Building Briefs – April 3rd

Maree Todd MSP visits Kier Construction Scotland’s Inverness base

Maree Todd, the SNP MSP for the Highlands and Islands region, has visited Kier Construction’s highland base at Beechwood Business Park in Inverness to hear about the various projects that Kier is delivering in the local area, and to discuss the industry’s role in driving more young people to consider a career in construction.

Kier Construction Scotland provides a diverse range of employment opportunities, both within their own office in Inverness, which employs 8 full time staff and over 200 people in Scotland. Its parent company Kier Group employs over 600 people throughout the country.

Kier has recently completed the £14m community centre and primary school campus at Caol in Fort William for The Highland Council and has just been appointed to deliver a £500,000 backlog maintenance contract at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness through the Scape National Minor Works Framework for NHS Highland.

Kier is currently expanding and modernising Inverness Airport’s passenger lounges, as well delivering a £7m programme of council house heating and general maintenance upgrades for The Highland Council and a £750,000 similar programme of work for The Moray Council, as part of the £1.5bn Scape National Minor Works Framework.

Kier Construction Scotland’s business development manager Gordon Reid said: “We are delighted to welcome Mrs Todd to our Inverness office today. Our office in Inverness continues to perform well and we have secured a solid pipeline of activity throughout the highlands. The construction sector is thriving in Scotland but many young people are overlooking the wealth of career opportunities such as engineering, architecture, planning and much more that this sector offers and this is adding to the skills shortage problem that the industry faces. Kier is working to address this in a number of ways, including carrying out a series of careers fairs throughout Scotland to inform and inspire more young people to consider a role in this hugely rewarding, diverse and thriving sector.”

Maree Todd MSP, said: “I really enjoyed hearing about the diverse range of construction work that Kier is carrying out in the highlands and across Scotland.

“Importantly, I’m pleased to hear about Kier’s commitment to tackling the skills shortage facing Scotland’s construction industry and their vision and plans to encourage more young people to work in this flourishing sector.”

Edinburgh bypass flyover plan revealed

A new flyover enabling free flowing traffic on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass is the preferred option for the Sheriffhall improvements scheme, the Scottish Government has announced.

Along with the new flyover, traffic using local roads will be served by a new larger roundabout as part of the new grade-separated junction.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Sheriffhall roundabout is a well-known bottleneck for motorists using the Edinburgh City Bypass. As the only junction on the A720 trunk road which is not grade-separated, it is often the scene of congestion and significant queuing, particularly at morning and evening peak times.

“The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering improvements at this busy junction and having let the public see and comment on the three emerging options late last year, we are now able to identify a preferred option.

“The preferred option will grade separate the junction, separating local traffic from the strategic traffic on the bypass and will allow the traffic on the bypass to flow freely, improving road safety and journey times for all road users.

“We will now take forward the design work to the next stage, which is the detailed development and assessment of the preferred option, with a view to publishing draft Orders for the scheme in 2019 for formal comment.”

Strong performance from the building standards team

High levels of performance by Angus Council’s building standards team has resulted in the local authority being re-appointed as building standards verifier for the area.

From 1 May, the building standards team will be re-appointed as verifier for the geographical area for six years.

That’s the maximum term set by Local Government and Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart MSP – a term that is only awarded to councils who are judged to be strong performers in terms of the national framework.

A verifier’s role is to grant building warrants once they are satisfied that the design will satisfy the standards set out by the Building (Scotland) Act 2003.

They must be impartial, transparent in their working practices, competent, consistent and accountable.

Mr Stewart wrote: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your building standards service for the level of performance shown against the current performance framework. I look forward to working in partnership with all local building standards services to continue delivering an efficient and effective building standards system.”

In a change to the system, Scotland’s 32 local authorities are being appointed for different periods, namely one year, three years and the maximum of six years.

Community energy conference to inspire new developments

Community groups and social enterprises across Scotland are being invited to a free conference to learn about the latest funding and support packages for local energy schemes.

The annual Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) Conference is a two-day event that aims to give groups all the information they need to get low carbon and renewable energy developments off the ground and generating benefits for their communities.

Taking place at the Golden Lion Hotel in Stirling on April 26 and 27, the event will welcome expert speakers, including the Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, and Chris Stark, the Scottish Government’s director for energy and climate change.

Mr Stark said: “Local energy forms a key pillar of the Scottish Government’s energy vision and the CARES Conference is the ideal opportunity to find out more about our aims and ambitions for Scotland’s energy.

“We look forward to engaging with stakeholders on our draft Energy Strategy and to gather opinions on how we can support local projects to shape our energy future.”

Attendees will hear how the Scottish Government CARES programme has helped to deliver 265 community energy schemes so far, including the Rumbling Bridge Community Hydro Society in Crook of Devon, Callander Community Hydro Scheme and the Barra Community Wind Turbine.

And specific breakout sessions will be held to provide further information on financing developments, including applying for CARES support, project management issues and available technology.

Delegates will be able to meet with the leaders of existing community energy projects, and there will be a free conference dinner at the end of the first day.