Work to develop a road providing access to a new hospital in Orkney has gotten underway.

An official turf cutting ceremony was held today, 28 September.

It marked the beginning of work to develop a new £1.1m link road between New Scapa Road and the Orphir Road.

The road will be approximately 600 metres in length and is to enter the south end of the new hospital site.

It will provide access for vehicles involved in the development of the project.

When completed, it will act as an entry and exit to the hospital.

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Construction of the link road is scheduled to be complete by the end of March 2016.

Local company Andrew Sinclair – Contractors and Plant Hirers, is the appointed contractor for the scheme.

Darren Richardson, the council's Head of Roads and Environmental Services, said: "I am pleased that we are now at the construction stage. We have been working very closely with the Hospital Project team to ensure we take into account the concerns of local residents with regard to minimising disruption.

"Through the design, we have created dedicated entry and exit points on the new link road rather than the hospital site being serviced from the existing road network.

"The construction provides pedestrian and cyclist access and comprehensive drainage work that will blend into the local environment to enhance the look of the landscape and encourage wildlife in the surrounding area through a significant level of planting."

(LM/MH)