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Fri March 29 2024

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Kirkwall site set to be cleared for development

8 Jan 19 Orkney Islands Council plans to appoint a contractor to demolish Kirkwall Grammar School’s former halls of residence so that the site can be cleared for future development.

The new halls of residence opened in 2013
The new halls of residence opened in 2013

The council has agreed to proceed with plans to demolish the former Papdale Halls of Residence and has budgeted up to £2.5m million for the demolition, with the high cost due to potential contamination issues. It is expected that demolition could be completed by 2022, with a suitably qualified contractor yet to be identified.

A new Papdale Halls of Residence opened in the autumn of 2013. It provides accommodation for secondary school students from both the North and South Isles to enable them to complete their education at Kirkwall Grammar School. The old building has since been subject to several break-ins and acts of vandalism, resulting in significant unplanned spend on repairs and security measures. Discussions are ongoing with the private nursery provider currently resident on site.

“The future of the building was brought up during our Community Conversations public meetings earlier this year, with the public keen to see the Council take some action on the building,” said Hayley Green, the council’s head of IT and facilities. “Since it closed in 2013, the building has suffered several security breaches, break ins, vandalism and malicious acts resulting in an increasing unsightly appearance and revenue expenditure on unplanned maintenance, such as securing windows and door openings and boarding up broken glazing. The council has put in place security measures to minimise this risk until the building can be demolished.”

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MPU
MPU

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