Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Orkney councillors agree to support two community projects in Stronsay and Shapinsay with up to £131,000

Shapinsay community
The Smithy, Shapinsay's Balfour village. Image: Andrew Stewart/DC Thomson

Orkney councillors on the community development fund sub-committee have backed applications for cash for projects in Shapinsay and Stronsay, to the tune of up to £131,000.

Applications to support major changes at the Stronsay Hotel and the Shapinsay Smithy were given the thumbs-up by members of the council’s community development fund sub-committee this morning.

Stronsay’s development trust had asked the council to support the cost of redeveloping the island hotel into a multi-use facility.

The development’s proposals would result in the building still being used as a hotel to some extent with a bar and rooms. However, they would also incorporate rooms, a kitchen, storage, and a garden for use by the community.

The committee agreed that the council should cover up to £59,282 of the project’s costs. In total, the project will cost around £200,272.

The existing Stronsay Hotel was created from two houses near the island’s pier in Whitehall village, after the original Stronsay Hotel burned down in 1939. The original building stood in the centre of the village and traces its founding all the way back to 1891.

The hotel has seen several changes of ownership over the years with the last main refurbishment in 1999.

However, the hotel has been in danger of closing down, councillors were told. The previous owners faced ill health and were nearing retirement.

The business’s capacity had reduced, with reduced hours, closures, and lack of provisions. The owners had sought a buyer but after a three-year search, none was found.

Councillor Gwenda Shearer called the proposals a “very positive project” and said the hotel was a “big part of island life.”

She also praised the work the community had done in taking the proposals forward.

Councillors praise work done by communities to develop projects on Shapinsay and Stronsay

Meanwhile, the Shapinsay Development Trust had also approached the council, asking them to support their £230,716 redevelopment of The Smithy, in Balfour village.

Committee members backed the proposals, to the tune of up to £71,939.

The iconic building had been owned by the council and was leased out to various parties.

However, ferry times, heating costs, and lease constraints had seen it used less and less by the Shapinsay community.

This led to The Smithy’s existing cafe being closed in 2018 and the upstairs heritage centre being closed since the start of the first covid-19 lockdown in March 2020.

The building was purchased by the island’s development trust earlier this year.

Now, the trust’s aim is to redevelop the Smithy and have it used as a heritage centre and cafe again.

The development trust’s proposals would improve the condition of the building and tackle the problems with high energy bills.

This would see the building stripped back to its interior walls. Insulation and damp-proofing would be installed.

The proposals would see outdoor seating put in place and the “enhancement” of the heritage centre, with modern display units.

The proposals had already attracted funding from the North Isles Landscape Partnership scheme and others.

Chairman of the sub-committee, council convener Graham Bevan said both projects were “super, community-led projects worthy of support.”

Conversation