What does the future hold for Orkney’s ancient sites?
Toilets, walking trail and visitor centre — Neolithic improvement plans to be unveiled
A dedicated orientation centre, walking and cycling routes, extensive parking and toilets could finally arrive at Orkney’s most famous archaeological sites, as part of a £10 million funding bid.
Next week, the community will get its first look at proposals for the Orkney World Heritage Site programme — a joint effort between Orkney Islands Council (OIC) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
A series of community engagement sessions in Kirkwall, Stromness, Stenness and Sandwick will feed into a business case, which is needed to secure £9.38 million from the UK and Scottish governments as part of the Islands Growth Deal.
This will play a key part in steering the future of the sprawling UNESCO World Heritage Site in the West Mainland, which includes the Ring of Brodgar, Maeshowe, the Stones of Stenness and Skara Brae.
Proposals to improve access, infrastructure and interpretation across the site remain broad in scope — with the potential for OIC’s purchase of a 122-acre plot of land in Stenness, earlier this year, to play a part.
Part of the land at Barnhouse, for which the council is understood to have paid approximately £1 million, is one of two potential locations considered for an orientation centre for the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.
Other parts may be used in order to develop walking and cycle routes, in a project which would potentially see substantial stretches of nearby roads reduced from a 60mph speed limit to 30mph.
The proposed centre, which would come with parking and toilets as well as acting as a visitor hub, could also be located at land near the HES-run Maeshowe Visitor Centre.
IMPROVING ACTIVE TRAVEL…
One of three key elements of the World Heritage Site Programme is travel to and from Orkney’s ancient sites and Stenness village.
This part would likely be the first to progress should the business case be approved and funding unlocked.
Programme manager Raema Lyon told The Orcadian that priorities outlined in two existing documents, the Stenness Community Place Plan and the the Stenness School Travel Plan, have informed proposals.
Mrs Lyon said: “Everything will be broken down at the consultation events next week for folk to look at, but mainly the things we’re looking at is a reduction in the speed limit both along the A965 and along the Brodgar road, and the Stoneyhill road.
“There would be potential weight restrictions as well to look at buses and how they might move around the area and our footpath network.
“So, really, from the school to the Standing Stones Hotel, right up to the Ring of Brodgar and out to Maeshowe. There’s suggested changes to how people access Maeshowe, so potentially on the Stoneyhill road, rather than the A965.”
The emphasis will be on promoting active travel, Mrs Lyon explained.
“The path network is really key,” she said.
“One of the strong things that has come out from all our consultation is that people want to walk from the village to the stones, to Maeshowe, so how can we make that work?
“We’re also looking at a shuttle bus potentially and that could move people around between the various locations and potentially out to Skara Brae.
“I think that’s where it’s key — it’s more than just about the World Heritage Site and it’s about bringing local people into this.
“There will be people that will be travelling back and forth to Kirkwall and Stromness, and there’s proposals that would influence that.”
This map outlines key proposals for the World Heritage Site programme due to be shared in community engagement sessions next week.
A HUB AT THE HEART OF NEOLITHIC ORKNEY…
Orkney’s UNESCO site spreads itself across a large swathe of the West Mainland between Stenness and Sandwick.
One of the key features of the programme, and the one that is likely to take longer to come to fruition, are proposals for a visitor centre in or near Stenness.
“The orientation centre has got two sites that are being consulted on,” explained Mrs Lyon.
“Site one is the current Maeshowe Visitor Centre and adjoining field within the village, and site two is Barnhouse farm.
“We started off with a longlist of sites and we’ve narrowed it back, with an evidence-based approach, to these two.”
Should the site within the village be used, Mrs Lyon explained that this would likely be a purpose-built facility.
Should the Barnhouse site be used, there would be the option to repurpose a large existing farm building there.
Both options would incorporate interpretation information for the Heart of Neolithic Orkney landmarks, as well as providing amenities such as toilets and car parking, as well as potentially acting as a hub for coach parking.
“As part of the consultation, we’re looking at what might be inside the orientation centre,” said Mrs Lyon.
“We’re looking at what’s essential and what might be added on, so things like ticketing, retail, coffee, toilets — lots of toilets — and interpretation.
“Part of the consultation is also to consult on the interpretation of the World Heritage Site, to try and get people to engage more and how they might do that using digital and things like that.”
Site “option one” for the orientation centre would see it located on land adjacent to the current Maeshowe Visitor Centre in Stenness village. Site “option two” would see the centre situated on land at Barnhouse.
WHEN WILL THIS ALL HAPPEN?
Hopes and dreams for the programme first stirred at OIC around a decade ago, when the authority first drew up a “masterplan” for the World Heritage Site.
Now, the clock is ticking for key parts of the programme to be approved and completed, as the Islands Growth Deal funding comes with a time limit for use of 2033.
It is hoped that approval of the business case, next year, would act as a catalyst.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY…
Almost £10 million may seem like a lot of money, but for a highly ambitious programme, it is likely to just be the cornerstone of funding.
“I think what we’re setting out right now is the big picture and how would it work and how would it all connect,” said Inga Burton, OIC’s officer for sustainable regeneration and the Arctic.
“But this programme and the funding associated with it will only allow us to do a certain element of it.
“With the Growth Deal projects and programmes, there’s a requirement to find other money.
“It’s almost like the government provide that catalyst of funding and then you’re encouraged to work with other partners — private and academia organisations — to make something more of the investment.”
When it comes to money that OIC has already spent towards the programme, prior to having the Growth Deal cash in hand, Ms Burton explained that some of this may be able to be clawed back.
“If there’s money that is allocated through the Growth Deal for the programme, once the business case is approved, there’s certain things that we would be able to claim down as an eligible spend,” she told the newspaper.
“So, we would be able to claim some things back that are related to that capital project, and that’s a conversation we would be having with the programme management offices and governments to look at what is an eligible spend in terms of what we could draw down — but it would only be things that are associated with that project specifically.”
Does that mean that, if all 122 acres of Barnhouse are not used as part of the programme, OIC will not be able to claim its purchase cost back?
“It depends on what is used for the project,” said Ms Burton.
“If it’s not used for the project, then we wouldn’t be able to.”
HOW TO HAVE YOUR SAY…
Next week’s community engagement drop-in sessions will take place as follows.
Monday, September 21, 5-7pm, Old Library, Laing Street, Kirkwall.
Tuesday, September 22, 6-8pm, Stenness Community Hall.
Wednesday, September 23, 5-7pm, Warehouse Buildings, Stromness.
Thursday, September 24, 5-6pm, Sandwick Hall.
Members of the public will be encouraged to give their feedback in person and are also able to get in touch with the programme team on orkneywhs@orkney.gov.uk