power.”
In July, OIC refused to confirm the price it paid for Barnhouse, when The Orcadian reported the sum to be just over £1 million.
Following a Freedom of Information (FOl) request to get further details about the purchase, the council refused to provide a single document, citing commercial sensitivity.
The newspaper challenged this, and some papers have now been shared with us — though with redactions.
This confirms that £1.1 million was spent, and it sheds more light on how officials made the deal for the land.
It was in October 2023 that senior OIC officials agreed to investigate purchasing Barnhouse.
A 2024 report for OIC’s corporate leadership team states that the council’s head of enterprise and economic growth, Sweyn Johnston, had had discussions with the landowner, Jimmy Tulloch.
One reason for seeking the land was to make road safety improvements on the Brodgar Road, particularly at the junction with the A965.
The council was particularly concerned about the large number of visitors arriving in the area.
Indeed, OIC believed that the growing volume of tourists at Orkney’s historic sites could put the World Heritage Site designation “at risk.”
The ambitious Orkney World Heritage Gateway programme would boost the offering, using up to £6.5 million of government funding.
Aimed at creating a world-class visitor experience for the Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe sites, this would involve the creation of a new visitor centre and footpaths to key locations.
The 2024 report reveals that Barnhouse is not required to make the project happen.
However, the “usability and functionality” of the footpaths would be “much improved” with the use of the 122-acre plot.
“Similarly, there are several potential sites for an orientation centre, but it is recognised that achieving planning permission in proximity to the historic sites themselves will be very challenging,” the report continues.
“It may be possible to seek to develop an orientation centre on Barnhouse land, or it may be easier to redevelop the farmhouse and outbuildings at Barnhouse Farm for this purpose, and to put in an underpass for pedestrians to cross the road.”
Having the option to use Barnhouse as part of the project would “significantly improve” the chance of making the visitor centre happen, the report states.
The document reveals that more land would have to be sourced by OIC if a footpath was to link the other sites with Maeshowe, and to connect to Stenness village.
But, as well as helping build the footpaths and orientation centre, OIC believed owning Barnhouse could help the authority make money from the Ring of Brodgar.
However, the risks of buying the land at a premium and then failing to develop the World Heritage Gateway project are also detailed in the report.
It would be over two years before the purchase was made to buy the land.
Legal papers for the deal between OIC’s chief executive and the landowner, Mr Tulloch, show an offer was made on February 27 this year. This was accepted on May 21.