Building Briefs - February 11th

• Silver linings at Bellway’s Dorchester 183

Featuring a precious metals colour scheme with mustard and black accents, the apartment perfectly showcases the lifestyle on offer in this vibrant part of Scotland’s biggest city.

Prospective buyers can now book appointments to visit the two-bedroom property.

Pauline Coates, sales director, Bellway Homes Ltd (Scotland West), said: “We are delighted that aspiring buyers will now be able to get a taste of what life will be like living at Dorchester 183.

“The designers have done a fantastic job and the apartment is so sleek and stylish and is likely to appeal to everyone from first time buyers to downsizers.”

Dorchester 183 offers a range of one, two and three-bedroom apartments with contemporary layouts and excellent specification. The first block Vista is already sold out with a select number of apartments available in the Aspect block.

Also available is the spacious two bed Type 3 apartment in the Aspect block. It has an open plan lounge, dining and kitchen, which comes complete with integrated oven, hob and hood. The main double bedroom comes with an ensuite shower room and there is a stylish second bedroom perfect for guests and a family bathroom. With the exception of the ground floor, plots feature not only a Juliet balcony but also a useable cantilever balcony.

The three-bedroomed Type 4 apartment is also currently on offer. This property has a spacious open plan kitchen with dining and living areas, a master bedroom with an ensuite, two further bedrooms and a family bathroom. The generous entrance hall has a store.

The third block, Zenith, will launch in Spring and will feature 60 one and two-bedroom apartments.

Just off Great Western Road, this contemporary urban development offers buyers a choice of one, two and three-bedroom apartments with allocated parking, electric car charging points and two children’s play parks a short walk from Kelvindale train station. A rustic woodland path circles the exterior of the development at the rear.

• Bustling offshore wind sector boosts Scots SMEs

A busy year for offshore wind in Scotland is highlighted in a new edition of Scottish Renewables’ Supply Chain Impact report, launched today.

The document spotlights 21 companies, from Dumfriesshire to Orkney, working on offshore renewable energy projects in Scotland, England, the EU and further afield.

They include:

Leask Marine, an Orkney marine services company which is at the forefront of the offshore wind industry, working on more than 22 offshore wind farms across Europe and, from 2019, North America.

Drone services provider Aerial Vision, of Lanark, which had another busy year after being drafted in to inspect Equinor’s turbines off the coast of south east England.

Global Energy Group, which has invested £90 million to develop a world-class port facility at Port of Nigg in the Cromarty Firth – with more to come.

Glasgow firm Partrac, whose specialist buoys, known as ‘fitbits of the sea’, measure sea conditions at the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) project. The company has grown from a team of just three to 20 after using its foothold on NnG to secure more offshore wind work.

The case studies in the document represent just a snapshot of the offshore wind sector’s activity in Scotland as projects like Beatrice, the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre in Aberdeen Bay and Neart na Gaoithe build out and begin to generate power.

Also included in the publication is a section focusing on the growing range of support organisations which have been set up to make supply chain businesses more competitive in this global industry. They include the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council and the DeepWind and Forth and Tay Offshore clusters, which bring together developers, SMEs, enterprise agencies, local authorities, government and trade bodies like Scottish Renewables.

Publication of the Supply Chain Impact report was supported by EDF Renewables and SSE Renewables.

• First section of new Stonehaven boardwalk completed

The first section of an impressive new boardwalk at Stonehaven has been opened to the public.

Stretching from the harbour car park to Salmon Lane and the River Carron, the new section is already proving popular with pedestrians.

Work is meantime continuing on the final section which will connect the seafront walkway to the bridge over the River Carron. Other minor enhancements are still to be undertaken and will be carried out in the coming weeks. 

The works have been undertaken by an Aberdeenshire-based contractor CRC which has worked through difficult weather conditions to complete the works in a timely and professional manner.

The Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme works are continuing and part of that process will involve replacement of the bridge over the river which will connect with the wooden boardwalk on both sides of the river.

Two new seating areas have also been created with informal landscaping and planting to be undertaken in due course. 

Plans are also well advanced to erect new finger-pointer signs along the seafront from the open-air pool to the harbour as well as new information and interpretation boards along this stretch. 

This will provide background information on the many attractions the town has to offer and the natural sealife which inhabits the rivers and seashore, as well as historical facts on the rich heritage for which Stonehaven is famed.

The replacement of the boardwalk has been possible by a £265,000 grant awarded from the Aberdeenshire Town Centre Fund, with monies allocated from the Scottish Government’s 2019/2021 Town Centre Fund.  Additional funding was also secured from the Coastal Communities Fund (£30,000) and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) (£45,000) to further enhance the seafront by providing the new seating areas, finger-pointer signage and information and interpretation boards.

Stonehaven’s existing boardwalk was installed around 20 years ago, but had reached the end of its life with boards becoming loose and broken which was creating additional costly repairs and maintenance.

The joint initiative has been led by the Stonehaven Town Centre Improvement Group comprising Stonehaven & District Community Council, Stonehaven Town Partnership, Stonehaven Business Association, Stonehaven Tourism Group, Horizon, Stonehaven Men’s Shed and Aberdeenshire Council.

• Highland Council to consult on Common Good property list for Kingussie

The Highland Council is today launching a consultation giving the community until June 4 to comment on the proposed contents of the Common Good Fund Asset Register for Kingussie.

The xouncil currently holds a small financial Common Good Fund for the former Royal Burgh of Kingussie.

However, a full and detailed investigation has been undertaken into land and property titles that may also be Common Good in Kingussie. As a result, a list of potential Common Good property has been developed.

Section 102 Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 states that before establishing a Common Good Asset Register the Council must first conduct a public consultation on a list of property (buildings, land, artwork, regalia and funds) it is proposing to include.

The statutory consultation should run for a period of 12 weeks however, the council is extending this to 16 weeks due to the current Covid restrictions.

• Home Fix Scotland’s environmental team continues to bloom

With spring nearly among us, green spaces across Inverclyde will once again play a central role in helping to support local communities during another lockdown.

Key workers from Home Fix Scotland’s Environmental Team have been working hard to safeguard many of the areas around their vulnerable housing complexes.

Ensuring the upkeep of community spaces can play a pivotal role in improving general health and mental wellbeing, particularly at a time when many people are not able to participate in their usual activities.

Yet, it is not without its challenges. Government restrictions, sourcing materials and social distancing measures are to name but a few of the obstacles that our operatives must overcome daily. Fortunately, their hard work has not gone unnoticed with residents and staff from Seafield House, a sheltered housing complex in Greenock, expressing their delight.

This is the second time in as many months where residents have reached out to personally thank the team.

Heather Mitchell, communities manager at River Clyde Homes, said: “Last year demonstrated the true community value of our green spaces. The ongoing hard work of key workers across the organization has meant that these areas remain accessible and safe for people to enjoy for the second successive lockdown running.”

Tam Rough, contracts manager at Home Fix Scotland, added: “Providing a safe outdoor space where residents can go for quiet reflection or exercise during a pandemic where demand for services is constantly changing is a testament to our staff. We’re delighted that our customers continue to reap the benefits.”