The Ferry Inn hotel in Stromness has been one of Orkney’s music hotspots for years – staging regular gigs and hosting concerts during folk and blues celebrations.
But recently bosses have come up a red tape wrangle as they battled to secure the future of their outdoor area.
The planning snafu revolved around rules limiting the use of the seating area, and accompanying catering van, to between 10am and 11pm each day.
They also said no amplified music should be played in the area. At all. Which was hardly music to the owners’ ears.
What was the dispute about at the Ferry Inn in Stromness?
Over the past three years the hotel owners had been operating those additions to the business under something called “occassional licence terms” allowing them as one-offs.
To make things more permanent, planning permission was sought.
The owners wanted to change the use of the hotel’s car park to “a hotel garden, including outdoor seating and a catering van”.
The permission was granted last June but this is when the wrangle first arose… As it came with some unwelcome stipulations.
These stated that the outdoor seating and catering van could only be open to customers between 10am and 11pm each day.
Outwith that, customers would not even be allowed on the site.
Owners left blue in threat to festival events
Another condition stated that “there shall be no amplified outdoor music or other sound system” used at the hotel’s car park and seating area.
These rules were attached in line with planning policy and idea behind them is to protect nearby residents from noise.
However, applicants and hotel owners, Gareth and Karen Crichton, argued that this could scupper their various popular events.
And, as they had operated the food van and seating area for the three years prior, they hadn’t been on the lookout for such issues, they say.
As such, they asked the council to review the planning conditions, saying: “it is fundamental to our use of the area.”
Planning condition was ‘entirely unworkable’ owners told council
The owners blasted the condition related to the seating area and catering van as “entirely unworkable.”
They also said the rules would restrict the times the hotel’s guests could enjoy a cup of coffee or breakfast outside the building in the mornings.
When councillors reviewed the planning decision at a recent meeting, they questioned aspects of the planning conditions.
It was left to them to come up with a solution to the issue – which they did.
Ferry Inn will continue to entertain Stromness music fans
Councillor Duncan Tullock introduced a tweak to the rules which was backed by the rest of the committee.
This changed the rule regarding amplified music to state that it should allowed but limited to between 10am and 11pm.
The changes also specified that the catering van should not be open outwith those same hours.
Mr Tullock was also keen to introduce some way for The Ferry Inn to lengthen these hours to 1am during Stromness events.
It was agreed that the owners would be able to apply in writing to the planning department for longer hours during those events.
Have you stopped by The Ferry Inn during Stromness’s music festivals? Let us know in our comments section below
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