Andrew Sinclair Ltd is to begin a £1.75 million flood defence scheme in Kirkwall.

The local contractor will start building a 1.1m-high uninterrupted barrier between Ayre Mills and St Catherine's Place roundabout from Monday, 06 February.

The 10-month scheme, which is 80% funded by the Scottish Government, will help bolster low lying parts of central Kirkwall against storm surges.

Construction will first take place at Harbour Street opposite the Kirkwall Hotel. Works at the Kirkwall Basin will be taken forward in three phases; starting at the area east of the Corn Slip (opposite the Kirkwall Hotel), followed by the area west of the Corn Slip and then the Corn Slip itself.

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Once works at the basin are complete, construction will move onto the remaining sections of new flood walling, eastward to Shore Street and west as far as Ayre Mills where the existing Ayre Road seawall will be raised and the rock armour crest level raised.

Overall, features of the project includes increasing existing wall and rock armour heights in places, the installation of permanent floodgates at major openings such as to piers and slipways, and removable barriers at smaller ones. The walls in front of the marina and basin will be faced in Orkney stone, with the top 0.45m portion being a panel of toughened glass.

Darren Richardson, the council's Head of Infrastructure, said: "This is a long-awaited project, and one that the Council is required to carry out as part of its flood prevention duties. It is a big project and will involve some disruptions, however we'll be doing it in stages to minimise those as far as possible. We apologise in advance for delays while this important work is underway."

(LM/MH)