28-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Colourful mural celebrating Orkney to be included outside new Kirkwall nightclub Rapture
An eye-catching mural is to be added to Kirkwall's high street at the soon-to-open Garden Square development.
The art will be a decorative addition to the multi-purpose development on Bridge Street.
Designed by Fife-based artist Lauren Morsley it depicts many recognizable elements of Orkney's culture and scenery.
This includes the Stoor Worm, a Trow, an orca, and the standing stones – all in the distinctive style of the artist.
The mural will not face directly onto the street.
Instead, it will run along the south-facing wall on the boundary of the development on the wall of the Anchor Buildings.
It will be painted on a timber layer that will be attached to the wall.
This area next to the wall will become an alleyway, which will be the entrance to what will become Rapture nightclub.
The Garden Square development is due to open this summer and is being developed by local businessman Neil Stevenson.
It will feature the aforementioned nightclub, a bowling alley, food kiosks, and an arcade.
While the plans for the mural were brought to the planning committee today, there were no objections or representations from members of the public nor from statutory consultees.
Notably, with the development in the conservation area, there was also no objection from the Orkney Heritage Society.
The mural was also recommended for approval by the council's planning department.
However, the plans appeared at the committee as it was judged 'appropriate' for the elected members to 'take a view on it', according to the council's planning manager Jamie Macvie.
Mr Macvie said it was 'fair to say it is a different style and scale of mural elsewhere in the town.'
However, he also said the 'visibility was more limited' on the proposed mural, comparing it to the nearby mural on the side of the Highland Park shop further up the high street.
The councillors on the committee were broadly supportive and the plans were approved unanimously.
However, councillor John Ross Scott said it would be 'interesting to see how people react' to the design.
Mr Scott also said: 'When I first saw this I did question the nature of it in the conservation area.
'But I think what you've done is a good thing.
'I have come to love it. It will brighten up the town and brighten up our lives.'
The mural was not the only planning application Mr Stevenson had at the committee today.
They also viewed another application for the Garden Square development itself.
This dealt with some minor changes to the plans that have been made since the original planning application went to the committee back in February last year.
This included installing heat pumps, adding a shed and fire escape, and changing the sizes of the food kiosks, among other things.
As with the mural application, there were no objections or representations. The councillors ultimately decided to approve this other application.
However, they did have some questions.
This included asking Mr Stevenson why some elements of the application are 'temporary for 10 years.'
The developer indicated he's already looking to the future changes at the site.
Mr Stevenson said: 'It's my intention to change the use of the site after that time.
'Anchor Buildings is part of the next phase of the development.
'I didn't see the long-term use of the site remaining as it currently is.
'There's the option that I could sell it on but with the scale of what we've done, that's unlikely.'
He added: 'The whole area: Bridge Street, Anchor Buildings, the oil depot and the wider site, could form a much more ambitious site.'
Mr Stevenson has previously said he hopes to have nightclub and wider Garden Square development open in time for the Island Games in Orkney in July.
