Building Briefs – April 20th
- New partnership to support South of Scotland economy through COVID-19
Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scottish Borders Council and the new South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) are to work together to support the region’s economy to respond to the impact of COVID-19.
Working collectively as Team South of Scotland (Team SOS), the organisations will implement a range of actions that best supports the unique needs of the area.
The Team SOS approach builds upon the existing strengths of both councils and the newly established SOSE with officials and members from all three organisations meeting regularly to develop a shared understanding and plans that will provide the support where there are gaps from existing support available.
The team have been meeting virtually and sharing vital data and intelligence to better understand the current impacts of the pandemic across a range of sectors. This analysis is allowing potential gaps to be identified in order to implement some targeted actions to best support businesses and communities.
This will include undertaking some more detailed evaluation of all communities in a ‘place-based’ approach to provide dedicated support for businesses and organisations in each area. The team are also creating a virtual Team South of Scotland through ‘pooling’ staff from across the organisations to maximise resources and intelligence.
Both councils continue to process the business support grants and are collectively focusing efforts on making sure organisations find the right support and ensure feedback is fed through to the Scottish Government as and when required.
- Roof collapses at listed Ministry of Defence building
A section of roof has collapsed at a Helensburgh building which is being ‘appropriately maintained’ by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Shandon House, the former St Andrew’s School next to the Faslane Peace Camp, has stood empty for decades.
The B-listed building was designed by Charles Wilson, a fashionable Glasgow architect of the 1840s.
Registers of Scotland records show it was bought by the MoD in December 1989 for £2.5 million.
Concern has grown for the building, which is now completely open to the elements where the roof has fallen in. Last year the MoD said that it had tried to de-list the building with Argyll and Bute Council, although Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for listed buildings.
Historic Environment Scotland said: “Historic buildings, such as Shandon House, form an important part of our heritage and give us a tangible link to the past, while significantly contributing to the unique character of local areas.
“Without regular maintenance, buildings can fall into dereliction and decay, and we encourage owners to regularly maintain their buildings. We are open to discussions with both the MoD and Argyll and Bute council about how best this building might be brought back in to use.”