Building Briefs – April 27th

McDermott Group team set to take Kiltwalk in their stride

Staff from building contractors McDermott Group are preparing to walk 23 miles at this year’s Kiltwalk on Sunday 29th April, to raise money for the charity Action for Children Scotland.

Based in Glasgow, the team of six are planning to walk the Mighty Stride, the ultimate Kiltwalk experience totalling 23 miles, leaving from Glasgow Green and finishing at Moss O Balloch Park.

The team is made up of George McLeod, Anne Marie Tomlin and Graeme Lavery, all from Dumbarton, Colin Todd from Stirling, Terry Carroll from Blantyre, and William Ogilvie from Glasgow. With a target of raising £1000, they have been meeting up to do a series of walks in training for the big event this weekend.

All are taking on the challenge in aid of national charity Action for Children Scotland which will also have a team participating in the event. The charity works with children and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout the country.

McDermott Group has previously supported Action for Children Scotland, including working with the charity at Christmas to donate more than £3,000 of cash, food and gifts to help vulnerable people in Glasgow and Inverclyde. McDermott Group also recently employed seven young trainees from Glasgow who were placed by Action for Children Scotland to give them on the job training in order to become Domestic Energy Assessors with the company.

Barratt CEO joins HBF Board

Barratt chief executive David Thomas has joined the Board of the Home Builders Federation (HBF).

David Thomas was appointed group chief executive of Barratt Developments PLC on 1 July 2015. Prior to this David was group finance director for almost six years, having been appointed to the role in July 2009.

HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley said: “I am delighted that David will be joining the HBF Board. David is a leading industry figure with a deep understanding of the complex array of issues with which we are faced. As Barratt CEO he has a proven track record of taking decisions that position both Barratt and the industry well.

“I look forward to working with him on the HBF Board as we look to find solutions to challenges that will allow the industry to grow. His experience and guidance will enhance the Board and help HBF develop solutions that ultimately will enable the industry to deliver more quality homes in the years to come.”

David Thomas added: “I’m pleased to be joining the HBF Board at such a crucial time for the industry. Housing is very high on the political agenda, Government has very ambitious housing targets in place and there are huge challenges facing the industry around skills and quality. The HBF does a very good job of representing the industry and working constructively with government and I look forward to working with the Board to help tackle the issues facing our sector.”

AECOM secures positions on 12 Lots of NHS construction consultancy framework

AECOM has secured positions on all 12 lots of the renewed four-year NHS Shared Business Services Construction Consultancy framework.

Services include architecture, project management, civil and structural engineering, mechanical, electrical and public health engineering, cost management, principal designer services, building surveyors, health and safety, environmental, energy efficiency, fire safety and ancillary services.

In addition to securing positions on all lots, AECOM was the only organisation who scored 100% in both quality and cost responses across all 12 lots.

Aberdeen landowners could be asked to build council houses on their land

New measures are in the pipeline which would allow Aberdeen City Council to ask landowners about building council housing on their land.

The Press & Journal reports that members of the local authority’s strategic commissioning committee will be asked to approve “alternative mechanisms” to deliver council housing as they seek to build 2,000 homes over the next four years.

They will also be asked to approve a move to buy completed homes from developers or enter into agreements where the homes can be delivered at “commercially viable” rates.

The council house waiting list, as of April 1, was 6,236, including 1,455 on the transfer list, meaning 4,781 people were still looking for council properties across the city.

The strategic commissioning committee will consider the move when they meet on Monday.

Work begins to protect businesses and create homes in Campbeltown

It will be business as usual for some of Campbeltown’s best-known shops and businesses as a £0.5 million refurbishment project, facilitated by Argyll and Bute Council, begins.

Scaffolding is going up and work starts on Monday on 22-30 Main Street and 2-8 Longrow in the centre of town. In all six business premises and 13 flats above will benefit, including eight vacant flats which will be brought back into use.

Work will be extensive and will include replacing the main roof of the building, chimney and lead repairs, extensive stone repairs and replacing the rear amenity deck that is the cause of damp in some of the commercial units.

This is the fourth and biggest project of the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), which has secured £10m for the regeneration of Campbeltown.

For this project property owners have contributed over £100,000, a Private Sector Housing Grant provides over £140,000, and over £380,000 comes from CARS funds.

Work is expected to last six months.

New homes set for former Dundee pub site

A former pub in Dundee is to be transformed into new homes after plans were approved by councillors.

The long-closed Jimmy Shand in Dickson Avenue, Menzieshill, will now be demolished to make way for six townhouse properties.

Previous attempts to turn the site into a supermarket had failed after the closure of the establishment in 2011.

The most recent application was submitted by MCD Construction Consultancy on behalf of Neil Findlay and Punch Taverns.

Mr Findlay has sought permission to build housing on the site several times in the past without success.

The previous application for a block of 12 two-bedroom apartments was submitted in December, but was withdrawn because there were too many properties.

The development will see six two-and-a-half storey properties built on the site.