Building Briefs – December 4th

• Preferred option agreed for A96 Dualling scheme

Local communities and road users are encouraged to come along to one of the events being held over the next four days and give their views on our plans for this 28 mile section of the road.

The preferred option goes north of Forres, south of Elgin and north of Fochabers and includes seven grade-separated junctions, new crossings of the Rivers Findhorn, Lossie and Spey and five crossings over the Aberdeen to Inverness railway line.

Details of public exhibitions:

Tuesday 4th December 2018 – 12 noon – 7 pm The Mansefield Hotel, Mayne Road, Elgin, IV30 1NY

Wednesday 5th December 2018 – 12 noon – 7 pm The Mansefield Hotel, Mayne Road, Elgin, IV30 1NY

Thursday 6th December 2018 – 12 noon – 6 pm Speymouth Hall, Stynie Road, Mosstodloch, IV32 7JN

Friday 7th December 2018 – 12 noon – 7 pm Forres Town Hall, High St, Forres, IV36 1PB

View the exhibition material.

• Stirling Council and Scottish Water Horizons join forces for pioneering renewables project

Stirling Council has embarked on a ground-breaking project in partnership with Scottish Water Horizons that will be the first in the UK to use a mix of cutting-edge renewable technologies to harness energy from waste water.

The Stirling Renewable Heat Project will bring cheap, low-carbon heat to the city through a district heating network, delivering a range of significant environmental and economic benefits. 

The council and Scottish Water Horizons (SWH) have invested £1 million and £m in the project, respectively, with £2m coming from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) – funded jointly by the Scottish Government and the European Regional Development Fund. This brings the total investment in the scheme to £6m.

SWH will own and operate an energy centre, located at the existing Stirling Waste Water Treatment Works in Forthside, which will house the new technology. SWH will sell the heat to Stirling Council at an agreed rate and volume, which the council will then sell on to users via the heating network. 

Initially, the heat will be distributed in the Forthside area to the Peak, Forthbank, St Modan’s High School, the Robertson Trust Barracks Development, Moray House, Jubilee House and the future Public Sector Innovation Hub.

In future, however, there is scope for the network to be expanded across the city to include homes, helping tackle fuel poverty and providing savings for businesses.

Local building services company FES has won both contracts for the project. Work is expected to be completed by April 2019.

• Scotland’s Cube Glass wins major contract for prestigious new McLaren showroom in Leeds

Cube Glass, the fast-growing Scottish glass and aluminium specialist installer, has won another six-figure order, this time for Park’s Motor Group and its prestigious new McLaren dealership in Leeds.

As part of a substantial project, it will supply aluminium curtain walling at a purpose built, 12,000 square feet showroom at Aire Valley Drive, featuring the latest McLaren brand identity.

Cube Glass will cover 370 sq metres with a special product from the German-based global giant Schueco Group, the industry leader in window, door and façade technology and service.

The new contract for a top-end client is the latest in a string of successes for Cube Glass, which focuses on curtain walling, doors, windows, glass roofing systems and shop fronts as well as bullet, bomb and blast resistant glass. It is set to secure record sales this year of around £2.75 million.

Cube Glass currently has 14 direct employees and 12 sub-contractors and expects this number to increase in the New Year.

• Consultation launched on East Dunbartonshire development plan

East Dunbartonshire Council has announced a consultation on a proposed Local Development Plan.

The Local Development Plan 2 (LDP) will set the future use and protection of land in East Dunbartonshire by establishing where new development should be. It covers issues of housing, transport, town centres and the environment.

The council is carrying out a period of public engagement until February 2019 to help shape this blueprint for development.

A questionnaire is available to allow local people to comment on land use change and planning issues in local communities. A separate ‘call-for-sites’ form is also available for anyone to identify site-specific suggestions for development.

In addition, workshops and information drop-in sessions are scheduled and anyone can attend and give their opinions on the direction for Local Development Plan 2. Officers will be available to answer questions on the process. Workshops will consist of planned activities and exercises for groups of people. Drop-in sessions will be more informal in nature.

• Kinross Primary School officially opens

The new Kinross Primary School has officially opened.

The school has been part of a multi-million pound programme jointly funded by Perth & Kinross Council and the Scottish Government, as part of the council’s wider investment in the school estate in Perth and Kinross.