Building Briefs – January 10th
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Buccleuch Property strengthens team with new associate director
Buccleuch Property has added to its development capability with the appointment of new associate director.
Neil Finnie’s role will be to focus on new business development and key strategic projects across the UK.
Neil was previously at Miller Developments where he built up a track record over 10 years working in office, industrial and retail development and investment projects throughout the UK.
During this time, he delivered the £45m regeneration of the Walnuts Shopping Centre in Orpington to create a new 65,000-sq. ft. mixed use leisure development, and the 40,000-sq. ft. GDF Suez office in Aberdeen. This office was voted BCO Corporate Workplace of the Year 2015 and was the first BREEAM Excellent building completed in Scotland under the new regulations.
Prior to Miller Developments, Neil worked at JLL where his client portfolio included RBS, Legal and General, Threadneedle and CBRE GI.
Green light for affordable homes planned on former British Legion site
Plans to build 40 affordable homes on the site of a demolished Royal British Legion Club have been approved by Aberdeen City Council.
Dandara lodged proposals last year to create 40 affordable homes on Mugiemoss Road at the site of the former Bucksburn British Legion.
A design statement by the housebuilder said the British Legion club was demolished several years ago and the site is currently a “derelict void” on Mugiemoss Road.
They added the new development would “breathe new life” into the site. It is likely the development would be delivered to Castlehill Housing Association in 15 months.
Planners have approved the application conditionally on the basis that a legal agreement must be signed to ensure the development is restricted to solely affordable housing. They said the siting and design of the units is considered to be suitable for the amenity of the surrounding area and said sufficient parking had been provided on site. This application proposes the development of 38, one and two-bedroom affordable flats split between two blocks and two two-bedroom semi detached homes.
A total of 32 car parking spaces will be provided, including three disabled spaces and four motorcycle spaces.
Rock breakers worth £10,000 stolen in Dumfries yard break-in
Two rock breakers worth £10,000 in total have been stolen from a plant hire yard in Dumfries.
The grey-coloured machinery was taken from the AMD site on Newton Road at about 22:45 on Thursday after the security gate was breached.
At about the same time, the nearby premises of JG Findlay on Old Irongray Road were also broken into and hedge trimmers taken.
Police said it appeared that the thefts may have been linked.
Falck Safety Services UK partners with Sibbald Training
Falck Safety Services UK, which delivers realistic training in a safe and controlled environment, has partnered with Sibbald Training, the industry experts in construction and plant training, to deliver construction safety training to delegates in the North-east of Scotland.
The suite will include Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) accredited Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS), Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS), as well as SMSTS and SSSTS refresher courses.
The courses are available for project managers, site managers, supervisors, business proprietors and client-based personnel working on UK Contractor Group (UKCG) sites.
The collaboration complements Sibbald Training’s new satellite Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) and National Plant Operators Registration Scheme (NPORS) training and test centre due to open in Stonehaven in February 2017.
Work re-starts on Mill Street upgrade project in Perth
Work has re-started on a major street improvement project in Perth.
The first phase of the Mill Street upgrade scheme was concluded in November last year.
The development involves providing a safer, high quality environment for pedestrians in Mill Street. Works include linking the redeveloped Perth Theatre with the existing Concert Hall, as well as carrying out improvements to Skinnergate, Guard Vennel and Cutlog Vennel, which link Mill Street with the improved High Street.
Other features include re-establishing Burts Close and building a new car park on the site of 19 Mill Street.
Work begins on second phase of £700,000 M8 barrier refurb
Scotland TranServ has started the second phase of a £700,000 motorway barrier improvement project.
The company is refurbishing the central reserve barrier of the M8 at Charing Cross.
Work will take place between Junctions 17 and 19 of the motorway at Mitchell Library. The scheme is expected to last for eight weeks.
In order to carry out the project safely, temporary traffic management and diversions will be in place.
Management team changes at DM Hall
Chartered surveying firm DM Hall has made a number of changes to its management structure following a vote held every three years amongst the 23 partners.
West region-based residential surveyor, Eric Curran, remains managing partner, while John Albiston, who manages DM Hall’s Inverness office, which he opened 32 years ago, becomes senior partner, replacing Aberdeen’s Keith Jones who has retired from the partnership and is now a consultant to the firm.
Alan Gordon, based in Glasgow, will remain as principal commercial partner for the firm.
The senior partner, managing partner and principal commercial partner are joined in DM Hall’s management committee by Irvine’s John McHugh, Alasdair Seaton from Dunfermline, Shaun Peddie, a partner in the Aberdeen office, all of whom are residential surveyors, and Graham Todd, who is a commercial partner. Alan Patrick, the firm’s financial partner, is also an ex officio member of the committee.
All of the changes are effective from 1 January 2017.
£3m investment in wave energy projects
Ten wave energy development projects have been awarded a total of £3 million by Wave Energy Scotland.
The projects, devised by individual companies and partnerships, will explore the potential of different materials and processes in the production of wave energy converters (WECs); devices that convert ocean waves into electricity.
Currently these devices are predominantly made from steel, which is strong and durable but costly and susceptible to corrosion.
Alternative materials have not yet been sufficiently investigated for their longevity in harsh marine conditions. Finding a material that works well in the sea and is cheaper to produce will increase commercial viability of converters.
The WES funded Structural Materials and Manufacturing Process (SMMP) projects will investigate the use of materials such as rubbers, plastics, concrete or combinations of these to build wave energy converters, and then test how well they survive in different sea conditions.
This latest announcement from WES brings the total investment by the organisation in wave energy development to £15 million across 51 projects in less than two years.
Wave Energy Scotland was set up as a subsidiary of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in December 2014 and is fully funded by the Scottish Government.
Details of the ten successful SMMP projects are available here.
Statutory consultation opens on Aberdeenshire school relocation
A statutory consultation on the relocation of St Andrew’s School to the new Inverurie Community Campus has now opened.
The proposal to relocate the school to a distinct space within the wider community campus setting comes after extensive informal engagement with staff and parents over a number of years on future plans for the school.
The consultation, which asks pupils, parents, staff and other community representatives for their views, will run until 5pm on Friday, February 24.
A public meeting will take place as part of the consultation in the assembly hall at Inverurie Academy on Wednesday, February 1 at 7pm for any interested members of the local community.
It is expected that the results of the consultation will be discussed by the Garioch Area Committee in spring 2017 before a recommendation is made to the Education & Children’s Services Committee for a final decision to be taken in summer 2017.
Work on the new Inverurie Community campus is expected to begin in early 2018 with the facilities opening to pupils and the public in mid-2020.
Improvement works progress well on Highlands ‘accident black spot’
Works to improve road safety of the locally known ‘leafy bends’ on the B9006 Croy to Clephanton road are progressing well.
Highland Council has reported that works being carried out by contractors RJ McLeod are now showing the new shape of the 650m section of new road which is now clearly visible. Large radius bends have been used for the new carriageway to avoid creating a long straight speeding opportunity.
An existing band of Beech, Birch and Rowan trees has been maintained as has the significant Scots Pine at the west of the site. Landscaping works will also include the planting of 800 young trees, such as Birch, Hazel, Rowan, Holly and Cherry.
Weather-depending, the new road opening is expected in March 2017.
South Ayrshire Council plans for two new conservation areas
South Ayrshire Council is set to create two new conservation areas in Prestwick and Tarbolton.
As part of the proposals, local residents are being invited to attend drop-in sessions to find out where the boundaries will be and learn about the various planning implications.
Anyone living within a conservation area can be subject to additional planning controls, such as requiring planning permission for new windows or roof alterations.
The two sessions will take place as follows;
There are a total of 21 conservation areas in South Ayrshire.
Glen wall repair works to begin
Repairs to a Selkirk wall are scheduled to begin on Monday 16 January.
Works on the retaining wall at the Glen Hotel on Yarrow Terrace are expected to last ten weeks.
As part of the repair schedule, a two week closure of Yarrow Terrace between Buccleuch Road and Ettrick Road will be required from Monday 23 January to allow anchors to be installed in the wall.
The current one way system on Buccleuch Road and Mill Street will be suspended during this closure, with parking prohibited on both roads. However, pedestrian and cyclists will still be able to use Yarrow Terrace and access will be maintained for all residents within the closed section. After the road closure, the temporary one-way system will be reinstated until the completion of the wall repairs.
Following negotiations, agreement was reached at the end of last year to allow the £100,000 works on the wall to take place.
Work begins on Hamilton town centre traffic signal upgrade
Work has started on the second phase of a £640,000 traffic signal upgrade project in South Lanarkshire.
The scheme aims to improve traffic flow through Hamilton town centre.
Improvements will be carried out at the following locations;
During the final element of the works, which are expected to take place in March, temporary lights will be in place to allow the removal of the old signals.
CMS helps deliver Christmas cheer in Fife
Staff from CMS Window Systems joined an army of volunteers, including former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah, to help provide a much needed Christmas boost for hundreds of Fife families struggling to make ends meet.
More than 800 children benefited from the day organised by Fife charity The Cottage Family Centre, during which volunteers joined forces to prepare and distribute crates of food, bags of new toys and children’s clothes to more than 400 families in Kirkcaldy and the surrounding area in time for Christmas.
Joining volunteers from across the town, a team from CMS gave up their day jobs to help. This included drivers and their vans to deliver the Christmas bundles, with the company also providing extensive warehousing which became the hub of the operation.
CMS has supported The Cottage Family Centre charity for many years in its work to aid families and individuals who are vulnerable to social exclusion as a result of factors such as poverty, low paid employment, poor housing, relationship breakdown, drug and alcohol problems and health related issues.
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