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