Building Briefs – February 27th

DM Hall appoints senior professional as head of agency in the East of Scotland

Chartered surveying firm DM Hall has further strengthened its fast-growing and highly-regarded commercial team with the appointment of a senior commercial professional to its East Coast-based operation.

It has secured the services of Ross Wilson as head of agency (East of Scotland). As a director based in Edinburgh, he will oversee the firm’s activities in Edinburgh, the Borders, the Lothians, Central, Tayside and Fife.

Ross has a wealth of experience representing national and local companies, corporate clients, pension funds and HNWIs. His appointment is the latest significant talent acquisition, following high profile postings in Aberdeen and Inverness.

Further A9 Ground Investigations to start next week

Motorists using the A9 are being asked to plan ahead for traffic restrictions on a section of the road between Tay Crossing and Ballinluig.

The ground investigations, part of the A9 Dualling programme, will begin on Monday 6 March and are expected to take 6 weeks.

Although most of the work will be carried out adjacent to the existing road, the traffic management measures will be in place to allow work beside the carriageway to be carried out safely. This will include short, alternate single file traffic sections controlled by temporary traffic signals.

Selkirk’s £31m flood protection scheme officially opened

A £31 million flood protection scheme for a town in the Scottish Borders is being officially opened.

The work in Selkirk to protect nearly 600 properties has seen burns rerouted and an “intelligent water management system” created at St Mary’s Loch.

The Scottish Government provided 80% of the funding for the project.

Environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham is scheduled to open the scheme along with council leader David Parker.

A time capsule containing items from local school pupils will be buried as part of the opening ceremony.

Public exhibition unveils plans for Pitt Street regeneration

Moda Living is inviting residents, businesses and stakeholders to attend a public exhibition to present the emerging proposals for the regeneration of the former Strathclyde Police Headquarters at Pitt Street, now known as Holland Park.

The drop-in events, on March 7 and March 8, will provide information about the development plans and give residents and businesses the chance to view and comment on the proposals.

Designed by local architects HAUS-Collective, the scheme will help regenerate an important part of the city via the provision of new high quality homes together with office and commercial uses supported by a comprehensive range of on-site fully managed residential amenities.

The Pitt Street offices, built in 1924, were previously home to Strathclyde Police, which was the country’s largest force from 1975 until the merger of the eight Scottish Police Forces in 2013.

Moda Living is creating the UKs leading rental brand and strives to create high quality environments and pioneers positive change to the UK rental landscape. Moda is synonymous with leading the way on major UK city centre regeneration projects including NOMA in the heart of Manchester and Quarry Hill a key site in the Cultural Quarter of Leeds City Centre.

The exhibitions will be held at the 200 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5RQ on 7th and 8th March 2017 from 3pm to 8pm.

Tweedbank bogus roof work warning issued

A warning has been issued over bogus workmen offering to carry out roof repairs in the Borders.

It follows two incidents on Friday in Tweedbank with cold callers in Essenside Place and Stobshaw Place.

In both cases men offered to do work to roofs and when given access to attic spaces they appear to have caused damage to back up their claims.

Police have warned the public to be aware of the activity and report any incidents to them.

Inverness institution reopens after £1/4 million refurb

Inverness’s popular independent restaurant, bar and hotel, The Heathmount, has reopened after a £250,000 refurbishment led by award-winning Glasgow designer Mark Brunjes.

The radical redesign has seen a complete transformation of the public areas, including a new glass extension to the bar and trendy makeover of the restaurant.

Business Beats Cancer dinner raises over £70,000 for Cancer Research UK

Over 300 of Glasgow’s business people attended the Business Beats Cancer charity dinner last week raising over £70,000 for Cancer Research UK - bringing the total raised to date to over £100,000.

Proceeds raised at the event will help fund Cancer Research UK’s scientists, with all the proceedings going to the Beatson Institute at Bearsden in Glasgow.

This is the second Business Beats Cancer dinner which last year raised £40,000 and was attended by 200 people. The fund raising dinner was the brainchild of Rowan Main, Corporate & Community Fundraising Manager at Cancer Research UK, who worked closely with Business Beats Cancer chair, Joanne Casey of Mactaggart & Mickel Homes.

Guests at the dinner heard from a variety of speakers including Dr Kirsteen Campbell of the Beatson Institute and Scottish Conservative party leader, Ruth Davidson.

Miller Homes helps raise over £228,000 for Habitat for Humanity

A massive fundraising effort by Miller Homes has seen the company more than double its fundraising target for global development charity Habitat for Humanity GB’s Hope Builders Campaign, raising almost quarter of a million pounds in just 12 months.

The housebuilder had challenged its employees to raise an initial target of £100,000 for the campaign throughout 2016, however this total was smashed in September, four months ahead of schedule, and the final fundraising total is over £228,000 – enough to build more than 75 ‘Habitat Homes’.

Habitat for Humanity’s focus is on shelter and recognises that home is the cornerstone of hope for those living in poverty.

Working with established partners in more than 70 countries across the world, the charity offers simple, sustainable solutions to help lift some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world out of poverty housing.

The average ‘Habitat Home’ costs around £3,000 to build and provides families with a home which is wind and watertight and light and airy.