Building Briefs - June 7th

• Former Livingston depot gets new lease of life as affordable homes

Twenty nine new council homes are currently being built at the site with a further 29 homes being built nearby at Deans South.

The homes include a mixture of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses and two and three-bedroom bungalows.

West Lothian Council began construction work last month and work is expected to be complete by spring next year.

Overall, over 3,000 new affordable homes will be made available by March 2023 including a mixture of new build homes and homes purchased from the open market and made available for social housing. The 3,000 homes are made up of council and Registered Social Landlord properties.

• £20m fund unveiled to improve Gypsy/Traveller accommodation

Local authorities can now apply to a new £20 million fund launched by the Scottish Government which will help to provide more and better accommodation for Gypsy/Traveller communities.

This funding will help to build experience and skills in Gypsy/Traveller site development by focusing on demonstration projects which establish examples of model sites.

Improving accommodation and sites is a key part of Scotland’s first long-term national housing strategy, as well as part of the Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint Gypsy/Traveller Action Plan.

• £22m funding to restore Scotland’s iconic peatlands

Projects to restore Scotland’s peatlands will get a share of £22 million this year to significantly reduce carbon emissions and support biodiversity as part of the government’s climate change plan.

Degraded peatlands emit more carbon than they remove, becoming a net source of greenhouse gases. Restoring peatlands will help remove and store carbon from the atmosphere, support habitats and species, improve water quality and manage flood risk.

Last year the Scottish Government announced a £250 million ten-year funding package to support peatland restoration, with a target of restoring 250,000 hectares of degraded peatland by 2030. In 2021-22, five partners including NatureScot and Scottish Water will get a share of £22 million to deliver a range of new and existing restoration projects across Scotland.

• Ballathie House Hotel plans holiday lodges 

Ballathie House Hotel at Kinclaven is drawing up plans to build up to 75 holiday lodges, extra facilities and staff accommodation.

A pre-application report went before Perth and Kinross Council’s planning and development management committee last week.

The proposal of application notice (PAN) submitted to the council in April was to develop up to 75 holiday lodges, additional staff accommodation and facilities buildings within the grounds.

An online public consultation originally scheduled for June 1 has been pushed back, with the date still to be announced.

Further consideration is being given to the masterplan following feedback from the council.

• Road works in Ross-shire

The Highland Council’s Roads Team has completed ten prioritised road projects across four Wards in Ross-shire comprising 21,387 square metres of roads repaired.

The works have been carried out according to the prioritised Area Capital Programme for 2021 – 2022.

In Ward 5, Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh - roads have been resurfaced at Bundaloch Road, Dornie (2847m2),  Strathy Hill, Plockton (2350 m2), A896 East of Lochcarron (9232 m2), and the A832 Kerrisdale (1350 m2).

Repairs have been made to the U1992 Swordale Road in Ward 6, Cromarty Firth.

In Ward 7, Tain and Easter Ross – 503 m2 road surface has been repaired on the C1012 Scotsburn Road near Moor Farm; and 1800 m2 repairs made to Rockfield Road. Potholes have also been patched at Mansfield, Tain.

Resurfacing works have also been completed in Ward 8, Dingwall and Seaforth at Conon House – Highfield Park Rd 1171 m2 and on the U2642 Highfield – Mulbuie Road where 2 sections of road have been resurfaced covering 2134 m2.

Meanwhile, the council is advising motorists of the forthcoming bridge parapet and retaining wall works carried out by D A MacRae, Stonemason, on the B8007 and A861. 

Traffic management will be in place during working hours and is being provided by the Councils Direct Labour Organisation, allowing traffic through at 20-minute intervals.