What do you want Kirkwall to be like in 20 years?

A new ideas-gathering exercise will pose the question – what would you want Kirkwall to be like over the next 10 to 20 years?

The ‘Your Kirkwall’ initiative will result in a shared vision for the town that reflects the views of the community at large. It will highlight projects people would like to see happen or take forward themselves. It will also guide Orkney Islands Council’s future planning, design and transport policies for Kirkwall.

A series of events will provide opportunities for people throughout Orkney to consider how they would like Kirkwall to be as a place to live, work and visit – both in the short-term and over the next 20 years.

School pupils, residents, local businesses, voluntary organisations, community councils and other community groups, are among those who will be asked to put forward their aspirations and priorities.

“It’s important to point out that this isn’t a project focussing on potential improvements for any particular part of the town,” said Kirkwall Councillor and Depute Council Leader, Leslie Manson.

“No proposals are being put forward. What we are doing is starting with a blank sheet of paper and looking to the future for the town as a whole.

“We’ll start with the views of young people and ask how they’d like to see their town develop over the years ahead. What do they think is needed – and how might they get involved themselves?

“Visits to schools will be followed by a series of events aimed at getting a broad spectrum of views from people of all ages.

“You’ll be able to take part in ‘Your Kirkwall’ via social media, public workshops and an online survey – there will be plenty of opportunities for folk to join in what should be a fascinating series of conversations on what might be needed to make Kirkwall an even better place to live, work and visit.”

To help gather ideas, those taking part will be asked questions such as ‘what do you like most about Kirkwall’, ‘what could be better‘, and ‘what can people do themselves to improve their town’.

To find out more, visit the Your Kirkwall website and an online survey is available here. The public can also take part in with the exercise using Facebook and Twitter. More information about the ‘Your Kirkwall’ events are to come in future.

(cover photo: Colin Keldie)