Building Briefs - February 12th

• Fully let investment opportunity in Ayr for sale

Ground floor accommodation comprises a party room, office, kitchen, changing room, W.C. facilities and store rooms while the first floor accommodation comprises two large studios, a kitchen, W.C. facilities, changing room and a store.

A car park offering off street parking for the tenants is included.

Interested parties should contact Shepherd.

• Fife quarry extension plan

Plans have been submitted to extend operations at a controversial quarry in Fife until 2040.

A full planning application has been lodged with Fife Council to extend the extraction of dolerite rock at Lomond Quarry, on the outskirts of Leslie.

Owners Skene Group Ltd, who have operated at the site since 1981, already have a licence to extract sand and gravel and in 2009 were granted permission to blast for dolerite rock until 2032.

The company is now seeking to extend that by a further eight years.

• Public to be consulted on new Bonnyrigg care facilities

Plans are underway to consult with the public on the design and layout of new, modern council care facilities and homes in Bonnyrigg.

A 40-bed home with 30 ensuites, to be built on the site of the Dundas Buildings on Polton Street, will provide intermediate care. The 10 flats, each for one person on the same site, will be used for rehabilitation. The facility will also include a multipurpose, leisure hall.

Up to 44 extra care one and two bedroom flats are also planned for the site of the old St Mary’s Primary School. The new facilities will be supported by care home staff.

Collective Architecture has submitted a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to Midlothian Council’s Planning Service.  

Local residents and other stakeholders will be able to view the plans and make comments as part of the consultation process in March prior to the full application being lodged in 12 weeks. 

• Alloa Leisure Bowl to close

Clackmannanshire Council has agreed to close Alloa Leisure Bowl and end the management agreement it has with Wasp Leisure Limited (WLL) to run the facility. 

Extensive property surveys of the Leisure Bowl have identified substantial upgrade and maintenance costs, including modifications to ensure a Covid safe operating environment.  

Due to the prolonged and increasingly uncertain Covid-19 closure and the escalating property costs, the council has agreed that continuing leisure operations at the Leisure Bowl no longer represents best value.  

• BESA offers free membership to apprentices

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is marking National Apprenticeship Week by offering free membership to all apprentices working in the building services sector.

Apprentices are being invited to join as Associate members; a new category launched last year to cater for individuals with an interest in the building engineering services industry. Previously, the 117-year-old trade body had only accepted companies into membership.

As part of their free membership, apprentices will be given access to BESA’s substantial library of technical guidance. They will be able to call on the support of BESA’s staff and attend events and forums. The apprentices will also receive exclusive discounts across a range of BESA services including BESA Academy courses and BESA Publications, and most importantly become part of the BESA community.

Apprentices can register for free via the BESA website here.

• Road closes after landslip at C45 – Dura Den

The road is currently closed for further assessment and to allow debris to be cleared.

A landslip on the C45 at Dura Den has caused the road to be temporarily closed. 

Ross Speirs, service manager at Fife Council, said: “The landslip resulted in debris falling onto the road.  Our initial assessment has shown that a more specialist investigation will be needed before we can be sure that the road is safe to use.

“We’ll need to keep the road closed while that investigation work takes place and to allow us to clear the fallen debris.

“The safety of local residents and road users is our priority and therefore the road will remain closed until the results of the investigation are available when a further assessment will be made.”

• New facilities installed to improve visitor experience in Mallaig

New high-quality toilet facilities to help improve the provision for motorhomes overnighting in Mallaig are one step closer following installation of the building in the town.

The installation of the modern eco-friendly toilet and shower facilities on the approach to the village at West Bay car park, is part of a project to provide new toilet and motorhome servicing facilities along the stretch of the western coast of Lochaber at Traig Beach and Mallaig.

The application was submitted by The Road to the Isles Facilities Group, through the Highland Council, in round one of the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF).

Managed by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the RTIF was created to improve the quality of the visitor experience in rural parts of Scotland that have faced pressure on their infrastructure due to this increase in visitor numbers.

It aims to reduce the impact of visitor numbers on local communities and facilities and create a more collaborative and sustainable approach to infrastructure provision and long-term maintenance of local facilities for the benefit of communities, when it is safe to welcome back visitors.

The dilapidated Traigh beach toilets, which had been derelict for many years, were demolished last year and the new facility, with two fully-accessible composting toilets, installed in September 2020 and now open to the public.

The new facility in Mallaig will now be fitted out and waste disposal facilities for campervans and motorhomes incorporated. It is hoped that visitors will be able to use the new facilities in time for the summer season.

Mallaig and Arisaig have long been popular tourist destinations, making a significant contribution to the local economy of west Lochaber and The Road to the Isles, generating employment and business opportunities for local people.

The project has cost £446,012, with RTIF money covering £300,000 and Highland Leader Programme providing match funding.

Last month, it was announced that 13 popular tourist sites across Scotland were to receive just over £3m in funding for projects to enhance the visitor experience, in round three of RTIF.

• More time to help guide planning protections for East Dunbartonshire sites of historical value

A consultation has been extended to allow people additional time to comment on planning protections for important areas of East Dunbartonshire.

Representations can now be made on the Historic Environment Designations Review up to 31 May 2021. Visit www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/historicenvironmentreview to get involved.

The consultation is part of the process towards adopting a new Local Development Plan 2 (LDP2) - which will guide the future use of land in East Dunbartonshire. Further planning guidance on the historic environment will be published following this technical review.

People are being given the opportunity to access - and comment on - reports covering Conservation Area Boundaries and Townscape Protection Areas, and Local Gardens and Designed Landscapes.

There are also appraisals of existing Conservation Areas.

As well as local residents, the Council is engaging with Historic Environment Scotland, local groups, community councils and businesses.

Online meetings were held in January and a number of representations have been received.