Building Briefs – August 20th

Stirling Engine ShedHistoric Scotland makes Stirling Engine Shed progress

Historic Scotland has announced progress is being made on its £8.9 million Engine Shed project in Stirling.

The first stage of interior restoration and foundations of two new sheds has been completed.

The project aims to transform an unused former railway building at Forthside into a world-leading education centre for building conservation in Scotland.



The building formed part of the extensive Forthside military compound in central Stirling between 1890 and the 1980s.

The new centre will offer technical conservation courses on traditional building skills and materials, craft demonstrations, workshops, hand-on tutorials, exhibitions, summer schools, expert surgeries and weekend/evening events.

The construction phase started in May 2015.

Historic Scotland is using its expertise in traditional building skills and materials to work closely with Esh Border Construction to convert the existing shed and develop the new sheds.



Central to the design of the project is the retention of the existing Engine Shed building, with the addition of two new contemporary sheds either side.

The interior walls of the Engine Shed have been restored and the floor has been returned to its original level.

Existing openings are being restored to their original proportions, with others being created to provide access to the new sheds.

The new centre will open in summer 2016.



 

Multi million pound investment in M8 gantries

The second phase of a £6 million rolling programme to refurbish the overhead gantries on the M8 motorway will begin on Friday 21 August.

The investment from Transport Scotland will see four gantries on the M8, between Junctions 10 and 15, being upgraded to bring them up to date with modern day standards.



Scotland TranServ, which maintains almost 200 sign gantries on south west Scotland’s motorways and trunk roads will carry out the work to the structures, which provide a lane management facility and keep motorists up to date with real time traffic information.

The refurbished structures will provide a number of long term benefits energy savings and the increasing demands of routine maintenance.

 

£5m boost for Scottish schools



Some £5 million of funding has been announced is to improve education facilities across Scotland.

Education secretary Angela Constance revealed that a total of 20 projects are to benefit from the Inspiring Learning Spaces fund, spanning 19 local authorities.

The fund serves to provide innovative teaching environments and promote flexible learning within Scottish schools. It also enables the formation of closer partnerships between schools and further education, in accordance with Curriculum for Excellence.

Already, more than 520 schools have been rebuilt or refurbished since 2007, constituting 20 per cent of the entire school estate, through Scotland’s £1.8 billion Schools for the Future programme.



The new Inspiring Learning Spaces projects are due to be completed over the next two years.

 

New £7m Gaelic language school opens in Caol

A new £7 million Gaelic medium education school has opened in Lochaber.



The four-classroom building in Caol, near Fort William, has space available for future expansion if the school roll rises.

Its other facilities include a nursery class, a library, indoor gymnasium and multi use games area.

Highland Council hopes the school will become a Gaelic language hub for Lochaber.

 



Aldi Drumchapel given green light for second time

Aldi has been given the green light to build a store in Drumchapel for the second time.

And the area could also see a branch of Lidl as both proposals have been granted.

Aldi was given permission by Glasgow City Council last December to construct a 17,000 sq ft shop in Duntreath Avenue.

But Co-operative Estates, owner of Drumchapel Shopping Centre, said it was in “active” negotiations with Lidl to open a branch within the shopping hub.

The Co-op decided to lodge a judicial review earlier this year in the Court of Session against the council over the committee decision - but Glasgow City Council decided not to defend their decision.

It meant Aldi’s proposals went live again - and on Tuesday, councillors voted for the development at the planning committee by nine to four.

The store is likely to create 30 to 40 jobs.

 

Work progresses at new East Dunbartonshire school

East Dunbartonshire Council has announced construction work is underway to develop a new primary school.

Significant progress has been made on the new £11.5 million Lenzie Moss Primary School, with arrangements put in place to ensure the safety of pupils during the construction phase.

The development site manager along with council officers were at the school to make sure health and safety was a priority when pupils returned on 17 August.

A traffic marshal was also placed at the entrance to Myrtle Road to prevent any construction related traffic gaining access at restricted times, as outlined in the planning permission.

The new school is scheduled to open during session 2016-2017 and will replace the existing Lenzie Primary and Lenzie Moss Primary Schools.

It will be the second to be built as part of the council’s Primary School Improvement Programme (PSIP).

It is receiving £5m funding through the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme, managed by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) on behalf of the Scottish Government.

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