Building Briefs – January 21st

• Dundee City Council moots plans for £60m school

Under the proposals, a new school would be created on the site of the former St Saviour’s High School on Drumgeith Road, replacing the current buildings on Berwick Drive and Garnet Terrace.

The proposal also includes creating a senior phased education centre for pupils with additional support needs. This will be run in conjunction with Dundee and Angus College.

Mr Alexander said there are also ambitious plans to create a vocational partnership with the Michelin Innovation Parc.

If councillors agree, the consultation will begin on February 10 and will run until the end of March.

• Plan to be set out for £1.25m investment in Moray’s core paths

A three-year rolling plan to maintain and improve Moray’s network of core paths will be drawn up, following a funding pledge from the Dorenell wind farm.

£50k a year will be awarded to Moray Council over a 25-year period. Funding received to date has been used to upgrade a section of the Speyside Way, to cycle path standard, between Craigellachie and Carron. A further £80k has been allocated towards improving the Speyside Way between Carron and Cragganmore.

An audit of core paths will now be carried out, establishing what needs to be done to improve, manage and promote routes within the network.

Most of the work envisaged to take place is likely to be small-scale surfacing and drainage works to worn-out paths. More substantial works could upgrade accessibility on paths, including structures such as bridges and culverts. Maintenance could be carried out by Moray Council’s grounds maintenance team, ranger service and community services criminal justice, or private contractors and volunteers.

• Holyrood committee to consider building regulations and disability access

The Scottish Parliament’s local government and communities committee will meet tomorrow to take evidence from Kevin Stewart, minister for local government, housing and planning, on building regulations and fire safety in Scotland and to consider legislation on making residential common areas accessible for disabled people.

On building regulations and fire safety, the committee will take evidence from Mr Stewart and the Scottish Government’s head of building standards division, Stephen Garvin, and policy officer fire rescue unit, Chris Booth.

The committee will also take evidence on the relevant adjustments to Common Parts (Disabled Persons) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (draft) from Mr Stewart as well as Angela O’Brien, housing and independent living team leader at the Scottish Government.

During this session, Mr Stewart will move that the committee approves the draft.

• Improvements on way for Cathkin Relief Road

A £270,000 package of work to enhance commuter and cyclist infrastructure on Cathkin relief road will start next week.

The project - Cathkin Relief Road Complementary Works and Bus Infrastructure Improvements – is being undertaken by South Lanarkshire Council as part of the wider programme, funded by Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

Starting on Monday, 27 January, the work is expected to take up to 10 weeks, on a phased basis throughout Rutherglen town centre.

• A96 ground investigations to start

Ground investigations will start next week for the A96 Dualling Hardmuir to Fochabers scheme.

Work will begin on Monday 27 January 2020 and is expected to take two months to complete, subject to weather conditions.

These investigations will confirm key ground information needed as we continue to take forward the detailed development and assessment of the preferred option for the scheme.

Although most of the work will be carried out away from the trunk road and adjacent side roads, a small amount of the work will require traffic management measures to allow for safe access on and adjacent to the carriageway.

• Improvements outlined for Edinburgh WWTW

Scotland’s biggest waste water treatment works in Edinburgh is set to undergo a major programme of improvements.

The Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW), which processes 300 million litres of waste water every day, will see a large investment to help improve operational resilience and mitigate potential odours at the facility and support the city’s growing population.

Along with improvements already delivered on site, £10 million has been put forward for improved sludge storage which will be delivered during a new investment programme in 2021.

This follows a review of treatment capacity in the region which has established that Seafield and Newbridge WWTWs can accommodate forecast growth in the region until at least 2029, after which there will need to be a review of further required investment at that time. 

Scottish Water will work with its partners in the Edinburgh and Lothians Drainage Partnership (ELDP) to reduce the amount of surface water entering sewers and volumes arriving at Seafield WWTW, and to mitigate climate change risks.

• Additional active travel plan for A944 corridor

People in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are being asked to take part in a consultation for a new active travel route including a segregated cycle path for the A944 corridor.

The route would be between Kingswells in the city and Westhill in Aberdeenshire and the aim is to encourage more people to walk or cycle and reduce car journeys.

The study is to provide recommendations to both Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council to inform the implementation of a continuous active travel route for walking and cycling between the two communities.

The study would influence a route which is constructed in accordance with standards set out in national guidelines while recognising the requirement to consider the route’s interaction with the Kingswells south junction on the bypass (AWPR).

The options for the new active travel A944 corridor are being considered by Nestrans, the regional transport partnership, with input from Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council.

A later part of the work for the corridor is to ensure that infrastructure improvements are accompanied by an intensive behaviour change campaign in local communities and with key trip generators along the route in order to raise awareness and encourage use of the route.

People can take part in the Placecheck at https://placecheck.info/maps/aberdeen.