Plans for a new nursery to be built alongside Orkney College UHI have been approved by the local council’s planning department.
Work is due to begin at the end of this month, as the contractors Orkney Builders begin work on the £3.12million project.
The construction project is estimated to take 14 months.
Over half the cost of the project will be met by an award of £1.68million from the Scottish Government. This comes as part of the Islands Programme.
The new building will give a new home to the council-run Willow Tree Nursery. This service is currently housed in the old Papdale Halls of Residence building in Kirkwall.
Work on new Orkney nursery due to begin this month
It will sit to the east side of Orkney College, between the college building and the Watersfield housing development.
Proposals put to councillors in March last year stated that the new nursery would have 51 places for children.
There is also said to be an opportunity for synergy with the college. The new building’s proximity to the college will allow students with young children to use the nursery.
It will offer onsite practice to those studying early learning and childcare, council officers have said.
While the total cost of the new Orkney nursery is now at £3.12million Orkney Builders Ltd won the contract for the construction side with a bid of £2.65million.
The council’s original estimates for the project put the cost at £1.5million. This significant jump in costs was put down to the rise in construction costs seen during the pandemic.
The plans approved by the council’s planning department include an access road and car parking. There will also be landscaping which will lay the groundwork for play equipment and footpaths.
No objections were raised to the plans and none of the consultation bodies brought up any points of contention.
OIC Chair of the Education, Leisure and Housing Committee, Councillor Gwenda Shearer, said: “I very much welcome news of the granting of planning permission to see this vital project move a step closer to fruition.
“The new facility will make an enormous difference locally in terms of much-needed childcare provision and the training and learning opportunities for our students.
“We are looking forward to progressing the project with this latest step.”
Conversation