Building Briefs – June 19th

• Successful launch of new Park Phase at the Ropeworks reveals market demand remains high for new build apartments in Edinburgh

Combining in-house digital marketing tools with our broker team’s development knowledge and experience, the two-week launch campaign generated high demand for the studio, 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments.

The new Park Phase will utilise the green areas surrounding the development, offering a vibrant and engaging outdoor space for city dwellers. The over-arching concept of open spaces is central to this phase with a new landscaped park and extensions to the existing allotments.

The Ropeworks conveys a fresh and modern design, ideal for those seeking a unique space within a lively and thriving area of the city. These highly efficient homes are fitted with a high specification throughout and every design detail has been taken into consideration to encompass city living.

• Scottish Water Group records renewable energy rise of 12%

Scottish Water Group increased its renewable energy by 12% in the last year with a growing number of its water and waste water treatment works self-generating more than ever. 

The latest milestone has helped the organisation make significant steps towards reductions in carbon emissions.

Scottish Water Group generated 52.98 GWh in 19/20 (Scottish Water Group includes Scottish Water Operations, Scottish Water Horizons and Scottish Water Grampian). This is enough to power around 16,500 homes a year.

This generation was up from 46.5 GWh in 18/19 – a 6.48 GWh increase.

Just under half of this – 25 GWh – supplied renewable power to 73 of our own sites located across Scotland. The rest was exported back to the national grid.

Scottish Water Group has increased self-generation at its sites every year for the last five years – up from 38.5 GWh over 2015/16 to the current 52.98 GWh for 19/20.

One of the sites which help reach the latest milestone was Nigg Waste Water Treatment Works near Aberdeen. Scottish Water took over the running of the site from a previous PFI-partner in December 2018. The site has a 2MW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) which underwent a major overhaul in 2019, with a major clean of a digester at the site. This has increased the volume and quality of gas produced, and the site produced 6.8 GWh of renewable electricity in 19/20 - up from 2.6 GWh in 18/19.

Another site which performed well last year was Turret Water Treatment Works which serves parts of Perthshire, Stirlingshire, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire. It has the biggest renewable capacity of all Scottish Water’s sites. It has three hydro turbines which generated a total of 9.8 GWh last year – enough to power 3161 homes.

A major expansion of small-medium scale wind turbines and Solar Photovoltaic (PV) power also helped generate renewable energy at assets. Since 2015/16 there has been an increase of 12.19 GWh generated by these types of assets. This is a huge rise from 2015/16 when the amount was 0.4 GWh and up on last year’s 4.4GWh.

On top of this, in the last year Scottish Water Horizons, the business arm of Scottish Water, launched four new PV schemes at sites across the country at Assynt, Camphill, Glenconvinth and Dunfermline.

Invercannie WTW in Banchory, near Aberdeen, was the highest PV generator last year. Its 2,631 panels produced 0.54 GWh.

So far this year Scottish Water Horizons has installed a new ground-mounted PV scheme at Glassford’s service reservoir near Hamilton. By next April it will also have new schemes at Finmont service reservoir in Fife and at Inverness Water Treatment Works (WTW). Combined these have the capacity to generate almost 1 GWh.

• Highlands depot for Sunbelt

Sunbelt Rentals – previously A-Plant – has opened a new depot in Inverness.

The new location which became operational as a full service Sunbelt Rentals depot at the start of the month, will serve the Scottish Highlands with a full range of the company’s products and services.

Two new job opportunities are being created initially, with the firm revealing ‘several’ more are planned in the future as the depot grows.

• Footway widening to create extra pedestrian space around Glasgow Central Station

Work will take place this weekend to install temporary travel infrastructure on roads around Glasgow Central Station, as part of the council’s Spaces for People programme.

From Sunday, Gordon Street will become one-way (eastbound) to permitted traffic between Hope Street and Union Street. This will mean ‘no right turn’ from Renfield Street.

Argyle Street will become one-way (eastbound) to permitted traffic between Hope Street and Union Street. This will mean ‘no right turn’ from Union Street.

These temporary adaptions are to allow the widening of existing footways to enable physical distancing around Glasgow Central Station High Level and Low Level entrances.

Westbound cycle access will be maintained.

• Hawick Flood Protection Scheme to recommence

Preparations are now underway to recommence work on the £88 million Hawick Flood Protection Scheme, in line with the Scottish Government’s construction industry guidelines.

The Scottish Government announced that, from Monday 22 June, the construction industry can move into phase three of the six phase road map.

Scottish Borders Council is currently reviewing the full implications of the Scottish Government’s announcement on when works can commence again on individual capital projects.

Work immediately stopped on the Hawick Flood Protection Scheme on 23 March following the government announcement of a lockdown.

During this period, Scottish Borders Council announced the appointment of McLaughlin & Harvey as the main works contractor.

The firm is now preparing to set up site compounds ahead of the start of works to deliver the new flood protection defences for Hawick. 

Other preparations have included the development of new safe systems of work to take account of the new social distancing requirements for all works related to the scheme.

The advanced works contractor, SBc Contracts, is also making final preparations to return to complete the public utility diversions and site preparation works that they were undertaking prior to lockdown. This work is now programmed to be completed by early 2021.