Kirkwall town centre road closures

Kirkwall town centre is the envy of many across the nation given it’s array of independent and unique retailers and being named Scotland's Most Beautiful High Street, winning a public vote in 2019.

The town centre is home to nearly 300 businesses, some centuries old and some brand new. Thanks to Kirkwall BID – a non-profit organisation that promotes, enhances and supports Kirkwall town centre and its businesses – alongside our support we are confident that our town centre is thriving, bucking the national trend.

But that does not mean that we can rest on our laurels, and we are listening to recent concerns raised around the number of town centre road closures.

There are a variety of reasons why a road may need to be closed - roadworks, building repairs to a property, holding a community event or, in relation to Kirkwall, for times when large numbers of passengers call in as part of a cruise ship visit.

Whatever the reason, road closures requires a legal order or notice and the procedures and requirements for closing a road must be strictly adhered to and this includes giving advance notice. These notices are published in The Orcadian well in advance of the closure. We also remind folk as the date gets nearer through our social media channels, most usually OIC Updates on Facebook and on our website www.orkney.gov.uk.

For some, especially those with mobility issues, the closure of a town centre street can be problematic, but for others it is welcomed in terms of providing a pedestrian-friendly, safe space. It important that we reach a workable balance for all if at all possible.

We have drawn up a list of FAQs around our town centre road closures that you may find helpful.

Why is it necessary to close the main throughfare in Kirkwall on occasions?

Road closures are put in place for reasons of safety when concerning roadworks or building repairs, but also for large gatherings of people, animals or vehicles in regards to community events, for example.

Most of our beautiful town centre main streets are narrow and, with the exception of Broad Street, this leaves limited space for vehicles to pass, particularly if there are lots of visitors mulling around and enjoying the many welcoming independent shops which form the heart of the town.

We want everyone to enjoy our town centre as safely as possible.

Would it be better to fully pedestrianise from Bridge Street to Victoria Street at all times – with access for Blue Badge holders only?

The full pedestrianisation of the main thoroughfare has been considered carefully previously and opinion is divided.

At present, the streets either side of Broad Street are pedestrianised during the hours of 11am-3pm – with access only for those with Blue Badges and for businesses. Police colleagues are responsible for the monitoring of this and have recently been on the street managing this, and stopping drivers using the street during the pedestrianised times.

This is not set in stone and if it is the want of the people, it can be looked at again by the council.

Why have you decided to close Bridge Street and Albert Street on days when there are 3000+ visiting cruise passengers and Albert Street, Bridge Street, Broad Street, Castle Street, Palace Road (Watergate to Broad Street), Tankerness Lane (One Way section only), Victoria Street when there are 5,000+ cruise passengers calling?

Following discussions with industry partners, it was felt in addition to the partial pedestrianisation already in place, it would be sensible and safer to close the streets in question on days when we know that there will be large numbers of cruise ship passengers calling. The closures last from 10am-4pm.

Historically, the streets have also been closed for large scale community events and this is, again, for the safety of everyone.

Who makes the decision?

It’s a combined effort. Roads go through the cruise list drafted by Harbours at the start of the season and identify any days with more than 3,000 passengers and then make arrangements to close Bridge Street / Albert Street with the help of the Legal team. On days with more than 5,000 passengers this triggers the fuller road closures.

What are the occasions that lead to a road closure, across Orkney?

• Shopping Week
• Dounby Show Parade
• County Show
• Boys Brigade Parades
• Norwegian Day – Tog and Pipe Band
• Riding of the Marches
• Pipe Band Parades
• St Magnus Marathon
• St Magnus Festival
• Net Zero Event Muddisdale Car Park
• Festive Lighting events – Kirkwall, Stromness, St Margarets Hope
• BID events
• Bonfire Night
• Road safety event
• Remembrance Day
• Cycling event – Hoy
• Outside broadcast filming

Road Works and Building Works

• Material deliveries
• Scaffolds
• Skips
• Openreach
• Scottish Water
• SSEN
• Highland Park Gantry
• ORCA excavations in St Catherine’s Place
• Street Lighting Works
• Surfacing works
• Drainage works
• Slab repairs
• Retaining wall works

Cruise-related

• When visiting cruise liner passenger number exceed 3k and 5k, certain roads within the Kirkwall town centre are closed from 10am-4pm.

How many car parks sit adjacent to, or nearby the main street thoroughfare? How many spaces does this equate to?

Information on car parks, numbers of spaces and numbers of disabled spaces are on the website at the link below:

Parking and Car Parks (orkney.gov.uk)

The council runs a number of car parks within the close vicinity of the main streets – Albert Street, Burgh Road, Castle Street, Great Western Road, Gunn’s Close and St Magnus Lane offering 213 car park spaces, with 15 of them specifically designated for disabled drivers.

In addition, there are nearby short stay car parks at 6/8 Broad Street, Kirk Green and St Olaf’s Wynd – 13 car park spaces and one specifically designated for those with disabilities.

There are 12 long stay car parks in Kirkwall offering 453 car park spaces – ten of which are specifically designated for disabled drivers.

Parking is free for those who display a Blue Badge and park within a designated parking bay and, if none are available, there is also no charge for using other bays.

What can be done to help alleviate the situation for Blue Badge holders on road closure days in Kirkwall town centre?

We try to ensure we give plenty of advance notice of when there are any planned road closures to give plenty of pre-warning to everyone. We are going to look at sharing this wider so people can plan around this – many have found our weekly cruise updates, advising of busier days very helpful. We could draw up a mailing to go, via email, to individuals if that would be useful. Please let us know what you think or if you have any other ideas.

Do you advise of the town centre road closures in advance?

Yes, we give weekly advance notice of the cruise ships arrivals and any road closures on OIC Updates on Facebook.

The legal notices of closures are also shared on the Council website and within the pages of the local newspaper.

Could more be done to pre-warn people of road closures?

Yes, absolutely, and this is something we have taken on board and will review how we can further improve how we share road closure information.

What are the benefits of town centre road closures?

The safety of all folk enjoying Kirkwall town centre is a priority on busy days.

As already mentioned we are incredibly lucky and bucking the national trend somewhat in terms of our thriving Kirkwall town centre – which was named Scotland's Most Beautiful High Street, winning a public vote in 2019.

The town centre is home to nearly 300 businesses, some centuries old and some brand new. We are confident that ourselves and Kirkwall BID are on the right track in terms of how the centre of town is being managed. But we can always do better!

Have town centre businesses or members of the public expressed any concerns over the road closures to Kirkwall BID?

Three BID Members have raised concerns with Kirkwall BID since 24 July. Kirkwall BID are holding a board meeting on Wednesday 26 July where they will discuss the issues raised. They have also expressed a willingness to be involved in future discussions around town centre road closures and access during those times for businesses and people with restricted mobility. Kirkwall BID are also in the process of gathering data from members around the impact of cruise on town centre business income.

Are you prioritising cruise over local disabled residents?

All our residents are important to us, and we are listening to the concerns raised by a small number of Blue Badge holders.  We have to reach a workable balance as a number of town centre businesses also tell us they rely on visiting trade in the summer months to keep them going in the quieter winter periods.

We have tried to ensure there are disabled parking bays as close to our shops as possible and we do provide financial benefits to those people whose mobility is deemed so severe that they require a companion to travel with them to assist. Those payments are made through the Blue Badge scheme. If you want to find out more about the Blue Badge scheme and check to see if you may be eligible please head here https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/P/blue-badge or give our Customer Services team a call on 01856 873535.

We have been listening to the feedback from folks who are frustrated on busy cruise days and a cruise liner booking policy is under development that would serve to limit the number of large liners on any day.

Will road closures be reviewed as a result of concerns from a Blue Badge holder?

Yes. It is planned for Council teams to get together with partners, such as those involved with cruise, Kirkwall BID, the police and relevant disability/volunteer agencies as to discuss the way forward and look again at the numbers of road closures and if there are other improving factors we could introduce when these closures are necessary.