When I heard that the Day Care Centre in Stenness was to become the new Maes Howe visitor centre, I was a bit puzzled. Historic Scotland allegedly closed Tormiston Mill because of concerns about road safety. The new visitor centre is right on the turn-off road for access to Stenness Primary School. Doesn’t make sense to me. Then, I also realized that that turn-off also provides access to all the houses along that road, up the hill and over to the Bay of Ireland, including the new houses which have been built in Stenness.

I see this introducing all kinds for snarl-ups and traffic control problems for the residents of that particular area of Stenness, including folk needing access to the school.
What occurs to me is……opposite the new Maes Howe visitor centre there is a piece of wasteland. I don’t know who owns it – it would be very handy if it’s owned by the Council.

Would it be possible to make this into a car park for the visitor centre? ( I don’t see the present car park being big enough). And, at the far end of the what is now waste land, a road could be cut through to provide access to the school, and all the premises along that road. A wall or fence could be placed across the end of what would then be a road which would only access the visitor centre. The visitor centre would then become a discrete ‘unit’, complete in itself, without infringing on the domestic road users, and the school.
I’m not sure if I’ve explained this clearly, but anyone from the Planning Department looking at the lay-out of the roads and land there, will see what I mean.
It could be said that it’s not worth it, as the visitor centre may not be in that building for very long, but it will be worth it if it saves accidents, confusion and tempers! at that turn-off.

A suggestion. I’d be pleased to see it being put into action, and I imagine the residents and school-users will be too. It’s probably busy now – wait until the height of the season.
Yours
Bernie Bell
Rendall

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