Building Briefs – June 4th

Edinburgh Grand hotel opens in former RBS building

The Edinburgh Grand opened its doors to guests last week, marking the unveiling of renovations of one of the capital’s landmark buildings.

It is the first time the building in the heart of the city’s St Andrew Square has been opened to visitors since they were closed by RBS in 2007.

The new five star venue offers 50 individually designed, fully-equipped apartments as well as a selection of restaurants and bars.

The venture is part of Chris Stewart Group’s ambitious Registers development, a regeneration and redevelopment project which is set to transform one corner of the prestigious St Andrew Square. The building was formerly the global headquarters of RBS and The Edinburgh Grand’s comprehensive yet respectful renovation took place over two years.

Bishopbriggs Library and Community Hub officially opened

Bishopbriggs Library and Community Hub was officially opened by Provost Alan Brown on Thursday following a £2 million investment by East Dunbartonshire Council.

Located in the heart of Bishopbriggs on Kirkintilloch Road, it brings a wide range of services under one roof including Council Tax, benefits, registration, licensing, housing, general council enquiries, library services and arts and events.

The facility, which has had a full refurbishment and upgrade, contains a multi-purpose room for children’s activities, reading groups, digital learning activities and arts workshops. It also has private rooms for confidential business and an enhanced heritage space which incorporates the Thomas Muir Museum.

The on-site customer services team will make it easier for residents to access and get information about a variety of different council services and make payments for them in just one visit.

Purpose-built learning and childcare centres planned for Angus

Brand-new purpose-built centres are planned in Carnoustie and Forfar to provide early learning and childcare for around 360 Angus children.

The centres – which will be delivered via £5.2 million of Scottish Government funding – are the biggest individual construction projects being undertaken as part of Angus Council’s Early Years Expansion Programme and are complemented by development and refurbishment work being undertaken at other primary schools and nurseries in Angus.

They will be created as a part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to expand the funded early learning and childcare entitlement for all three and four-year-olds, and eligible two-year-olds, from 600 hours to 1140 hours per year by August 2020.

The council’s policy and resources committee will be asked to provide procurement authority (Report no. 184/18) so that the project can be put out to tender to construction firms this summer. It is anticipated that the Carnoustie centre will be completed by late 2019, with the Forfar campus opening by mid-2020.

The Carnoustie development will be built at Pitskelly Park and will provide for up to 205 children. A site options appraisal is underway for the location of the Forfar centre, which will accommodate up to 155 children.

Sustainability and reducing carbon footprint will play an important part in the buildings’ design.

There will be sustainable drainage systems; a green roof system assisting CO2 reduction and creating teaching opportunities; and natural ventilation and lighting systems in the main teaching and play zones to reduce CO2 and energy consumption. Solar panels will be installed and all timber and timber materials will be from sustainable sources.

Official opening of Balloch Campus

Pupils and teachers at Balloch Campus joined councillors and family members to celebrate the official opening of the new £16 million building.

The campus which is built on the site of the former St Kessog’s Primary, accommodates St Kessog’s Primary and the new Balloch Primary created following a merger of Haldane and Jamestown Primaries. The site is also home to Balloch Early Learning and Childcare Centre and an Additional Support Needs Base.

As part of the opening ceremony guests were entertained with songs performed by senior pupils from both schools and children from the nursery.

Following the opening ceremony, guests were invited to tour the campus, giving them a glimpse of the impressive educational facilities enjoyed by the young people.

HEEPS equity loan scheme for homeowners expands

More homeowners will be able to carry out energy efficiency work and improvements on their properties as a pilot scheme expands.

The HEEPS (Home Energy Efficiency Programme Scotland) scheme lets homeowners on low incomes borrow up to £40,000 for energy efficiency improvements and essential repairs, including the installation of a new boiler, double glazing or repairs to reduce heat loss – which will be repaid when they sell their home or transfer ownership.

The scheme was launched in January 2017 in three local authority areas (Glasgow City, Argyll and Bute, and Perth and Kinross) and has now been extended to include Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, Stirling, Dundee and the Western Isles until March 2019.