The Stromness Hotel has been given planning permission for new external staircases to be installed.
This will go some way towards addressing safety concerns at the hotel, which remains closed.
Both planning permission and listed building consent were granted by Orkney Islands Council earlier this week.
The plans will see the staircases on the east and west faces of the building replaced.
The council’s planners said the proposals are acceptable both in terms of design and the impact on the listed building and conservation area.
The hotel is located on Victoria Street, just metres away from Stromness’s Harbour.
The current staircases are non-functional due to corrosion, as the sea air has taken its toll.
Hotel closed following incident – leaving guests in need of alternative accommodation
In July, The Stromness Hotel was shut down after an elderly hotel guest fell down the building’s lift shaft.
Within a day, a prohibition notice was served by firefighters concerned about safety failings.
The notice followed an unannounced visit by fire chiefs.
While the closure of the hotel seemed sudden, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SRFS) said it followed two years of engagement with the hotel’s management and duty holder.
This engagement was in relation to “a number of fire and safety deficiencies previously identified”.
As the sudden closure came in the middle of the busy summer tourist season, it left a number of guests in need of alternative accommodation at short notice.
New stairs will “restore the safety and usability of the hotel’s fire escape routes”
In a design statement sent to the council, hotel owner Na’ím Anís Paymán states that the “primary objective” of the new stairs will be to “restore the safety and usability of the hotel’s fire escape routes, ensuring compliance with current building regulations”.
The statement also says the new staircases will provide “safe, functional, and aesthetically appropriate replacements, enhancing the safety for hotel guests, staff, and the public” at the B-listed building.
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