Historic Scotland has informed Orkney Islands Council that it does not propose to either list or schedule the Black Building.

The key reason for this decision is the reduced condition of the building which limits its intrinsic significance

In a letter to the Council's Chief Executive, Historic Scotland thanked the Council for postponing work on the site in order for them to consider requests from the public to have the building listed.

Convener of the Council Stephen Hagan said: "We are pleased that we can now proceed with the process to demolish this building and use the site to build houses which is one of the Council’s priorities. While we were disappointed that Historic Scotland intervened at such a late stage we are grateful to them for confirming the status of the building in such a short timeframe.

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"While we acknowledge the disappointment some may feel in the community, it is clear the building and surrounding grounds are unsafe and beyond reasonable repair. The Council will be following advice from Historic Scotland to ensure we get as complete a record as possible of the building before it is demolished."

The Council has always intended to make records of the building, and will now work closely with the County Archaeologist to obtain recommendations for recording its demolition.

The Council will now finalise work on tender documents for the demolition of the Black Building, and it is anticipated that the tender documents will be available at the end of July.

Meanwhile removal and remediation of mainly oil-contaminated soil and material from the site is expected to continue for another eight weeks.

(GK/JM)