Orkney’s Stromness Hotel wants to replace rusty external staircases after its shock closure in the middle of this year’s summer tourist season.
The hotel was closed in July after a prohibition notice was served by firefighters concerned about safety failings.
The notice followed an unannounced visit by fire chiefs, which took place the day after an elderly hotel guest fell down the building’s lift shaft.
The swift closure left many of the hotel’s guests in need of alternative accommodation at short notice.
While the hotel remains closed, the plans will go towards addressing the issues identified.
The plans would see the staircases on the east and west faces of the building replaced.
The current staircases are non-functional due to corrosion, having spent years being blasted by the sea.
Replacement staircases would be a step toward hotel’s reopening
In documents sent to the council, owner Na’ím Anís Paymán, says the new staircases would be “safe and compliant structures”.
The initial closure of the hotel occurred just after the busiest event in the town’s calendar, Stromness Shopping week.
The SRFS had said it was due to “fire safety deficiencies”.
David McGroarty is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Group Commander covering Orkney.
Shortly after the hotel’s closure, he said the action followed “two years of engagement with hotel management and the building’s duty holder in relation to a number of fire safety deficiencies which had previously been identified”.
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The planning papers state: “The replacement of the fire escape staircases is an essential upgrade to The Stromness Hotel’s infrastructure, necessary for the safety of its occupants.
“The proposed design aligns with modern safety standards and respects the aesthetic and historical significance of the building.”
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