Building Briefs – February 12th

Emtec Building Services and Clark Contracts have completed the successful delivery of mechanical and electrical services for the Category C fit out of the Scottish Power headquarters building in Glasgow.

The project was fast tracked over 12 weeks to ensure that the critical national infrastructure was not affected.

Work underway to deliver new arrival hub for Belleisle visitors

Work to transform the derelict stables at Ayr’s Belleisle Estate into a vibrant visitor hub is now underway.

Once completed, the new project will provide the tens of thousands of people using the park every year with a central base from which to explore the park.

The £1.4 million project will create a brand new ‘Arrival hub’ that will include a flexible community space, a café, facilities for Park Rangers, and visitor toilets. The building will use reclaimed stone and glass to provide a visual transition between Belleisle House, Belleisle Golf Course, and the outstanding environment of the wider estate.

The building will be powered by a biomass boiler, one of the cleanest, greenest renewable energy sources and an example of South Ayrshire Council’s commitment to help protect the environment.

Prestwick based contractor Ashleigh Construction has been appointed to construct the facility which is expected to complete by November 2018.

The work is part of a wider programme at Belleisle Estate, which has benefited from investment of around £5 million in the last three years, which has seen visitor numbers double to 200,000 as a result.

Repair work to start on historic Selkirk kirk

Work will start on the Auld Kirk ruin in Selkirk this week which will enable it to reopen to the public.

The building is identified as a priority repair project as part of the Selkirk Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) and the repairs to some of the walls of the historic kirk will be funded through the CARS programme.

At the end of last year a small area of the building collapsed, and for safety reasons it was closed to the public.

As well as rebuilding this area, the upcoming works, which should be complete by the end of March and will be undertaken by specialist local contractors, will target other areas needing urgent repair. Traditional hot lime mortar will be used to point the walls and self-seeding foliage around the walls will also be removed.

A separate package of works to re-erect some of the headstones within the graveyard is being investigated by the Kirk O’ The Forest Heritage Group, a local community group formed to promote enhancement and understanding of this key heritage asset for the town.

Work nears completion on 100 council homes in West Lothian

Work on one of West Lothian Council’s largest new build housing site is nearing completion, the local authority has revealed.

The Redhouse site in Blackburn will deliver 100 new affordable council homes for local residents.

The site consists of one and two bedroom cottage flats, two, three, four and five bedroom houses and one, two and three bedroom wheelchair accessible bungalows.

In recent months a technical issue with a utilities supplier has delayed progress on the site, however these have now been resolved and a total of 53 houses in the development are nearing completion.

All the houses on site are expected to be completed by Summer 2018.

Perth Crematorium refurbishment completed

Perth Crematorium will re-open for funeral services from today following a complete refurbishment.

The extensive revamp has seen a full modernisation of the building which has been completely re-wired and boasts a new heating system as well as upgraded lighting throughout.

In addition there is also a new modern reception and office area and a private meeting room to provide a suitable environment for bereaved families and funeral directors to meet.

A new family room has also been included in the refurbishment to allow the families of the deceased some privacy prior to the funeral service. The family room is equipped with its own private toilet facility.

New large screen monitors in the entrance hall have been installed to allow all mourners to see and hear the funeral service when the chapel is at capacity.

The chapel has also received a full upgrade and complete décor change as well as new lighting. The catafalque area has been enhanced with new curtains and flower displays.

A new exit hall from the service area has been created to allow movement from the chapel without mourners converging on the next or previous funeral service.

Fully upgraded and additional public toilet provision together with a new disabled toilet facility and baby changing area has also been installed.

Externally, works have been carried out to improve disabled access to the building.

Hebridean Housing Partnership to deliver new homes for Galson

Construction of four new homes at Tom Na Ba, Galson is underway and should be ready for occupation by September 2018, Hebridean Housing Partnership (HHP) has said.

The homes are being built by Alex Murray Construction and are being built beside HHP’s current houses at Tom Na Ba. The cost of the development is £586k of which £381k is being funded by a Scottish Government grant.

Bid to tackle long-term empty homes in West Lothian

West Lothian Council is to remove a council tax discount currently afforded to owners of long-term unoccupied properties as it takes steps to bring vacant homes back into use.

The council is writing to around 300 homeowners whose properties are currently classed as long-term unoccupied, as they have been empty for a continuous period of 12 months or more.

From 1 April 2018, their current 10% Council Tax reduction will be removed and Council Tax will be twice the full charge for the valuation band the property is in.

The council is also offering support to owners of long-term unoccupied homes to bring their properties back into working use.

Plans for 48 new Kirriemuir homes submitted for council approval

Proposals have been lodged with for a 48-home development on the south side of Kirriemuir, the Evening Telegraph has reported.

As part of plans for major housing provision for the town, outlined in the Angus Local Plan, the application for the first of two phases has been lodged by Delson Contracts Ltd.

The locally-based company is seeking approval for houses, roadways and associated landscaping works at a site 100 metres north of East Muirhead of Logie in Southmuir.

A mix of one-bedroom flats and two and three bedroom homes in the first of a two-phase development to provide 100 new homes on the site is included.

Provision has also been made in the application for 12 homes designated as affordable housing.

The site is located at Logie Road and is bounded to the north by Beechwood Place and to the south by a new link road which runs between the A926 Forfar Road to the east and the A928 Glamis Road to the west.