Orkney Islands Council has defended its decision to remove streetlights from some of the historic lanes of Kirkwall and Stromness. What does this mean for the residents? How much money will it save? And what wider implications does it have for Orkney’s ancient common lands and heritage?
There is no legal obligation for the council to provide public lighting, however, it does so on many of Orkney’s streets and in the case of the 19 lights it will be removing, from what the council describes as ‘private lanes’.
The Orkney News took a walk around Stromness and Kirkwall to explore the lanes and the 77 households directly affected by the decision.
Stromness
The Stromness Heritage guide describes through the words of Orkney’s poet, George Mackay Brown how the town grew over the 18th and 19th century.
“The Street uncoiled like a sailor’s rope from North to South
And closes swarmed up the side of the hill
Among gardens and clouds,
And closes stepped down to the harbour
And the nets and whitemaas.”
As the town grew it was the right of those who were housed on the opposite side of the street to the shoreline to have access to many of the piers and landings. Over the years a lot of the lanes that led to the properties perched on the shoreline have been gated over or had ‘obstructions’ put in the way. This right to access the water was very important and one held for generations of Stromness folks. A people who made their livings with trade on and over the sea.
- Light VS24 Victoria Street Stromness.
This streetlight is clearly not in an area accessible to the general public. The gate has closed this off as a private space.
2. Light VS23 Victoria Street, Stromness.
This lane leads to the water’s edge and is very popular with photographers who often stop in front of it, wandering down to take photos of the Stromness RNLI Lifeboat and other vessels in the harbour. You can see that several homes will be affected when the light is removed.
3. Light GP02 Graham Place Lane, Stromness.
Another one of Stromness’ ancient lanes leading to the shoreline.
4.5. & 6. Lights DS12, DS11, DS10. Dundas Street, Stromness.
All three of these streetlights illuminate lanes where there are handrails – installed by the council – because there are steep steps.
In the winter anyone using these lanes will require to hold a light in one hand as they negotiate these slippery steep lanes. Holding on to the council installed handrails will be even more difficult if shopping is being carried as well as a light.
Light 7 in Stromness is down by the golf course but before you come to the club house.
There is 1 streetlight in Westray which will be removed. Several properties are affected.
Kirkwall.
This ancient town and Royal Burgh has many lanes which marked out where boundaries lay between lands held by various merchants and landowners. Kirkwall’s many public rights of way are disappearing, a process which has been ongoing for many decades, but accelerating now as developers gate over passageways which once ran between houses and shops.
- Light JR23 Firth Square, Kirkwall.
Several properties will be affected here when the streetlight is removed from this square. Interestingly the lanes and squares where the lights will be removed from in Kirkwall are clearly marked with council provided signage attached to the buildings or walls.
2, 3 & 4 Lights HQ05, HQ06, HQ07 Hornersquoy Lane, Kirkwall.
As you can see some of these ‘lanes’ are roads and clearly marked on both sides. Three lights removed from this historic boundary will make this area very dark in the winter.
5. Light HC01, Old Hospital Lane, Kirkwall.
This is the only streetlight illuminating this lane and there are houses down it.
6 & 7 Garden Street Lane and Bridge Street Lane (off Bridge Street Wynd), Kirkwall
Bridge Street Wynd is where the popular ‘The Storehouse Restaurant and Boutique Hotel’ is located. Many visitors wander down this lane and the ones leading off it.
8.9 & 10 St Catherine’s Place Kirkwall. Lights SA05 (off Cromwell Road), SA06, SA07
The listed buildings of St Catherine’s Place are some of the few historic buildings left in Kirkwall where we can still get some kind of idea of where ordinary Orcadians lived and worked.
11. Olaf Place Kirkwall Light OP01
Several houses affected in this row with the council street sign attached to the wall.
One Kirkwall councillor remarked on social media that it was only 19 lights. As you can see those 19 lights going out affect many households.
Corporate Director of Neighbourhood Services and Infrastructure at Orkney Islands Council, Hayley Green commented:
“Letters have been sent to 18 households in Orkney advising that private lane lights outside their properties will no longer be publicly funded.
“A further 59 properties were contacted to advise that lights in the vicinity of their property would be removed.
“These changes affect 19 lights – Kirkwall (11), Stromness (7), and Westray (1) – on private property and are not lighting an adopted or council owned path / road. An example would be a light on the gable end of a private property which currently lights the private access lane to that property and other neighbouring properties. Lights in public lanes will continue to be maintained.
“Many of these lights are now defective and would need replacement and ongoing maintenance if they were to be kept – at an estimated overall cost of £180K. Whilst historically the Council has maintained and paid for these, our budgets are stretched. We must consider all the assets we are currently paying for and whether it’s the best use of resources. That is the reality of our budget situation – difficult choices must be made which will disappoint some.
“Householders affected are being offered the chance to retain the lights, with the householder then responsible for paying the electricity costs. The householder may, for example, wish to put up an external house light for their use which many householders, especially those in rural areas, do already. We have asked for households to respond by 18 April.”
There was no consultation with any of those affected prior to this decision being taken which affects at least 77 households, all paying their 15% increase in Council Tax, for the very services which are now being removed from them.
Will the council save money? True – 19 lights will be removed and the electricity they used will no longer come out of the OIC coffers. There is a cost to removing them, and repairs to buildings where they have been attached – for decades. This figure has not been provided by OIC. Many of these are listed buildings. Repairs must also be made to holes where the lights which were attached to poles stood. But there are also many new builds going up, houses very much needed, those will need public lighting – so overall there will be more costs incurred by streetlighting, even with the removal of these 19 lights.
The Streetlighting Policy, referred to in the Roads Management and Maintenance Plan, has not been written and is unlikely to be so ‘this financial year’. OIC informed The Orkney News that the policy will only concern itself with public roads and not what OIC terms ‘private lanes.’
‘This policy will solely relate to lights on the public adopted network and is being developed to assist developers when installing streetlights in new housing schemes.’
Many of these ‘private lanes’ were boundaries between land held by individual landowners, or access to the shoreline, as in the case of Stromness. Those are an important part of Orkney’s heritage and its identity, where the working people of the islands lived. It was a working and living environment where people shared space and developed a ‘commonality’. A heritage and identity which is disappearing with each generation as terms such as ‘private lanes’ become standard usage. The generational linking of Orcadian People with Place – gone.
Fiona Grahame