Engagement underway on Weyland coastal path project

Folk in Orkney are being asked to share their views to help shape the design of a proposed new coastal path project at Weyland Bay, Kirkwall with the aim of further linking communities and promoting active travel.

The project team are keen to develop ideas collaboratively with the local community, and the public engagement will be hosted online initially, with those interested invited to share their local knowledge and aspirations for the area of land between Carness Road and the coastline at Weyland Bay.

To begin with, people will be asked to read through information on the project and site website and then fill in a questionnaire with their thoughts and ideas on how the area could be developed. The engagement online will be open from Thursday 25 August until Thursday 1 September which will inform the design process.

An in-person event is due to go ahead opposite the new housing at Weyland on Friday 26 August, from 3pm until 6pm where folk will have the chance to discuss the project on site with the design team.  Later in the year, there will be a chance view the design, which will have been prepared to respond to the thoughts, ideas and feedback provided during the engagement stage. 

Weyland Bay Coastal Path project is one of the projects in the Your Kirkwall Your Place Plan. This project will form one section of the longer-term community ambition for a route that ultimately aims to stretch from Hatston to Carness.

The project team is made up of the Council, Sustrans, HITRANS and HarrisonStevens, who will produce the first stage of design.

Funding for the design and community engagement work is being provided by HITRANS.  The current stage of work – concept design – will result in a Stage 1 Capital Project Appraisal in the winter.  A detailed design stage will follow, resulting in a Stage 2 Capital Project Appraisal next year. Following this, the Council will be in a position to bid for external funding with the aim of undertaking a construction stage.

Orkney’s Sustrans Senior Project Officer, Michael Harvey, said: “Well designed safe walking, wheeling and cycling routes make places much easier and more accessible for everyone to use.  It is envisaged that this route can help to make it easier for people on the outskirts of town to travel actively towards places like the schools and to the town centre.  We want to make it easier for everyone to walk, wheel and cycle independently and have made a particular effort to reach out to a number of community organisations representing a range of ages and abilities to feed into the design process.  We hope this will achieve a project which works for everyone.”

Chair of the Council’s Education, Leisure and Housing Committee, Councillor Gwenda Shearer, said: “Community engagement at this early stage is vital to ensure that we get this project right and deliver a path network that works for all users.

“I have spoken with constituents who shared their ambitions for the wider area, which I was able to relay at a meeting of Kirkwall East ward members and those leading on the project.

“What was clear was that residents are behind a permanent path being established, however they also had a number of other aspirations for additional linked paths, coastal flood defence works and more recreation areas.

“Having discussed these in more detail with the project team, I am assured that while these cannot be achieved within this particular project, this by no means rules them out from happening in the future.

“I am delighted that those in the area are keen to see this project progressed and recognise the associated benefits that will come hand in hand, such as the creation of a safe route to school.

“The design team need to hear your feedback though to ensure they will be creating an area that works as well as it possibly can for all users, and I would encourage folk to get involved with the public engagement to help shape this project.”

The Council’s Leisure and Culture Services Manager, Garry Burton, said: “Connecting routes, creating community spaces and increasing biodiversity also delivers multi-functional, educational, playful and beautiful spaces too. For us to achieve this your input is key and we look forward to collating all the responses from those who live, work and use the area in question.”

It is also intended that the proposed development will contribute towards providing options for increased physical activity through active travel, access to high quality public green space and the associated mental health benefits.

For more information and to share your thoughts head to The Weyland Bay Paths Project (arcgis.com)