Building Briefs – December 6th

Perth & Kinross Council has confirmed that a bid has been submitted to purchase the dilapidated St Paul’s Church in the centre of Perth, and transform it into a new public space.

The privately-owned Category B listed building has been on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland for a number of years, due to the failure of any plans for its future use to come to fruition.

St Paul’s Church, which occupies a key location on the city’s High Street, is in a significant state of disrepair. Earlier this year Perth & Kinross Council issued an Urgent Works Notice to the private owners advising of a series of urgent repairs required to make the building safe.

The procurement process to appoint contractors to undertake this work has been ongoing, but in the meantime Council staff have investigated other potential solutions, including acquiring and transforming the building.

Acquiring the building will allow Perth & Kinross Council to undertake work to consolidate and stabilise the structure. The building can then be transformed into a city centre courtyard by removing the main roof, and the window glass, and creating four archways to enter and exit the building.

The church spire would be repaired to maintain this prominent focal point on the city skyline.

Kirkcudbright art gallery project begins

Work is to officially begin to create an art gallery in Kirkcudbright which could host one of Scotland’s most significant hoards of Viking treasure.

The town hall will be converted in the £3.1m project.

The scheme has received support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Dumfries and Galloway Council.

West Highland Housing Association delivers over 40 new homes

West Highland Housing Association, working with Link Group, has been able to deliver 42 new homes in 2016 with a further 30 to be completed in 2017 and more in the programme for 2018 and beyond.

All of these projects are funded jointly by the Scottish Government, Argyll & Bute Council and West Highland Housing Association who are constantly working to meet the demand for affordable homes in Argyll.

One of the ongoing developments in Port Ellen Islay is progressing well, on time and on budget. The development has been named ‘Dail Na Mara’ which means ‘field of the sea’ referring to the elevated position it has over the bay looking towards the Mull of Kintyre and Northern Ireland.

Dail na Mara is due for completion in Summer 2017.

Plans revealed to invest £5m at Peterhead Port

Rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing has announced details of a £5 million investment in Peterhead Port Authority’s (PPA) fish market.

The funding will expand the port’s facilities, bringing together services and facilities like stores, ice, boxes, water, fuel and repair services into one place.

In addition, the investment is part of an overall £11.4m first round of the European and Maritime Fisheries Fund.

Overall, the funding will be used to expand the floor space of Peterhead’s fish market by 50 per cent.

Milltimber Brae beams set for delivery

The Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie-Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project is expected to take delivery of twelve 23m long beams on Thursday to enable the contractor to construct the new bridge at Milltimber Brae, south of North Deeside Road.

The permanent bridge at Milltimber Brae is being built as set out in plans published in 2007 and approved in 2010. It will provide vehicular access to local properties, and also a shared use path to reconnect the Deeside Way.

The beam deliveries will be brought to the site via abnormal load trucks.

The AWPR/B-T project is expected to bring in an additional £6 billion to the north-east economy and create around 14,000 jobs over the next 30 years, including more than 1,000 jobs for the construction industry. There will also be tangible benefits for the business community and road users with better journey time reliability and reduced congestion.

Warmer homes on the way for Calton

Thenue Housing is to improve over 100 properties in the Calton district of Glasgow three years earlier than planned.

The cladding work to insulate the homes and enhance their appearance is being carried out after the Association secured some of the cost in grants.

Work is getting under way very soon and will be completed by March to the properties in five Calton streets. Around £233,000 of the total cost of £773,590 has been secured by Thenue in grant funding.

The buildings receiving the face-lift are in the following streets: Stevenson Street, Abercromby Street, Millroad Street, Tobago Street and Tobago Place.

There are huge benefits to cladding so-called “inter-war” tenements such as those receiving the work. Homes become warmer meaning fuel bills can be lower which saves householders money plus the appearance of the buildings is markedly improved.

Thenue Housing gratefully acknowledged funding from Glasgow City Council without whose involvement this work could not have gone ahead.

The council has been instrumental in providing money to the tune of over £200,000 to enable Thenue to press on with these improvements.

Wind farm opens in South Ayrshire

A new 23-turbine wind farm has been opened in South Ayrshire.

The Dersalloch Windfarm has a capacity of 69MW and can generate enough green electricity to power over 40,000 homes.

It is the first of eight onshore windfarm schemes currently being delivered by ScottishPower Renewables via a £650 million investment.

Once completed, all eight sites will contain 221 turbines, generating 500MW of electricity – enough to power over 130,000 homes.

New home keeps Sanctuary tenant warm this winter

One of Cumbernauld’s oldest residents has her second brand new home in the town – more than 50 years after her first.

Maureen Sim was the first person to secure a flat in the town’s desirable 1960s tower blocks. Now, over half a century later, the 94-year-old has moved into a low-rise Sanctuary flat in Seafar.

Maureen’s 8th floor flat in Berryhill Road’s Graham House was cold and plagued by damp. Her new home in the modern Berryhill Road block will keep Maureen warm this winter.

Maureen’s flat is in a block of 12 built by Sanctuary in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council and the Scottish Government. Half the homes are available for social rent; the remaining six have been sold through the Scottish Government’s shared equity scheme. The £1.6 million project is the most recent completion in Sanctuary’s £75m regeneration of Cumbernauld’s 12 high-rise blocks. A £1m Scottish Government grant made the project possible.

Public space in Possilpark to be transformed

Glasgow City Council and partner organisation Possil Thriving Places are to deliver a project costing almost £150,000 that will transform a public space - the Possil Millennium Space - in Possilpark.

The contractors are on site from this week (works expected to last for eight weeks) to change what is currently a poor public space into an attractive one that can host events and generally be used for socialising and recreation.

A new accessible bandstand stage will form the centrepiece of a new performance and events space and new picnic tables, seating and bins will be provided. The soft landscape areas will undergo a makeover to enhance amenity/biodiversity and improve sightlines and public safety. In addition, the large cobbled area in the space will receive some maintenance and repair works that will spruce up the site’s frontage onto Balmore Road.

The project is the latest step in the locally-led effort to revitalise the Saracen Street environment and continue the growth in business and community confidence in the Possilpark area.

The first batch of works in December will see the removal of unsightly overgrown shrubs and other soft landscape clearance works. Then, from January through to mid-February, the project will develop and complete, with new features, equipment and street furniture set to transform the site into an attractive community space.

Perth contractors make tricycle donation

Alex Butter Contractors of Perth recently completed Townhill’s children’s cycle training construction and have now donated a tricycle towards the project.

The landscape contractors Martin and Dan delivered the bike, which is to be used by primary school children for Bikeability Two.