Your Kirkwall Urban Design Framework

A Place Plan for Kirkwall

October 2018

Planning in Orkney

Status of this Supplementary Guidance

The main planning document in Orkney is the Orkney Local Development Plan (the plan), which provides the policy framework and land allocations for dealing with planning applications efficiently and with certainty. All decisions on planning applications require that an appropriate balance is struck between the relevant development plan policies and other material considerations.

Supplementary Guidance is produced for given policy areas and subjects where a specific requirement is highlighted within the plan. It is the purpose of Supplementary Guidance to provide further information, policy and advice on complex planning matters and to expand upon the core policies or land allocations in the plan. Supplementary Guidance is always subject to full public consultation and is submitted to the Scottish Government prior to adoption.

Once adopted, supplementary guidance has statutory weight in the determination of planning applications and forms part of the plan.

Planning Policy Advice (PPA) is prepared to provide further information and advice on policies and issues where a specific requirement to produce supplementary guidance has not been set out within the plan.

Many development briefs for land allocations are set at this level, along with the majority of advice and information that is prepared for members of the public and Development Management. PPA is always subject to full public consultation and council approval prior to adoption and publication. Once adopted, PPA is a material planning consideration although it does not bear the same weight as the plan itself.

Development Management Guidance (DMG) is produced to provide advice on technical issues and the interpretation of given policies where a need arises. It is the intention of DMG to ensure a consistency of approach and to highlight the original intention/spirit of a policy where there is any ambiguity. DMG is also produced for less complex land allocations to ensure a coordinated approach to development can be achieved – Conservation Area Appraisals and Conservation Statements are also set at this level within Orkney. Whilst DMG is not subject to public consultation, it is approved by the Council prior to adoption and publication. As such, DMG is a material consideration in the determination of planning applications, which is considered to be the standing advice of the local planning authority.

Contacting the Council

Should you wish to discuss any aspect of this Supplementary Guidance, an officer from Development Management will be available from 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday to meet at the Orkney Islands Council customer services in Kirkwall or via telephone 01865 873 535.

Prepared with assistance from PAS (formerly known as Planning Aid Scotland).

Funded with kind assistance from the Scottish Government’s Smarter Choices Smarter Places (SCSP) Fund.

www.orkney.gov.uk

Your Kirkwall
Urban Design Framework
A Place Plan for Kirkwall

July 2018.

Foreword

As Orkney’s capital, Kirkwall is important not only to its own residents but to all people who live in Orkney and, indeed, those who visit. It is an important location for jobs, recreation, commerce and housing, and a hub for Orkney’s economy and social activities. A successful Kirkwall contributes to a successful Orkney.

As a Kirkwallian, I have always recognised that the town is a very special place with its own unique character. Most people are charmed by Kirkwall – the narrow winding main street with its many lanes; some of the older houses gable end on to the street; the iconic buildings in the town centre; and the bustling harbour. Increasingly, residents appreciate the growing network of paths for walking and cycling.

The town faces many challenges – growing demand for housing, the changing demographic with more older residents, and an increasing number of tourists and visitors. It is very important that there is a plan for Kirkwall which guides its development in the short, medium and longer term so that we can protect what we value about it and help to shape how it evolves in a responsible, sustainable and locally distinctive way.

During 2017 and 2018, through the Your Kirkwall project, Orkney Islands Council facilitated a series of community conversations to help create an inclusive plan that reflects the wishes and needs of the Orkney community. People were encouraged to come together to discuss and share ideas for the future of Kirkwall over the next 10-20 years – to help improve the town as a place to live, work, study and visit.

We went to the community with a blank sheet of paper, and what is included in this plan has emerged from a process of meaningful engagement with all stakeholders discussing issues that matter to them. This has been a very rewarding process, during which we have spoken to residents, community groups, local businesses and voluntary organisations. We have also made a particular effort to engage with young people through the schools and youth organisations, because they arguably have the biggest long-term stake in the future of the town.

This plan is ambitious, and it may not be possible for all of it to be achieved during the current Council term. At the current time of financial constraint, some of the more expensive options may not attract sufficient funding. However creating this blueprint for the town will help the Council and the community to work together to achieve as much as we can. As a 20-year vision for the town, I also hope that this plan will influence decision making long after the current Council has completed its term.

Councillor Leslie Manson

I welcome this document and value the way in which it captures the views of our residents. I look forward to seeing how it will influence Council plans and decisions over the coming years, and also to seeing many of the ideas and aspirations of the community come to fruition.

IMAGE: The foreword page presents the text of Councillor Leslie Manson’s foreword alongside a photograph of Councillor Manson standing outside a historic stone building in Kirkwall.

Contents

1. Introduction — 7

2. Engagement Process — 11

3. Kirkwall Opportunities & Challenges — 15

• Island Context — 16
• Kirkwall Economy — 19

4. Kirkwall Vision — 21

5. Kirkwall Strategy — 23

• Design Principles — 24
• Strategic Town-Wide Objectives — 25
• Town-Wide Delivery Plan — 29

6. Focus Areas — 31

• Town Centre — 33
  • Approach — 34
  • Design Principles — 36
  • Project: Historic Spine Gap Sites — 37
  • Project: Town Centre Waterfront — 38
  • Project: Parking — 39
  • Project: Orkney Heritage App — 40
  • Action Plan — 41
• Town Centre West — 43
  • Approach — 44
  • Design Principles — 46
  • Project: Great Western Road — 47
  • Action Plan — 49
• Peedie Sea and Pickaquoy Area — 51
  • Approach — 52
  • Design Principles — 55
  • Project: Peedie Sea Town Park — 56
  • Project: Pickaquoy Road Improvements — 58
  • Project: Wideford Hill Path Network — 59
  • Action Plan — 60
• Hatston and Seafront — 61
  • Approach — 62
  • Design Principles — 64
  • Project: Hatston Industrial Estate Action Plan — 65
  • Projects: Seafront / Coastal Walkway — 66
  • Project: Hatston Pier to Western Gateway — 66
  • Project: Town Frontage / Harbour — 69
  • Project: Town to Carness Shoreline Path — 70
  • Project: Kirkwall Circular Route — 72
  • Project: Town to Countryside Routes (Scapa and Inganess) — 72
  • Action Plan — 73
• Papdale — 75
  • Approach — 76
  • Design Principles — 79
  • Project: Papdale East Park — 80
  • Project: Bignold Park — 80
  • Action Plan — 81
• Kirkwall South — 83
  • Approach — 84
  • Design Principles — 86
  • Project: Crantit and Arcadia Green Spaces — 87
  • Project: Balfour Redevelopment — 88
  • Project: K10 Exemplar Site — 89
  • Action Plan — 91

7. Making It Happen Delivery Framework — 93

• Collaboration — 94
• Implementation Timeline for Larger Projects — 95
• Sustaining Momentum — 95

Appendix 1: Housing Allocation K10 Development Brief — 97

1. Introduction

This document is the Kirkwall Urban Design Framework (KUDF). It is a strategic planning document which will guide development and change in the town over the next 20-year period.

The Council prepared this document with and for the Orkney community to create a plan which helps to coordinate ideas and investment which will improve Kirkwall as a place to live, work, study and visit.

This process was assisted by PAS (formerly Planning Aid for Scotland), a planning/educational charity and social enterprise with expertise in community engagement (www.pas.org.uk). The result is a Place Plan for Kirkwall which reflects the aspirations of the local community.

The ideas and priorities generated by local people during the ‘Your Kirkwall’ community conversations are outlined in section 2 and reiterated at key points throughout the document.

The KUDF is Supplementary Guidance and forms part of the Orkney Local Development Plan (OLDP) 2017. Its contents will also inform a review of the Kirkwall section of the Supplementary Guidance: Settlement Statements, which sets out the key information for each settlement to complement the policies of the OLDP.

For the avoidance of doubt, the plans and diagrams contained within this document are for illustrative purposes only. It will be necessary for further detailed technical analysis and community consultation to be progressed through formal development brief and planning application processes to define the final form of development which will be permitted.

Beyond Planning, the document will also guide other Council and Community Planning Partner policies and activities such as Transportation, Roads, Housing, Education, Tourism and Economic Development.

To help prepare the KUDF, Orkney Islands Council successfully secured grant funding from the Scottish Government’s Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) fund. SCSP supports initiatives to increase active and sustainable travel to improve people’s health and the local environment.

A review of the Kirkwall Active Travel Audit (KATA) was also carried out as part of this process and informs the Kirkwall strategy (section 5) and approaches to walking and cycling in the KUDF.

This KUDF contains:

• a vision for Kirkwall’s future based on design principles generated by the community
• a strategy for planning, development and movement across the town as a whole
• six ‘areas of focus’ to guide development in the town; and
• a delivery framework.

The flow chart on the next page summarises the report’s layout and approach.

IMAGE: A flow chart shows the document’s progression from the Your Kirkwall engagement process and analysis of key opportunities and challenges, through a vision for Kirkwall’s future and a town-wide strategy, to detailed guidance for six focus areas and a delivery framework.

2. Engagement Process

The process of community engagement which informed this plan took place over a number of months. PAS and the Council engaged with the citizens of Kirkwall and across Orkney by listening to and meeting with a variety of stakeholders – including residents, young people, community groups, local businesses and community planning partners to share ideas, set priorities and create a shared vision for Kirkwall.

Community engagement took place in two stages:

• November 2017: asking people to set the agenda for the future of the town by identifying issues, aspirations and priorities
• January 2018: testing the emerging framework of this plan to check it was heading in the right direction

A number of engagement channels were used:

• youth engagement with local schools and youth organisations including a youth summit in late January 2018
• online engagement via Facebook, Twitter (@YourKirkwall) and www.yourkirkwall.com
• discussions with key community and business organisations and community planning partners
• use of the Scottish Government’s Place Standard tool (https://placestandard.scot/place-standard.pdf)
• a public online community survey at www.yourkirkwall.com attracting over 300 responses
• community discussions in the town hall

A full report of the outputs from all of these events can be found in the ‘Interim Engagement Report: Update’ which is available online at www.yourkirkwall.com.

At the same time as the two stages of community engagement were happening, the team was also undertaking background research into population change, strategic policy aspirations and constraints, and technical constraints and opportunities, for example drainage and potential funding for future project implementation.

The table on the next page summarises community views and uses these to begin the process of forming community-led design principles and a vision for Kirkwall’s future.

Young people’s ideas

• More nature, greenery, flowers and trees
• More social spaces and clubs to meet
• More opportunities for recreation and play
• Make the Peedie Sea a destination
• Better parks
• Better buses from east and west mainland

Wider community ideas

• More activity on Albert Street/Victoria Street
• Make it easier to move around by bike and foot
• Improve the quality of footpaths, for example Muddisdale
• Create more open and community space
• Retain historic features
• Control/enforce parking
• Tackle HGV traffic
• Celebrate the town’s heritage
• Introduce more colour
• Use brownfield gap sites before growing town outwards onto greenfield sites

IMAGE: Photographs show community engagement activities, including people working with coloured notes, a Place Standard exercise, and discussions in the town hall.

IMAGE: A workshop display contains handwritten community ideas about Kirkwall development, transport, facilities, the town centre, buses and issues with traffic.

3. Kirkwall Opportunities & Challenges

Island Context

Kirkwall is Orkney’s capital and is important not only to its own residents but to all people who live in, work in, study in, and visit Orkney.

The Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall Grammar School (KGS), Orkney College UHI, town centre businesses, supermarkets, Hatston Industrial Estate, the Council headquarters and the town’s many other facilities serve people who live in and visit Kirkwall as well as those from the East and West Mainland, the linked isles and the outer isles of Orkney.

The town is an important economic, cultural, recreational, residential, commercial, tourist and transport hub for Orkney as a whole. It is clear that a successful Kirkwall contributes to a successful Orkney and that the town’s ongoing development must be supported and coordinated for the islands as a whole to flourish.

Linked to this, Kirkwall’s population is growing faster than any other part of Orkney. This situation has implications for the future growth of Kirkwall: where will this growing population live, especially the growing numbers of older people? It also has implications for travel: how will people get to and from Kirkwall, and how will they move around in Kirkwall?

Orkney’s popularity as a destination has continued to grow in recent times with both volume tourism and visits by independent travellers increasing year on year. It is anticipated that the number of individuals choosing Orkney as a holiday destination will continue to increase in future years. Whilst this increase in visitor numbers can pose a challenge to our infrastructure, it also represents an exciting economic opportunity for new and existing businesses. As Kirkwall is one of the UK’s most popular cruise destinations, it has its own distinct pressures and opportunities.

Orkney has a strong track record in generating energy from renewables sources in innovative ways and has ambitious plans for the future, including generating hydrogen from locally-produced green energy and generating energy from waste. Initial investigations and feasibility works are underway regarding the creation of a private wire network to electrify public and civic buildings in order to reduce fuel costs. Furthermore, the OLDP provides an indicative heat network for Kirkwall, which would enable existing and new heat generators to provide heat to residential properties on allocated residential sites. The provision of low carbon transport infrastructure within developments is particularly encouraged, for example by providing community or commercial electric vehicle charge points.

The ability to get in and out of Kirkwall is critical. The transport network has to cater not only for local trips within the town, but also trips by businesses, residents and visitors from elsewhere in the county and arriving from further afield. Different kinds of travel demands need to be accommodated.

It is recognised that the nature of Orkney’s dispersed rural settlement pattern is such that many residents and workers living outwith Kirkwall will inevitably arrive in town by car, meaning that they require somewhere to park. However, opportunities exist to promote walking and cycling for shorter journeys within the town to increase ‘active travel’ and all its benefits for health, wellbeing and the environment.

The management of water within the town is another key factor. The area around the Peedie Sea is reclaimed land and the shoreline has moved over time.

IMAGE: A map shows Orkney’s islands, including Mainland, Kirkwall, Stromness, Shapinsay, Hoy, Flotta and Burra.

IMAGE: An infographic presents statistics about Kirkwall and Orkney, including population, health, bus use, electric vehicles, changing population, tourism, cruise visits, visitor numbers, employment and economic activity.

IMAGE: Two maps identify key gateways for tourists and routes frequented by independent travellers, and centres of gravity for Orkney Mainland where services in Kirkwall cover the whole of Orkney.

Water management

The key current issues in water management in Kirkwall are:

• surface water: run-off from rain and snow. This causes capacity issues and associated localised flooding. Significant flooding in 2006 was caused by surface water drainage; and
• seawater: flooding from the sea is a key concern. The 2005 flood was caused by seawater breaching the harbour defences.

Based on these issues, the following actions are being undertaken:

• new sea wall defences have been built at the harbour to reduce risk of seawater flooding
• Orkney Islands Council is preparing a surface water management plan to develop a strategy for reducing flooding from surface water. This will include sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) for all new development; and
• Scottish Water is developing proposals for work to upgrade the drainage system, to increase surface water capacity and reduce flood risk.

Scottish Water has been working on a hydraulic model of the catchment area to understand the impact of sewer flooding on the population and to enable development within the town. Kirkwall is a complex catchment with many hydraulic issues to address, including coastal and overland flow flooding.

Several strategic options have been modelled and discussed with Orkney Islands Council and developers earlier this year and opportunities to coordinate sewer upsizing at the same time as road works, such as the possible reorganisation of parking on Great Western Road proposed in this document, are already being explored. The next stage will be to agree on a final solution and set out the principles under which the strategy will be delivered and funded collaboratively between Scottish Water, Orkney Islands Council and developers. It is anticipated that this work will then be incorporated into the development of the Kirkwall Surface Water Management Plan.

It is acknowledged that a number of key gap and strategic sites in the town cannot be developed without managing surface water flooding and discussions are ongoing with Scottish Water, SEPA and Orkney Islands Council to try and find solutions to this. Surface water flooding is the key constraint to the redevelopment of the Town Centre West area.

Kirkwall Economy

A review of the local economy has been completed through stakeholder meetings with Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) and local business representatives from a range of sectors, a desk review of latest economic statistics and discussions held at the community events.

A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the local economy has been developed in line with these discussions. This SWOT has helped to inform this KUDF.

Strengths

• Kirkwall the capital of ‘Orkney the Brand’ – agriculture, food and drink, craft/jewellery and tourism sectors
• Low unemployment
• High levels of economic activity and self-employment
• Kirkwall the administrative and commercial centre for Orkney – notably for public services
• Hatston Industrial Estate
• Ferry terminal / cruise terminal – most visited cruise port in UK
• Active / well supported BID (Business Improvement District)
• Visitor attractions and proximity to Kirkwall
• UHI / Orkney College research / further education programmes
• Proximity to airport
• Recreational facilities, Pickaquoy and Peedie Sea
• Growing population in Kirkwall & Orkney
• Buoyant house market
• Transport and tourism-related trends continue to grow year on year

Weaknesses

• High level of dependence on public sector jobs
• Narrow economic base, lower value sectors such as tourism and retail
• High seasonality in tourism / cruise related business
• Over-reliance on cruise business
• Housing affordability and pressure on social housing
• High demand on housing driving up property prices
• Pressure on community assets and congestion, especially in peak periods
• Hatston a poor ‘front door’ to Kirkwall – aesthetically poor
• Lack of appropriate tourism accommodation
• Economy and community not yet set up to maximise opportunities and benefits of volume tourism

Opportunities

• International cruise growth
• Further promotion of ‘Orkney the Brand’, ‘Orkney PLC’, ‘Orkney.com’ and Kirkwall’s ‘capital credentials’
• Growing tourism patronage at key sites and attractions
• Orkney College / UHI
• Action plan for Hatston
• Converting short cruise stays into longer repeat and ‘word of mouth’ benefits
• Ensuring Kirkwall and Orkney retain their known uniqueness
• Changing organisational structure to support future tourism economy growth
• Changing energy generation/storage/management as an opportunity, for example renewable energy as a generator of funds to help kickstart projects
• Sustainable tourism planning
• Islands Deal – significant employment opportunities
• Island Games 2023

Threats

• Public sector cutbacks
• ‘Over-tourism’ in peak periods
• Tourism adversely affecting other business/community uses
• Ageing population and population growth putting pressure on all town assets
• Lack of affordable housing
• External factors affecting tourism, such as Brexit and exchange rates
• Brexit issues affecting farming and exports, notably around food and drink
• RET further putting pressure on Kirkwall and ‘over-tourism’ in peak periods
• Impact of traffic and parking on the economic performance of the town centre
• Surface water flooding
• Online shopping

4. Kirkwall Vision

This future vision for Kirkwall comes directly from the community engagement themes (section 2), Kirkwall opportunities and challenges (section 3), and informs the Town-Wide Strategy (section 5):

• movement: a town where it is easier and more comfortable to get around by walking, cycling and public transport
• colour: a brighter and more colourful Kirkwall
• greenspace: a greater variety of parks and outdoor spaces
• heritage: a town which cherishes the historic ‘Kirkwall’ style and focuses on better streets in new development
• economy: Kirkwall as the commercial heart of Orkney with future development focused in and around the town centre on surplus land and buildings
• inter-generational: a town which provides opportunities for employement, suitable accommodation and social interaction for all ages
• digital: to improve signage and interpretation
• green energy: a town which harnesses natural resources through embracing innovation and opportunities for cleaner energy, making it a more sustainable place

IMAGE: An aerial photograph shows Kirkwall town centre, harbour, waterfront, surrounding housing and countryside.

5. Kirkwall Strategy

The Kirkwall Strategy has six town-wide design principles which have been developed to deliver the vision outlined in section 4, and underpin the seven strategic town-wide objectives which follow. The town-wide delivery plan summaries key actions to deliver the vision and strategy – and more detail is provided in each of the six focus areas in section 6.

• 6 Design Principles
• 7 Strategic Town-Wide Objectives
• 1 Town-Wide Delivery Plan

Community Ideas Informing Approach

• Walking is key to moving around Kirkwall
• 20 minutes is the threshold for most people to walk to the town centre
• New developments should be walkable from the town centre
• Brighter street lighting
• Better links needed, for example to the Peedie Sea
• Improve public transport

Design Principles

Walkable Town

All streets should offer a pleasant and high quality walking experience for pedestrians of all ages and capabilities. Streets should be designed to be inclusive and encourage walking as much as possible.

Enhance Greenspace

Open space should integrate with the green network to provide multifunctional spaces with access, play, biodiversity and landscape value.

Easier Movement

The hierarchy of movement around Kirkwall should be refocused to put pedestrians and cyclists first, public transport second and the needs of motorised vehicles last.

Better Streets

Streets should be well lit, create a positive Orcadian sense of place, and offer shelter. Streets should have a strong relationship with the historic environment, enhancing and protecting the buildings and spaces around them.

Better Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhood design should encourage social interaction and offer access to good quality greenspace, safe streets and places for children to play outdoors.

A Sustainable Place

Aim for zero carbon emissions for all development, eliminate waste, and maximise the use of both renewable materials and energy.

Strategic Town-Wide Objectives

1. Concentrate future residential development within a reasonable walking distance of the town centre

Concentrate future residential development within a reasonable walking distance (20 minutes) of the town centre – to make best use of brownfield land and reduce demand for car use in new development.

Kirkwall is a growing town with an increasing population and housing numbers. Outward growth can be incremental or planned – both were discussed at length with residents and stakeholders. The workshops during the community engagement revealed that currently Kirkwall is almost all within a 20-minute walk of the town centre and this was repeatedly seen as an advantage. This prompted discussions around access, parking, and the distribution of amenities and services. The overwhelming desire was to retain this 20-minute walking character and to break up the 20-minute distance with rest spaces along key routes. The prevailing wind and topography will also be a factor in working out the 20-minute distance.

2. Take a responsible approach to the demand from some people for more car parking

Retain and re-distribute, do not expand, the existing level of parking in and around the town centre, enforce parking, and create new visitor parking between the Pickaquoy Centre and Hatston, west of Pickaquoy Road.

Encourage visitors to access the town centre on foot or by bike from Hatston Pier or edge-of-centre car parks to reduce the demand for bus, van and car visitor parking in the town centre.

3. Focus on traffic management to resolve Kirkwall’s traffic issues in the next 5–10 years

A number of localised traffic junction improvements and one-way streets are proposed to reduce current congestion. The key issue is heavy vehicles and other traffic crossing the town from Hatston to the east. Whilst a one-way system around the Peedie Sea does not show any significant improvements, the use of one-way systems around the Junction Road / Great Western Road area does show improved traffic flows in the models. Retain the option/aspiration for a southern bypass in the future at such a time as traffic models demonstrate it is necessary.

4. Reduce the demand for short journeys by car and manage visitor numbers sustainably within Kirkwall

Encourage better walking and cycling opportunities within the town. This will be achieved through the development and consolidation of a town-wide Active Travel Path Network (ATPN), including:

• Hatston to Wideford Hill to Town
• Hatston Pier to Western Gateway
• Town Frontage / Harbour
• Town to Carness Shoreline Path, including Craigiefield Walk/Parkland
• Kirkwall Circular Route
• Town to Countryside Routes, Scapa and Inganess

Sections of these routes already exist. A combination of improvement and upgrading works are required to encourage residents and visitors to access and move through the town and surrounding countryside on foot and by bike, and there may also be opportunities to link up bridleways with the provision of new infrastructure.

The design of any new infrastructure should be consistent with Cycling by Design, Designing Streets and the SCOTS National Roads Development Guide. Integral to the development of the ATPN is the provision of green infrastructure and a signage and wayfinding strategy of sensitive careful design which minimises clutter and enhances the distinctive historic environment. Shelter, cycling facilities, disabled access and dementia-friendly signage are required. Seating provision is also encouraged along key routes.

Implementation of these proposals could include connecting the distilleries, green spaces and amenities as part of a whisky trail to improve Kirkwall and the Crantit area as a destination. The consideration of reduced speed zones or limits in built-up areas will also help to achieve this objective.

5. Put in place measures to sustainably manage surface water drainage across the town

This is particularly important to enable the development of low-lying sites in the town centre and town centre west areas of Kirkwall. A Green Infrastructure Network, incorporating Green Networks, Open Space and Active Travel routes, should be used to assist with surface water management and drainage issues around Kirkwall as part of the surface water management plan process.

6. Provide better connected functional greenspace

Kirkwall has many open spaces which are not as well used as they could be. We are also aware that providing ongoing maintenance of these spaces is difficult for the Council in the current economic climate. We propose that a consolidated and better connected green network in Kirkwall should be established which integrates green infrastructure, paths and open spaces, with green networks, parks and the ATPN.

The Peedie Sea forms part of a network of major greenspaces and parks within Kirkwall town, along with:

• Bignold Park
• Papdale East Play Park
• Muddiesdale Walk / Footpath / Cycleway
• Arcadia Park at Scapa Crescent
• Crantit Park, currently under development
• Tankerness House Gardens

As well as making more of the Peedie Sea, there should be a review of the greenspaces and play areas across Kirkwall as a whole, including support for community-led greenspace improvements at Papdale East, Craigiefields/Carness, Scapa Crescent, Bignold Park and any others which emerge.

The proposal of a new park at Craigiefield Road, Craigiefield Park, along with potentially a new linear coastal park along Carness Road, would significantly enhance and provide balance to parkland and greenspace across the town. Adding to the parkland provision is a network of play spaces that weaves in between the greenspaces. An Active Travel Path Network is key to the success of this objective.

7. Make Kirkwall a better place to live

All the strategic town-wide objectives contribute to making Kirkwall a better place to live – they are all connected.

There is a need to develop better neighbourhoods built on well-designed streets and social spaces which protect and enhance the distinctive character of the historic environment, with buildings fronting onto the streets. Kirkwall streets are built on a distinctive combination of mixed materials, simple forms and carefully placed buildings.

Affordable architecture should be created with an Orcadian character – with colour, planting and shelter, all sensitively designed and incorporated.

Streets should be designed to encourage a positive walking experience for all ages and capabilities, including the visually impaired, and should consider seating provision along key routes for ease of use.

OIC will work in partnership with key stakeholders to develop a range of renewable energy infrastructure projects including investigating options for a potential private wire network for Kirkwall, opportunities to develop an energy/heat from waste facility and an associated district heating network for the town, and a plan for electric vehicle charging points.

Town-Wide Delivery Plan

6. Focus Areas

Introduction

Community aspirations for the future of the town are concentrated on six areas of the town. These six ‘areas of focus’ were tested with the community in early 2018 and form the structure of the focus area projects:

• Town Centre
• Town Centre West
• Peedie Sea and Pickaquoy
• Hatston and Seafront
• Papdale
• Kirkwall South

A number of projects are detailed within each focus area:

• Historic Spine Gap Sites
• Town Centre Waterfront
• Parking
• Heritage App
• Great Western Road
• Peedie Sea Town Park
• Pickaquoy Road Improvements
• Wideford Hill Path Network
• Hatston Industrial Estate Action Plan
• Seafront/Coastal Walkway
  • Hatston Pier to Western Gateway
  • Town Frontage / Harbour
  • Town to Carness Shoreline Path, including Craigiefield Walk/Parkland
  • Kirkwall Circular Route
  • Town to Countryside Routes, Scapa and Inganess
• Papdale East Park
• Bignold Park
• Crantit and Arcadia Greenspaces
• Balfour Redevelopment
• K10 Exemplar Housing Site

Where the six town-wide design principles feature, these are identified by the logos in the top corner of each project sheet.

There is a need for a coordinated approach across all focus area projects to look for opportunities to integrate green infrastructure alongside active travel and green/open space creation and improvements. This is a town-wide design principle which all projects must relate to.

Town Centre

Approach

One message came across very clearly through the community engagement: Kirkwallians love their town centre! The intimate character, buildings, heritage, friendliness and feel are things which local folk cherish. So it is strategically important for the future of Kirkwall as a whole that the town centre is conserved.

Conserving the atmosphere and built heritage of the town centre needs careful planning and investment – it will not just happen. Buildings need to be maintained and sometimes renewed, events and activities need to be organised, infrastructure and technology needs to be renewed, and transport and access need to be managed.

The proposals aim to:

• prioritise redevelopment of key sites around Bridge Street and St Catherine’s Place, with guidelines to ensure that their redevelopment contributes positively to the town centre, enabled through improved surface water management and reduced parking requirements
• resolve tensions between traffic and pedestrians along the historic spine to increase pedestrian safety and comfort, first and foremost through better enforcement of traffic and parking regulations
• make the historic spine a more attractive and enjoyable place to be by promoting events, building conservation, signage and wayfinding, disabled access, lighting and seating
• create a free, accessible social space for young people seven days a week, such as extending the opening hours of youth facilities; and
• exemplify Orkney’s distinctive ability to conserve its heritage whilst also nurturing the latest design and technological advances, such as smart digital infrastructure and lighting, digital visitor information, Wi-Fi, electric bike schemes and electric vehicle charging.

Community Ideas Informing Approach

• More seating and trees
• Brighter street lighting
• Better signage
• Improve parking enforcement
• Remove pedestrian/vehicle issues at School Place
• Maintain high architectural quality
• Better links, for example to the Peedie Sea
• Improve public transport
• Make better use of ‘gap’ brownfield sites, for example the oil storage depot site
• Improve existing greenspaces, for example Tankerness House gardens

Design Principles

The design of new development in this focus area needs to strike a careful balance, respecting the historic building fabric and building materials while projecting a new face to the harbour.

• buildings should sit on the heel of the pavement
• narrow gables should face onto the street, up to three storeys
• Shore Street should have a mix of gables and elevations with potential to go up to four storeys on the oil tanks site; stone should feature on these elevations
• the ambulance site has the potential to go up to three storeys
• reduced parking should be provided in back court areas
• public car parking should be provided within the site
• pitched roofs are preferred
• use classes permitted should be 1/2/3/4/7/10/11, covering residential, preferably upper floors, shops, offices, food and drink, leisure and business; and
• traffic management around this area, especially St Catherine’s Place and Bridge Street, should be considered as part of the redevelopment of these sites.

Project: Historic Spine Gap Sites

A key gap site for the town is developing between Bridge Street, Shore Street and St Catherine’s Place. This ‘Orissor Trust’ site is underused by parking and used as an infrequent indoor market.

The Scottish Fuels oil tanks site on Shore Street/St Catherine’s Place is likely to become vacant in the next five years as operations move to Hatston.

In addition, the Your Kirkwall community engagement process has developed interest from neighbouring owners and established that the Scottish Ambulance depot on Shore Street is due to move to the new hospital site.

There is an emerging opportunity to change the nature and fortunes of the Bridge Street / Shore Street area through the redevelopment of these gap sites. The consensus is that these sites can provide a mixed new area. Tourism and leisure uses could front onto the harbour, retail and office uses could be accommodated on Bridge Street, with new residential above and modest public parking provision.

IMAGE: A plan marks Harbour Street, Shore Street, Bridge Street and St Catherine’s Place, showing mixed-use development fronting Bridge Street, St Catherine’s Place and the seafront, with new homes overlooking the seafront.

Project: Town Centre Waterfront

The waterfront is a key part of Kirkwall’s character – it provides a fascinating destination for tourists and visitors; Kirkwallians clearly love being around the harbour too. There is a clear need to develop this asset for residents and visitors. The harbour is also a working place where many vehicles are moved daily and it is a connection to the islands and further afield.

Our strategy for this area draws a balance between the working nature of the harbour and the aspirations of locals and visitors. We propose:

• as part of the wider coastal route, explore the extension of the path along the waterfront between Hatston and Craigiefield
• specific provision of a viewpoint and pedestrian route at the end of the eastern pier, incorporating associated signage; and
• build on key points on the route and improve wayfinding and road crossings such as at Bridge Street, Peedie Sea and St Catherine’s Place.

IMAGE: A plan of the waterfront identifies proposed coastal parks, a new coastal walkway, improved public access around the harbour, a viewpoint at the end of the pier, improved wayfinding, public realm development sites and a proposed harbour repurposing zone.

Project: Parking

It is clear that perceptions of parking in and around the town centre are a significant concern. Kirkwall has 1,389 public parking spaces.

Having considered Orkney Islands Council’s data on parking usage, distribution and type of parking, and discussions on typical use patterns with the community, the following issues are clear:

• enforcement of the existing parking regulation needs to be reintroduced, which will alleviate a significant problem with indiscriminate parking in the centre
• redistribution of the parking should be considered, for instance, by utilising parking along the whole of Great Western Road allowing people to park closer to the town centre than the former Powerbowl site
• consider new public parking at any redevelopment of the Orrisor site, Balfour Hospital and the Crafty site, adjacent to Junction Road; and
• consider specific parking for visitors, campervans and caravans. This could be located west of the Peedie Sea, which will allow easy access from the ferries, is close to wider roads and dissuades people from driving large vehicles through the historic core. This could be linked to the campsite facilities as an additional attraction for visitors and an additional income for the campsite.

Maintaining car parking numbers is important and the need to consider the accessibility and distribution of car parking spaces is important to reducing perceived issues with parking provision.

For parking in residential areas, the Council intends, subject to resources, to review all traffic regulation orders across Kirkwall in the next 3–5 year period. The review process will be the subject of public consultation and residents will have an opportunity to inform this review.

Project: Orkney Heritage App

Based on community conversations there is an opportunity to harness digital technology, and to consider developing an Orkney heritage app principally to engage and inform visitors to Orkney and give options and ideas for things to do.

This app could use creative means, such as augmented reality technology, to promote the heritage and tourism sectors in Orkney. By combining a unique blend of storytelling with digital innovation, users could be taken on a journey through time and have something new, fun and engaging to do during their stay in Orkney.

It is envisaged that the app could be purchased and downloaded by visitors prior to their arrival, and it would contain real-time information on “what’s on” in Orkney, combined with details of historical walking and cycling tours.

Analytics could provide invaluable information on tourist movements, trends, bottlenecks and shopping habits.

The app could be owned, developed and managed by a not-for-profit social enterprise with the income derived from app sales reinvested in a variety of ways, such as:

• the development of a high-tech interactive welcome centre and visitor experience at the ferry pier
• the provision of both traditional and digital signposting
• the installation of digital information points that visitors would scan with their mobile devices. This will identify their location and trigger the relevant heritage storyline on the app
• providing for ongoing investment in walking, cycling and horse riding routes; and
• the purchase of a fleet of e-bikes for hire.

The app could also link visitors to hospitality offers and create further opportunities for sponsorship and advertising for Orkney businesses. The possibility of the app content being prepared collaboratively between local heritage interests and the college could also be explored.

Action Plan

Town Centre West

Approach

The growing population of Orkney means more homes will be needed. Where should they go?

This plan proposes that new housing should be concentrated within a reasonable walking distance, 20 minutes, of the town centre in order to make best use of brownfield land and reduce demand for car use by residents of new development.

Within a 20-minute walk of the town centre, the area to the west – around Great Western Road – offers the most scope for redevelopment. It is ideally located for housing for older people and anybody else who wants to have a smaller property within walking distance of shops and other facilities. There are a number of sites which are either vacant or in use as car parks, as well as old workshops and business spaces, which are likely to become surplus to requirements over the next few years.

Given its handy location, the area might lend itself to other uses as well as new homes. For example the power station could, when no longer needed for electricity generating, be retained and converted for community, arts or heritage use.

Redevelopment of this “Town Centre West” area will not happen overnight, but over a decade or more as sites become surplus to requirements. Land around the former Powerbowl and next to the travel centre could be developed very soon, whereas sites like the power station may not become surplus for a number of years.

The Travel Centre is operating at capacity and there will be a need to consider extension. Any such extension will require land on the privately owned Jewson’s Yard site. A development brief exists for this area and the Council will review and update this to assist with this process as necessary.

Surface water is currently a constraint on development in this focus area.

Community Ideas Informing Approach

• Reduce peak hour congestion and disturbance from HGVs
• Improve parking
• Tackle traffic speeds
• Make better use of brownfield sites
• Improve links to the Peedie Sea

Design Principles

Redevelopment would take place within a design framework setting out:

• buildings should sit on the heel of the pavement
• narrow gables should face onto Great Western Road and onto the Peedie Sea
• there may be potential to go up to four storeys if required
• parking should either be in the back court area or on the pavement line along Great Western Road
• public lanes should be provided between buildings to connect Great Western Road to the Peedie Sea walkway/boardwalk
• public car parking should be provided as end-on parking along Great Western Road
• pitched roofs are preferred
• use classes permitted should be 1/2/3/4/7/10/11, covering residential, preferably upper floors, shops, offices, food and drink, leisure and business
• traffic management should be considered around this area, especially Pickaquoy Road / Great Western Road Junction; and
• any new development needs to overcome flooding constraints.

Project: Great Western Road

The eastern edge of the Peedie Sea offers a fantastic opportunity to create new businesses, new homes and a new face to arriving visitors.

The starting point for this work is to open up the eastern edge of the Peedie Sea to form a walkway and boardwalk, which will form a key part of the Peedie Sea town park strategy and connect into the Hatston to Craigiefield walkway. We are aware there are ecological concerns on the eastern edge of the Peedie Sea and suggest an early ecology survey to establish a feasible proposal. Archaeological investigations may also be required for this site.

The next stage would be to establish on-street parking along Great Western Road – there is capacity for around 100 vehicles in this configuration, which is effectively the regular use of the former Powerbowl car park. A further small public car park could be formed on the site as part of the proposals. In addition, we believe that Great Western Road would be an ideal location for public electric vehicle charging and support OREF proposals for such infrastructure.

The power station may become mostly redundant once the additional subsea cables are in place in a few years. The former Powerbowl site is currently used as parking and a council store. We envisage that the power station will become a community facility, possibly incorporating the Council store as tenant, which will release the former Powerbowl site for redevelopment. The former Powerbowl site could be redeveloped with a mixed development of commercial and flats, overlooking the Peedie Sea.

The Council should consider lighting, signposting and paving of the alleyways between this site and the historic spine to encourage pedestrian movement and higher footfall for the commercial businesses in this area.

IMAGE: A plan identifies the proposed landscape redevelopment site, proposed boardwalk to the Peedie Sea, redevelopment sites, improved pedestrian routes, junction improvements and a proposed controlled junction in front of Tesco.

IMAGE: An indicative layout shows a public park, a boardwalk along the Peedie Sea, the power station repurposed as a community facility, new housing with mixed-use ground floors, reconfigured parking and a new arrangement at Great Western Road / Junction Road.

Action Plan

Peedie Sea and Pickaquoy Area

Approach

The Peedie Sea area is a significant space in Kirkwall and is a first impression of the town by visitors approaching the town centre from the west or Hatston Harbour. While views of the cathedral dominate the background, the overall visual impression is mixed with a foreground of three supermarkets on the south western edge. This is further compromised by a weak spatial structure and enclosure.

The area around the Peedie Sea has changed hugely over the last century, as marshlands and fish-drying areas have been replaced with mown grass and paths. With a little more investment the Peedie Sea and its surrounding greenspace could become a nature park with more planting, views of the cathedral, birdlife, artwork, water activities and a more extensive path network.

While the Peedie Sea is not subject to any ecological designation, a previous survey identified use of the area by otters, a European protected species, and the area is host to other wildlife, principally birds. Any proposals will not impact on the existing flora and fauna and will seek to achieve a balance between improving and increasing the appeal of the area for community recreation and interest, and enhancing biodiversity and habitats through appropriate planting.

Local community sports groups have expressed an interest in developing the facilities on offer at the Pickaquoy Centre and surrounding the Peedie Sea area, including new indoor and outdoor pitches for football, rugby and hockey, as well as extra facilities for badminton, gymnastics, shooting, archery and bowling.

There is also a desire for cycling spinning classes, and the opportunity to connect the Pickaquoy playing fields to the Circular Route would provide safe and easy access to the network for young riders and open up the playing fields to pedestrians and cyclists to reduce short journeys by car.

Community Ideas Informing Approach

• Make it a destination
• Improve planting, trees and flowers
• Safer paths
• Provide information boards
• Create shelter and seating
• More shelter from wind and rain
• Provide public art, for example wind sculptures
• Develop facilities at the Pickaquoy Centre and the surrounding Peedie Sea

Design Principles

Redevelopment should take place within a design framework which:

• provides a coordinated masterplan for the Peedie Sea Town Park – co-developed with young people and the community, including improved shelter, seating, information, wayfinding and signage, and public art
• retains and emphasises views of St Magnus Cathedral from key locations around the park
• improves the screening of supermarkets from the northern end of the park / town gateway
• extends the footpath network within the park and improves the quality of the footpath surfacing and lighting
• provides more crossings along Pickaquoy Road to better serve surrounding community facilities and to better align with the footpath network
• widens and improves the surface of the Peedie Sea ‘circle’ to provide safer, 24-hour use
• improves the soft landscaping around the Peedie Sea to increase habitat provision, tree planting and increased colour through wildflower seeding; and
• implements proposals which are robust and low maintenance.

Project: Peedie Sea Town Park

Many ideas were put forward by residents of all ages for the Peedie Sea Park – both through the public discussions and the Youth Summit. These included Kelpies-style sculptures, islands for birds, planting to frame views of the cathedral and a heritage installation relating to the infamous Spitfire crash during World War Two.

All of the suggestions are available to inform the next phase of work for the Peedie Sea Park – a feasibility study to assess the likely design, cost and implementation process for the park. This should be undertaken by continuing engagement with the local community and the young people who attended the youth summit.

IMAGE: Photographs and illustrations show the Peedie Sea, its shoreline, surrounding parkland, views towards Kirkwall and proposed ideas for the town park.

IMAGE: Photographs show young people developing ideas for the Peedie Sea at the January 2018 youth summit.

Project: Pickaquoy Road Improvements

The community told us that the layout and proximity of junctions along the Pickaquoy Road are not pedestrian or cycling-friendly. The close proximity of adjacent junctions can be intimidating for all users and the crossing widths leave pedestrians with limited places to stand. The number of turning movements into the three retail developments – Lidl, Tesco and Co-op – leads to confusion, congestion and frustration, particularly during busy peak periods.

Access to the bus stop at Tesco does not follow a natural desire line and the pedestrian crossing is in the wrong place. Further west along the Pickaquoy Road the footways are also poor.

One potential solution could be achieved by implementing changes to the road network when redeveloping the former Powerbowl and bus station sites. These measures could assist in alleviating peak-time congestion in the Town Centre West area. The scheme could include changes to traffic movements at and around the supermarket junctions to reduce conflicts and allow safer movements for all, especially pedestrians and cyclists.

Transport modelling showed that moving pedestrian crossings and introducing other roundabouts does not relieve the conflicts caused by the combination of very close junctions and traffic movements. It is suggested that Great Western Road remains as a road but is closed off at the southern end, Pickaquoy Road, to maintain access.

Project: Wideford Hill Path Network

As part of the Active Travel Path Network, the extension of the Wideford Hill pathway will connect the town and Hatston Harbour as part of a town-wide circuit – ‘Sea to Hill to Town’ – and will provide walking and cycle routes.

This proposed network would be based on existing path provision and will be supplemented and enhanced through a combination of improvement and upgrading works and new paths, cycleways and bridleways, taking in local features like Wideford Hill Cairn and creating a mountain bike skills area at Muddisdale.

A new section of path from Hatston Pier to Wideford Hill, for bike and foot traffic, will need to be identified and delivered, with the exact routing to be assessed and agreed. Integral to the route will be signage and design elements, including shelter and cycling facilities, cycle parking and drying areas for shoes and clothes.

The Wideford Hill route will require a detailed assessment and appraisal process; there are difficulties and complexities particularly in terms of ownership, accessibility and potential future designation.

Action Plan

Hatston and Seafront

Approach

Hatston serves two important purposes for Kirkwall and Orkney as a whole:

• it is the main point of arrival to the town by road from Stromness and West Mainland and by the substantial numbers of cruise visitors arriving at Hatston pier to visit Kirkwall and Orkney; and
• Hatston Industrial Estate is the main industrial and out-of-town business centre for Orkney.

It is therefore important that Hatston looks and performs as a gateway to Kirkwall and Orkney, while also functioning as an attractive and functional industrial estate.

We propose the following actions:

• prepare an action plan to upgrade the industrial area
• create a gateway to Kirkwall from the west
• create a shoreline walking/cycling route around Weyland Bay, Hatston / town centre / Carness
• consider a path network up from Hatston Pier up Wideford Hill and down to Muddisdale
• provide visitor “welcome” facilities at the pier, including signage, information, electric bike hire and a facilities building
• encourage energy-from-waste projects; and
• consider the approach and role of landscape design in relation to new development and communities.

The objective is to improve the experience for visitors arriving through Hatston, and to offer those disembarking from cruise liners the opportunity to walk or cycle along the shore into town or walk up Wideford Hill.

Community Ideas Informing Approach

• Improve access
• Provide more signage to improve wayfinding
• Improve the appearance of the area
• Improve links with the town centre and the pier
• Introduce planting and colour
• Connect to the wider greenspace and path network
• Consider a small community wind turbine and solar PV array

Design Principles

The Hatston area principles include bringing some uniformity to the industrial area whilst allowing flexibility for the diverse range of uses. Plot layout is key, considering how the building can be positioned to give presence on the street. Careful selection of external materials, boundary treatment and roof materials will improve the overall impression of the place.

Boundary treatments should be formed from wire fencing, such as Orsogril Palermo, or by planting trees or hedges to be as natural as possible.

The preferred layout for plots is for courtyards. This has the office adjacent to the road where possible, with parking and open landscape behind the building.

The form of the building should be of a traditional style with pitched roofs.

Project: Hatston Industrial Estate Action Plan

At present, Hatston Industrial Estate provides a major route into Kirkwall, particularly for visitors from the cruise ships. The estate is typical of many light industrial developments with an eclectic mix of building types and forms, untidy back yards and exposed internal site areas that create a poor impression on the approach to the town. The area also contributes to surface water issues due to the high levels of hard landscaping and roof run-off.

The feedback from the Your Kirkwall events was the need to improve and control the visual and physical form of Hatston and ultimately to improve its look and feel on the approach to Kirkwall. To achieve this, the KUDF is proposing to restore visual and physical control of the estate through the establishment of an architectural language for Hatston and a landscape framework.

A landscape framework should be established at the early stages of any estate extension. Landscape features should also be retrofitted into the existing fabric. The emphasis will be on road corridors, SLOAP, space left over after planning, and the associated development plot boundaries.

New development within the estate will have to incorporate a strong landscape structure to the site boundaries as well as provide enhanced walking and cycling provision.

IMAGE: Photographs show workshop and industrial-estate examples illustrating improved architectural form, materials, landscaping and boundary treatment.

Projects: Seafront / Coastal Walkway

The seafront / coastal walkway projects can be divided into three identifiable sections:

• Hatston Pier to Western Gateway
• Town Frontage / Harbour
• Town to Carness Shoreline Path, which includes Craigiefield Walk / Parkland

The ‘Kirkwall Circular Route’ and ‘Town to Countryside Routes, Scapa and Inganess’ have also been included in this section given their importance to the overall active travel network.

The proposed coastal path will likely be a timber walkway/boardwalk across the rocks at the tidal interface, although the exact routing and design will need further assessment and testing to establish the alignment, materiality and any issues of ownership.

The walkway/boardwalk will need to be safe and secure for all users, incorporating low-level lighting, signage and information panels, shelter and safety barriers. It will also need to accommodate ancillary facilities for tourists and locals alike, including information facilities, cycling storage and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Seating, artworks and renewable energy devices will also be considered.

Environmental constraints include:

• North Orkney proposed marine Special Protection Area (SPA)
• North Mainland/Finstown Coast Local Nature Conservation Site (LNCS)
• Wideford Hill LNCS

Any path construction should be timed outwith the wintering bird period to avoid disturbance. Further information on the design and location of the path will be required to inform a detailed site-specific Habitats Regulations Appraisal.

Project: Town Frontage / Harbour

The majority of improvements along Harbour Street – traffic management and public realm, including wayfinding at key nodal points, and the new flood wall defence barriers – are now complete.

However, community conversations as part of ‘Your Kirkwall’ identified requirements to improve access and signage throughout the harbour to the town centre as part of a wider enhancement of ferry services to the Islands.

Potential improvements have been identified which build on the character and existing structure of inactive sections of the harbour and maximise use of the eastern sections. Further exploration has identified improvements to signage and wayfinding.

Project: Town to Carness Shoreline Path

The seafront or coastal pathway could utilise the existing footpath provision along the main town seafront / harbour. A new timber walkway/boardwalk could connect the town to Hatston Pier to the west, while the eastern segment could be realised through a new path alongside Carness Road up to Craigiefield Road and beyond.

The greenspace between the road and the coast could be developed into a ‘pocket park’ incorporating shelter, seasonal colour and planting, and provision for seating and active play.

Detailed design and implementation should be carefully managed to avoid detrimental impacts to sensitive habitats and species, although all sections of the new walkway will need to be safe and incorporate appropriate forms of lighting and shelter. Where possible, the walkway should also provide biodiversity enhancement.

Craigiefield / Parkland

A community parkland is proposed on council-owned fields at the north-east edge of Kirkwall, alongside Craigiefield Road. The proposal is being driven forward by a local community/action group.

Parkland is to be designated and designed in two fields – lower field wetland/floodland and woodland incorporating native trees, shrubs and groundcover.

Work to be done includes:

• upgrading the core path network through a transition from Craigiefield Road to the inside of the existing boundary wall
• extending the new path from the end of the pavement at Work Road, alongside Craigiefield Road to the end of Carness Road
• extending the proposed parkland along the coast to tie in with the coastal pathway and enhance access to, and interface with, the Bay of Weyland; and
• considering the potential for a small community wind turbine and ground-mounted community solar PV array.

Project: Kirkwall Circular Route

There currently exists the majority of a circular route around the edge of town where it meets the countryside. Whilst the majority of the paths are suitable for walking, there is little provision for cycling, signage or shelter.

Sections of the route require upgrading and others, in particular at Papdale East and across the Pickaquoy Centre playing fields, do not exist and require to be constructed to complete the circular route and connect it internally back to the heart of the town.

Project: Town to Countryside Routes (Scapa and Inganess)

The Kirkwall Circular Route provides opportunities for connections to existing routes out towards Scapa and Inganess. These routes could be improved to provide access out of the town for residents and visitors alike.

As well as being suitable for recreational purposes, a route towards Scapa could form part of a whisky trail incorporating the two distilleries and connecting to the new Crantit Park.

Action Plan

Papdale

Approach

Papdale is an established and identifiable neighbourhood, mixed in use and function and unique in character within Kirkwall. The reason for focusing on it in this document is because there are a number of changes anticipated in the area over the coming years due to a combination of current proposals and future opportunities:

• community-led proposals to improve Papdale East Playpark and greenspace
• improvements to the path network on the eastern edge of Papdale
• new uses or redevelopment of the former halls of residence
• new uses for Papdale House and grounds
• land to the east of Papdale, allocated in the LDP for new housing; and
• the future development strategy in this plan means that, subject to the outcome of the aforementioned study, more central sites within 20 minutes’ walk of the town centre will be prioritised over these more peripheral sites.

A framework strategy, incorporating core paths, cycleways, bridleways and structural landscape corridors, is being prepared to provide physical structure to the area and address wider town green network strategies.

There are no ecological designations applicable to the Papdale East area. Any proposals will look to recognise the opportunity to enhance biodiversity and to create and strengthen green networks between and including the park and open space areas.

Community Ideas Informing Approach

• Create more facilities and multi-use areas in residential areas
• Provide better lighting
• Improve the play parks
• Provide better house design
• Make the roads safer
• Create sheltered communal spaces to encourage social interaction
• Provide more planting and colour
• Tackle road safety and traffic management at Papdale Primary School

Design Principles

The area contains a diverse range of land uses – Kirkwall Grammar School, Papdale Primary School, Papdale House and grounds, and LDP allocated development sites. There is also a range of interlinked public greenspaces: Berstane Loan, Bignold Park and Papdale East Playpark.

Design principles for this area include:

• create more facilities and multi-use areas in residential areas
• provide better lighting
• improve the play parks
• make the roads safer
• create sheltered communal spaces to encourage social interaction
• tackle road safety and traffic management around Papdale Primary School
• improve safer routes to school, cycle routes and existing bicycle facilities at school; and
• provide more planting and colour.

Project: Papdale East Park

Papdale East Play Park is a large open greenspace that lies south-east of Kirkwall Grammar School and forms a fundamental part of the green network at the heart of the Papdale neighbourhood.

The play park is currently being developed by a local community group, Papdale East Play Park Association (PEPPA). The group is actively seeking funding sources to redevelop the park. PEPPA is looking to transform the play park with additional planting, shelter and free-play elements to make the area safe and enjoyable and suitable for all ages and abilities.

There is a need to encourage:

• collaboration between OIC and the local community group; and
• links to and enhancement of the green network.

Project: Bignold Park

Bignold Park is a large open space in the heart of Kirkwall, considered by some locals to be the town park. The park is not used greatly by residents at the moment due to a lack of drainage, but it is used for festivals and shows. The community would like to use it more frequently and to give it more of a purpose.

Proposals expressed would be to add hard paving to the park area so that this recreational area can be used all year round by residents and visitors. The paving will connect existing housing areas and provide a safe route to schools away from busy traffic.

The space could be improved to create seating, shelter, signage and improved materials. Tree planting, colour and greenery could improve the green network connecting Papdale East towards the Willows. Solar stud lighting could encourage evening use during winter.

Action Plan

Kirkwall South

Approach

“Kirkwall South” refers to the area along New Scapa Road including the Balfour Hospital, the new hospital and the low-lying countryside beyond leading to Scapa.

There are a number of changes anticipated in this area over the coming years, due to a combination of current proposals and future opportunities. These include:

• redevelopment of the Balfour Hospital site once the hospital has moved to its new site
• redevelopment of land south of the new hospital, identified in the LDP for new housing
• the low-lying area beyond, extending south towards Scapa, offers opportunities for publicly accessible greenspace, sustainable surface water management / drainage infrastructure and nature conservation
• the potential for improved path connections to and through the area to encourage walking and cycling; and
• the potential for the Finstown to St Mary’s section of the Orkney Transmission Connection and Infrastructure Project to run across the Crantit Valley.

Principal issues and opportunities include:

• enhancement of Kirkwall’s public park provision through the Arcadia Park project
• redevelopment and improved connections to and from the Balfour Hospital site
• integration of footpaths and cycle routes within a proposed landscape framework and drainage strategy for development land allocated in the LDP; and
• improved connection and movement for pedestrians and cyclists through improved path connections between Arcadia Park, the designed landscape corridor south of the new hospital, and the wider core path network including the Crantit Trail down to Scapa.

Community Ideas Informing Approach

• Make better use of brownfield sites
• Conserve the area’s historic and natural character
• Encourage walking and cycling
• Improve character of new housing

Design Principles

To bring a sense of place to the edge of Kirkwall, an urban design code is proposed, diversifying the housing layouts and bringing some of the character of the town centre to the suburban areas. One of the LDP development sites under consideration is the K10 project. The K10 site is used in this focus area as an exemplar of the proposed coding and design approach that can be adopted on other LDP allocated housing sites.

The design and layout of new housing should be carefully considered to create places that belong to Kirkwall, creating interest, shelter and variety. This can be achieved whilst meeting modern space standards and amenities.

Project: Crantit and Arcadia Green Spaces

The Arcadia Park project is based on a piece of council-owned land at the southern edge of Kirkwall, immediately opposite the new hospital currently being built along New Scapa Road.

The project is being run by Orkney Alcohol Counselling and Advisory Service (OACAS) as a social and community project to transform a piece of wet, unused land into a community park. The project promotes gardening as a therapy to improve physical and mental health, provide social interaction and offer a sanctuary from day-to-day problems.

Projects identified for Arcadia Park include:

• the repair of the existing 850m network of gravel footpaths for walking and running
• the planting of 550 trees/shrubs from The Woodland Trust to assist in the drainage of boggy areas and to provide screening and a reduction in noise pollution from vehicles
• creating a wild flower meadow that can sustain butterflies, bees and other insects
• making a vegetable patch, with the produce grown being donated to the local food bank
• a grassed area with scented pollinator-friendly flowers, seating and a children’s maze
• a committed programme of maintenance; and
• sponsoring individuals to attend Orkney College UHI and gain qualifications in horticulture.

There is opportunity to integrate the park into the wider green network through:

• planting within the Scapa Crescent greenspace area to improve biodiversity
• extending planting along the Crantit Canal/core path to establish a green corridor from the coast at Scapa Flow to the fringes of Kirkwall; and
• adding interest and shelter through enhanced biodiversity, encouraging the use of the core path for recreation and enjoyment as well as as a useful active travel route.

Project: Balfour Redevelopment

Balfour Hospital sits on New Scapa Road, within five minutes’ walk of the high street and close to the new hospital. It is likely that this will be redeveloped for housing in the long term. We encourage mixed-tenure and mixed-use development compatible with housing.

Proposals should:

• create an entrance
• create streets
• use lanes
• create a focus for the site
• connect to surrounding sites

There are strong connections to the surrounding housing areas and these links should be prominent. Creating a focal public space in this development is desirable, along with appropriate landscape treatment and greenspace.

A strong edge along New Scapa Road is highly desirable, with frontage and windows overlooking the street. Seating is needed on pedestrian routes into the hospital to allow ease of use.

Project: K10 Exemplar Site

The K10 site is on the southern edge of Kirkwall. It has an open aspect to the south, a small stream running down the north side and potential connections to Highland Park, housing to the north and the Crantit Trail. The site has expansive views to the south and west.

Indicative proposals address the following site features:

• create an entrance
• create streets
• use lanes
• create a focus for the site
• connect to surrounding sites
• create a distinctive edge

The proposals are based on creating a serviced site with a number of self-build houses. Consideration has been given to offering a range of plot types to cater for a wide range of tastes and ideas.

These proposals maximise the number of houses that have a view. The stream becomes a landscaped area other houses look into. A path along the stream could connect the site to the LDP K11 site and Highland Park distillery.

IMAGE: A site plan for the K10 exemplar site shows housing plots, streets, lanes, a landscaped stream corridor, a central focus, a town edge and connections to surrounding sites.

IMAGE: Architectural drawings show proposed homes with gables facing south, pedestrian-friendly streets, garages and rear gardens, and a landscaped entrance.

Action Plan

7. Making It Happen Delivery Framework

Collaboration

For this plan to be a success everyone needs to be involved in making it happen: community groups, local businesses and the public sector. The Council hopes this plan will continue discussions about community priorities that began through ‘Your Kirkwall’.

Although the ambition and intent of Orkney Islands Council to lead delivery of this Place Plan is clear, it is vital that the package of proposals outlined in this plan are taken forward collaboratively rather than led by a single organisation.

Effective collaboration needs to take place within and between sectors. For example, amongst community planning partners, to best utilise their surplus land and buildings in pursuit of the aims of this plan, and between the public sector and the community sector to deliver community-led greenspace projects.

Everything in this plan is important for the future of Kirkwall, from quick wins to big long-term projects. With constrained council budgets, communities should seize this opportunity, with council support, to progress projects.

For many of these projects, there will be a need for ownership and responsibility to be shared by the community. This will require localised leaders from the neighbourhoods and organisations that want to see improvements made, and people of a variety of age groups could become involved.

There is potential for community renewable energy to be a generator of funds to help kick-start projects. Larger projects include the proposed new park around the Peedie Sea or a town-wide wayfinding strategy. Smaller projects include community projects led by people who have ideas they would like to put into practice, such as improvements to local greenspaces.

This plan will help everybody secure money for projects, initiatives and infrastructure over the next 10–20 years. Simply mentioning a project in this plan can help secure funding and support.

There are many sources of funding available to help deliver the type of projects outlined in this plan, from organisations like the Lottery, the Scottish Government and other charitable donors. A number of the funds currently available are outlined on the project website: www.yourkirkwall.com.

Sustaining Momentum

In addition to the proposals identified in this plan, a number of other things need to happen if the objectives of this plan are to be delivered and sustained. These include:

• getting long-term buy-in from local stakeholders and delivery partners
• creating a mechanism to drive forward collaborative delivery, such as a steering group drawn from the private, public and third sectors
• building and coordinating local capacity with support
• securing funding
• keeping young people interested and involved
• demonstrating progress to the wider community; and
• sustaining momentum.

Implementation Timeline for Larger Projects

Appendix 1: Housing Allocation K10 Development Brief

Introduction

The K10 site has been identified for housing in the Orkney Local Development Plan adopted 2017. It is also identified within the Kirkwall Urban Design Framework 2018.

This development brief shows how the exemplar design principles generated during the Your Kirkwall community engagement can be interpreted and applied to a site. It should be read in conjunction with the Kirkwall South Development Brief 2016, which was prepared for allocations K8, K9, K10 and K11.

This Development Brief will be a material consideration in determining Planning Applications. It is intended to provide a clear indication of the requirements and expectations that the Planning Authority will take into account.

IMAGE: A location plan shows the K10 housing allocation in relation to Kirkwall, Scapa, New Scapa Road, surrounding housing, Highland Park Distillery, the Crantit Trail and the wider road and path network.

Kirkwall South Area

“Kirkwall South” refers to the area along New Scapa Road including the Balfour Hospital, the new hospital and the low-lying countryside beyond leading to Scapa.

There are a number of changes anticipated in this area over the coming years, due to a combination of current proposals and future opportunities. These include:

• redevelopment of the Balfour Hospital site once the hospital has moved to its new site
• conserving the historic character of the existing street
• land south of the new hospital, identified in the local development plan for new homes, should be appropriately planned and designed
• the low-lying area beyond, extending south towards Scapa, offers opportunities for publicly accessible greenspace, sustainable surface water management / drainage infrastructure and nature conservation; and
• improved path connections to and through the area to encourage walking and cycling.

To bring a sense of place to the edge of Kirkwall an urban design code is proposed, diversifying the housing layouts and bringing some of the character of the town centre to the suburban areas.

Housing Design Principles

The framework for new housing in Kirkwall focuses on learning from the town core, creating distinctive new homes, great streets and social spaces. Kirkwall streets are built on a distinctive combination of mixed materials, simple forms and carefully placed buildings.

Taking these characteristics into account, new housing should consider the following principles in its layout:

• Make an entrance: consider the character and experience of entering the site as a pedestrian, cyclist and in vehicles. Bring bigger housing onto the entrance corner, use walls and hedges to define the entrance space and ensure housing overlooks the area.
• Create streets and spaces: define the street space, consider the street width, creating shelter and definition. Use ancillary elements such as garages, walls and hedges to help create enclosure.
• Consider sensitive parking: parking at the side of houses frees up the front garden and allows the house to address the street. Consider courtyard parking and parking within the street.
• Considerate edges: consider the edges of the development and make the most of them. Housing should front the surrounding streets and make the most of the views.
• Make most of natural resources: consider the physical features of the site and how to use them to best effect. Integrating landscape and green space is important, and orientating towards the sun and toward views will add value to houses. Integrating water sensitively will reduce long-term cost. Ensure shelter is integrated into the design through use of buildings, trees and hedges.
• Create a focus: give the streets a hierarchy, important streets and public spaces linking to more private streets. Use the houses to make identifiable space, potentially with uses such as home working, neighbourhood facilities or small shops.
• Connect to the surrounding: ensure that every opportunity is taken to connect new housing to the surroundings. Leave space for future connections to adjacent housing sites and consider how to tie into the existing surrounding uses.
• Use colour: consider the careful use of colour within a development, to lift the spirits and create distinctive places.

The design and layout of new housing should be carefully considered to create places that belong to Kirkwall, creating interest, shelter and variety. This can be achieved whilst meeting modern space standards and amenities.

IMAGE: Diagrams illustrate Kirkwall housing characteristics, including isolated houses and walled gardens, buildings on important corners, houses addressing the street edge, narrow lanes, walled courtyards, affordable, climate-proof, accessible, energy-efficient and sheltered housing.

IMAGE: Photographs show examples of housing layouts, colours, materials, streets and landscaped settings.

Site Analysis

The K10 housing allocation is on the southern edge of Kirkwall. It has an open aspect to the south, a small stream running down the north side and potential connections to Highland Park, housing to the north and the Crantit Trail. The site has expansive views to the south and west.

There is a zone around Highland Park Distillery due to the fire risk, which prevents housing being built in this area.

The site has an indicative allocation of 40 units within the Local Development Plan and care must be taken with the hydrology, site slope and access.

IMAGE: A site analysis plan identifies Kirkwall and Scapa, New Scapa Road, the stream, existing buildings, views, landscape areas, development constraints and potential connections.

Development Brief Principles

Based on the housing design principles, indicative proposals address the following site features:

• creating an entrance
• creating streets
• using lanes
• creating a focus for the site
• connecting to surrounding sites
• creating a distinctive edge

The proposals are based on creating a serviced site with a number of self-build houses. A range of plot types is offered to cater for a wide range of tastes and ideas.

These proposals maximise the number of houses that have a view. The stream becomes a landscaped area other houses look into. A path along the stream would connect the site to the K11 site and Highland Park distillery.

IMAGE: An annotated site plan illustrates the proposed entrance, street frontage, lanes, central focus, setback courtyards, town edge, green space and connections to surrounding sites.

Design Proposals

The site plan illustrates how the principles can be adopted on site. It illustrates 40 units, as indicated in the Orkney Local Development Plan.

The build zones are all at least 75m², allowing houses up to 150m² over two storeys. Solid red line indicates frontage which must be filled across 75% of the build zone areas.

Two parking spaces are indicatively shown for every unit. Parking requirements depend on house size; applicants should liaise with OIC Roads on the level required.

SUDS are to be accommodated in the landscape area, in swales running across the site or in subterranean pipes outfalling to the burn with throttle.

Orientation of houses allows maximum daylight into rooms and gardens. The design minimises excavation and retaining walls. The 250m length of road means an average gradient better than 1:15 along the road.

Key house design criteria

• Eaves height restricted to 5m above ground level
• Ridge height restricted to 9m above ground level
• Garage eaves height should be no more than 3m and ridge height no more than 6m
• Houses to have roofs running along the long axis
• Feature windows on gables and corners are encouraged

IMAGE: An indicative site plan shows 40 housing units, build zones, roads, parking, the stream, SUDS, planting, frontage lines and pedestrian connections.

IMAGE: Architectural drawings show a new housing edge, pedestrian-friendly streets, garages, rear gardens, landscaping and entrances.

Development Requirements

01 Environmental Management

Crantit is a critical factor in the continued operation of Highland Park Distillery, with its main water supply being taken from the Crantit Burn and Crantit Lagoons, and potential developers must set out their proposals to deal with any potential contamination of or disturbance to the water supplies as part of their planning application.

SEPA Guidance Note 31, entitled ‘Guidance on Assessing the Impacts of Development Proposals on Groundwater Abstractions and Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems’, contains relevant advice.

Applicants for relevant sites must design and carry out a Hydrological Study which will include a site- and receptor-specific detailed risk assessment and site investigation.

No Planning Permission will be granted unless it can be demonstrated to the Planning Authority, in consultation with SEPA, that there will be no unacceptable effects to the quantity and quality of the water supply to Highland Park Distillery.

Construction method statements and environmental management plans should be included with planning applications, and all construction works should be undertaken according to best practice.

Development of the area will result in the generation of surplus topsoil. A method statement and, where necessary, a soil management plan, should be submitted in support of planning applications. This should include proposals for the sustainable disposal of surplus topsoil.

03 Ecology

Otter surveys will require to be undertaken to support planning applications. Species protection plans and other mitigation measures may be necessary, dependent upon the findings of these surveys.

Landscaping and planting along the edges of allocations K9 and K10 will create a consistent character to the edge of the town in order to help reduce the visual impact of development.

Landscaping should be designed and managed to incorporate benefit for wildlife, for example through the planting of trees, as well as areas of wildflower meadow and wetlands. Where possible, species of local provenance should be used and planting schemes should be agreed in advance with the planning authority to avoid the introduction of non-native and/or invasive species.

Suitable plant species include red clover, kidney vetch, tufted vetch, bird’s foot trefoil, red campion, ox-eye daisy, knapweed, selfheal, meadowsweet, devil’s bit scabious, yellow flag iris, water avens, lady’s smock, primrose and cowslip.

04 Services

The existing overhead power lines may present a constraint to development. Developers should contact SSE when planning any development.

New water and drainage connections will be required.

All new development should connect to the Public Sewer.

A new pumping station will be required to serve any development of the K8, K9, K10 and K11 allocations. This will be the responsibility of developers and will be subject to Scottish Water’s standards and specifications.

Development proposals should be designed with provision for connecting to the District Heating scheme.

Provision of high-speed broadband, or the future capability of such network, would be expected as part of any development.

05 Water Management

Flood Risk Assessments undertaken in accordance with SEPA technical guidance will be required for allocations K8, K9, K10 and K11. Actual flood risk areas will be determined through this process.

Development should avoid areas at significant risk of flooding. These areas should be retained as open space/wetland areas and designed as part of the SUDS and landscape strategy for the area as a whole.

Any risk of surface water flooding within a site should be appropriately mitigated through the design of the development, in accordance with Policy 13 of the OLDP 2017 and other relevant guidance including CIRIA’s The SUDS Manual C753.

SUDS assessments require to be provided by the developer. The assessment should cover the entire K10 allocation.

Communal SUDS areas should be the focus of open space and recreational areas with footpath and cycleway connections, in this case beside the burn.

An appropriate development-free buffer zone should be established alongside any watercourses in the area, to be determined by a site-specific flood risk.

06 Affordable Housing

The emerging Housing Need and Demand Assessment demonstrates significant demand for affordable housing within Kirkwall. However, it is anticipated that a considerable proportion will be public-sector delivered. Therefore only a residual level of 7.5%, rounded up, of all housing units delivered across each allocation should be affordable housing.

Developers should demonstrate how this requirement will be met either by delivering affordable housing or making payment of a commuted sum.

07 Architecture

Development should be good-quality, sustainable design. Innovative, contemporary design relating to its location is encouraged.

Variety and richness of size and shape of houses and material use is required, ensuring that building shapes reflect the principles and proportions of traditional housing in the area. Alternating building heights are acceptable from one to two storeys.

New development should not simply copy older buildings in the area. Existing form, building lines and massing should be considered and influence the proposed design.

Natural materials such as stone, render and timber with slate or metal roofing finishes are preferred, but are not exclusive and should not preclude innovative design. Material choices should be clearly explained in a design statement.

Existing stone dykes should be repaired and retained. Good boundary treatments consisting predominantly of stone dykes, with hedge planting or limited areas of timber fencing, should be used on the site edges and internal boundaries.

08 Access, Movement and Public Realm

The approach to Access, Movement and Public Realm should be underpinned by the principles of Designing Streets.

K10 will be served by a single vehicular access point from New Scapa Road.

All route networks should support Active Travel. Pedestrian and cycle permeability should be prioritised, with development laid out for ease of wayfinding.

The use of cul-de-sacs and turning heads should be minimised and, where required, designed as part of a multi-purpose public space.

Coherently designed building frontages should be used to enhance the quality of streets and open space.

Gardens, open space and housing should be of higher visual prominence than roads and car parking.

Shared external spaces or other landmarks act as markers in the development, providing orientation, social space and enhanced relationships to adjacent housing.

Developers are required to provide Traffic Impact Assessments and the anticipated effect on the existing road network. The Assessment will also need to consider the implications of the adjacent sites.

Developers are required to provide a management and maintenance plan for any areas of open space.

Submitting a Planning Application

In preparing a proposal, developers are advised to hold pre-application discussions with the planning authority. Compliance with this brief should not be interpreted as ensuring automatic approval of a proposal. Any application will be assessed on its merits.

A design statement should be submitted alongside appropriate drawings. A suggested checklist for the design statement is as follows:

• Design principles
• Street design proposals including materials palette
• House design proposals including materials palette
• Landscape plan
• Management and maintenance plan
• Services information including SUDS proposal and Scottish Water correspondence
• Flood risk information
• Transport statement including TIA and parking provision proposed
• Ecology and groundwater statement
• Archaeology statement
• Affordable housing statement
• Construction method statement and phasing plan

Where development is to be phased, it is expected that the layout of the allocation as a whole will be provided to demonstrate that the initial phase complements the vision for the wider area.

Where development is to consist of serviced sites, it is expected that the street and public realm layout for all phases will be agreed by condition and installed to a full or partial level with future work bonded.

Further Information

• Designing Streets: A Policy Statement for Scotland. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/03/22120652/0
• Creating Places: A Policy on Architecture and Place for Scotland. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2013/06/9811
• Designing Streets Toolkit. http://www.creatingplacesscotland.org/designing-streets
• Cycling by Design. http://www.transport.gov.scot/system/files/documents/reports/Cycling_by_Design_2010__Rev_1__June_2011_.pdf
• A Woodland Guide: Selecting and establishing trees for woodland projects in Orkney. http://www.orkneylibrary.org.uk/OBRC/html/leaflets.htm
• Detailed information on wind directions in this area can be obtained from OIC Marine Services. http://www.orkneyharbours.com