Building Briefs – August 1st

• Stewart Milne Homes puts best foot forward with Provost Walk improvements

The housebuilder is building a new community development of one to five-bedroom homes at Hunter’s Meadow in the town and is one of a number of funders who have supported the upgrading of Provost Walk from a muddy, uneven, virtually impassable and narrow track into a wide, all-access route suitable for runners, wheelchair users, pushchairs and cyclists.

Solar lighting, a new bridge, benches and handrails have also been added to sections of the 2.5k route, which has been transformed at a cost of £945,000.

• Algo to build new John Deere HQ in Perth

Construction firm Algo has begun work on a new development for John Deere Forestry.

Algo will construct the company’s new office and workshop at Arran Road, Perth. Following completion of the development, John Deere will move its headquarters to the new site, which is expected to be completed by 2020.

The building is a steel frame, clad with architectural wall panel on the office and trapezoidal profiled wall panel on the workshop.

• Finishing touches to be completed at Port Glasgow bridge

Chapelton Bridge in Port Glasgow is expected to open tomorrow following the completion of construction work.

The £650,000 project was launched to widen the single-lane bridge, providing a 6.5m wide carriageway with 2m wide footways on both sides which makes it much more user-friendly for pedestrians and cyclists.

The final works will be delivered over the next few days, which include new surfacing, crash barriers, new kerbing, speed cushions and new road markings.

The project was funded by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

• Aberdeen office market sees improvement following healthier second quarter

Office take-up in Aberdeen showed significant improvement in the second quarter, with a rise to 106,579 sq ft from 36,898 sq ft in Q1 2019, according to CBRE research.

There was a total of 19 transactions, bringing the total take-up for H1 2019 to 143,477 sq ft – 20% short of the 179,421 sq ft transacted for the same period in 2018.

The average letting size was 5,609 sq ft, the largest letting being Citibase taking 17,159 sq ft at H1, Hill of Rubislaw, showing further growth in the serviced office sector.

Surveyor Amy Tyler said: “The Q2 figures are encouraging and a clear sign of stronger market sentiment which we expect to continue improving. Despite a slow start in Q1, there are several deals in the pipeline, and we anticipate a strong H2 performance. Some of these deals that we expect to complete are larger lettings and we anticipate the annual take-up for 2019 will reach, if not surpass, the level achieved over the past couple of years.

“There is also a lot of activity in the oil and gas sector at the moment, with a number of mergers and acquisitions taking place. We expect this will create a number of new property requirements going forward which will lead to further activity in the Aberdeen office market.”

• Pensioner dies following explosion at Shetland home

A woman has died after a gas explosion destroyed her entire house in Shetland.

The 84-year-old was taken to the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick following the blast at her house in Brae, which happened at about 14:15 on Tuesday.

Police said she died in hospital on Tuesday evening.

Her teenage grandson was also in the house at the time of the blast and has been receiving treatment to minor injuries.

Ch Insp Lindsay Tulloch, of Police Scotland, said: “Our thoughts are with the lady’s family and friends at this very difficult time for them.

“Our inquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. However, there are no apparent suspicious circumstances.”

“A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.”

• Deer sculpture selected as new gateway feature for Buckie

Buckie’s Darling has been chosen as the new gateway feature for the town.

The sculpture, designed by Carn Standing, is shaped like a deer, formed of individual herring to reflect the town’s fishing heritage. It secured the top spot in a UK-wide competition to design a gateway feature for Buckie, which will be situated on the grassed area near Tesco. The £25,000 fund for designing and producing the gateway has been funded by developer obligations, money received by Moray Council during the building of the store.

Describing his art, Carn said he was inspired by how Buckie grew as a town and the importance of fishing.

The stainless steel sculpture will be handmade by Carn himself, from his studio in Portsoy.

• Public to have their say on transport strategy

A new National Transport Strategy (NTS2) for Scotland has been published for public consultation today, marking a step-change in the approach to transport for the next twenty years.

The strategy, which aims to protect the climate and improves lives, details how the transport system will deliver better outcomes for citizens and businesses by promoting equality, taking climate action, helping the economy prosper and improving health and well-being. 

It redefines investment priorities and introduces more accountability with proposals for Citizens’ Panels and a new delivery board.

The commitment to sustainability was reinforced with cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity Michael Matheson announcing that five new active travel projects have been given the go-ahead through the Places for Everyone fund which is managed by walking and cycling charity Sustrans Scotland.  This will see almost £60 million being invested in this new infrastructure in Perth, Edinburgh, Glasgow (two projects) and Arbroath over the next five years.

• Lane closure on A96 Auchmill Road

A section of the A96 Auchmill Road is set to close to facilitate dualling works.

The road (westbound) from the Haudagain Roundabout to the west of the Manor Drive junction will be closed for six weeks from August 5.

During this closure access to the Manor Drive junction will be restricted and signed diversion routes will be in place for both road users and pedestrians.

The A96 lane closure will allow utility diversions required for construction of the A92/A96 Haudagain Junction Improvement project to be undertaken safely.

The project will, upon completion, help to reduce congestion and improve journey time reliability on this key route, as well as providing a safer route for pedestrians and cyclists.

Completion of the project is expected in Spring 2021.

• Locals called to shape Kilmarnock sports venue plans

Plans to revamp Kilmarnock’s popular sports venue are set to be shaped by locals.

The Galleon Centre is the subject of a £14 million project to update and upgrade the existing facilities.

Those interested in the future of the building are asked to take part in an online survey which is open until August 30.