The green light has been given for a planning application which would see two vacant houses demolished and two new ones built at the north end of Eday, in Orkney.
The application had been put forward by the Eday Partnership, which said just one extra family on the island would increase its population by 3%.
The sites in question, at East and West Blett, are currently host to a number of buildings, some of which are thought to be as much as 150 years old.
The oldest of these buildings, in particular a boathouse and shed, would be retained and even restored under the plans.
The site layout would also be maintained and drystone walls would also be restored.
Two other houses, however, would be demolished. According to archaeologists these two buildings could be as much 120 years old.
These two houses have been vacant since 2012, with their last uses being as a house and a self-catering unit.
Loss of old houses regrettable but application offers compromise say planning officers
It is thought the site and buildings were used for 17th and 18th-century production, maritime, and trading activities.
Discussions had been held between the Eday partnership, its agent, and the council around options for the site.
While they had looked at maintaining all the buildings on the site, this was found to be unviable for several reasons.
This included factors such as drainage and the cost of restoring the old buildings.
The council’s planning department said the loss of some of the buildings would be “regrettable” but that the application presented “an acceptable compromise”.
The new single-storey houses being proposed would be built in the locations of the current, vacant houses.
The half-a-million pound plans came with no objection from the public.
However, it had been called to the attention of the committee by two councillors.
Project consultant, David Campbell, spoke to the committee on behalf of the Eday Partnership.
He said: “Housing is a huge issue in Orkney, especially in the islands. The fragility of the islands is extremely apparent, none more so than in Eday.
“We’ve got 70% of the population over 40 years old, 40% over 65, and 20% under 18.
So, the working population in Eday is very unique. An extra family in Eday would increase the population by 3%. At the moment it’s 124 in population.
Eday’s houses and land are being bought up, says consultant
Further making the case for new houses in Eday, Mr Campbell said there are no carers on the island.
He also said it struggles for shop workers and transport links are affected, with flights being delayed and cancelled due to lack of airport staff and firefighters.
Mr Campbell added that the “school number is on the line but fragile.”
When the time came to make a decision, planning committee chair Owen Tierney moved for approval with no dissent in the council chamber.
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