Building Briefs – January 4th

• Aldi sets out 2019 plans for Scotland

The new stores scheduled to open over the next 12 months will be Kilmarnock, East Kilbride, Dalgety Bay, Dundee, Crieff, Milngavie, Cumbernauld and Leith, Edinburgh.

The Scottish store openings will create an additional 200 jobs, taking the total number of staff employed by the discount retailer in Scotland to 2,300.

• Dundee hotel to make way for new housing

A Dundee hotel is set to be demolished to make way for new housing.

The Park House Hotel, on Coupar Angus Road, closed its doors last year.

Plans have been lodged for the demolition of the empty building and designs are being drawn up to build houses on the site.

The application was submitted by Kylle McColl, of chartered architects ARKTX.

The request for demolition, which is expected to cost £50,000, was submitted on behalf of Redwood Leisure.

The company runs the Best Western Invercarse Hotel, Best Western Woodlands Hotel and The Birkhill Inn.

• Dundee set to approve council housing improvements

More than £500,000 worth of work to improve council houses in Dundee is set to be considered by councillors.

Contracts to replace boilers and roofs in 157 homes from Broughty Ferry to Maryfield will be discussed by Dundee City Council’s neighbourhood services committee on Monday January 7.

The £564,000 worth of contracts have been recommended to be awarded to Dundee City Council’s construction services division.

• Maintenance works due to start at Dumfries Library

Dumfries and Galloway Council has announced that major works are due to begin at Ewart Library in Dumfries on January 7.

Maintenance works will take place over the next few months and will involve periods of full and partial facility closures.

The work to be undertaken includes the removal and restoration of the stain glass window situated to the rear of the original building. This includes a specialist removing the window and taking it from site to carry out restoration works.

Damaged sandstone mullions will be replaced on a like for like basis while the polycarbonate roof lights above the lending area will be removed and replaced with more sympathetic roof light.

Work is expected to be completed by March 15.

• Homes plan at Aboyne workshop knocked back

Plans to demolish a joinery workshop and build three houses in Aboyne have been blocked.

Proposals had been tabled to demolish Dykehead Workshop and build homes in its place, but Aberdeenshire Council has refused planning permission for the development.

The local authority’s decision notice indicated it was hoped the land could still be used for “employment purposes”.

Storage buildings on the site would also have been demolished under the plans.

• Green light for Aberdeenshire village pub

An Aberdeenshire hotelier couple have been given the green light to reopen a rural pub.

Lynne and Mark Lino’s plans to convert a disused Strathdon steading into a village pub is just the first stage of their refurbishment project, which will also include the renovation of the adjoining hotel.

The couple moved to the area in 2014 after buying Sir Billy Connolly’s former property, Candacraig House.

This year they bought nearby Colquhonnie House Hotel, renaming it as the Lonach Hotel.