Building Briefs – July 2nd

• M-Pact installs defibrillator to safeguard employees and local community

As well as helping protect the wellbeing of its 65 staff, the company is also benefiting the population of the surrounding area by registering it with both The Community Heartbeat Trust and the local ambulance service as part of plans for a National Defibrillator Network (NDN).

The life-saving machine is one of only four within a 10km radius of M-Pact’s facility and there are no machines registered at all in the nearby communities of Bilston, Straiton, Loanhead, Polton or Lasswade.

Martin Robertson, health and safety manager at M-Pact, said working with electricity is always potentially dangerous and defibrillators are a powerful tool in dealing with Sudden Cardiac Arrest. It is estimated that there are 60,000 Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests every year in the UK.

M-Pact has also involved four key staff in the British Red Cross Defibrillator Training Course, which includes CPR training, and it has uploaded the location of the machine to the Scottish Ambulance Service and HeartSafe websites.

As part of its commitment to employee wellbeing, the company also recently invested several thousands of pounds to ensure that its workforce enjoys the highest possible standards of respiratory protection when operating in conditions which require fitted face masks.

• NHBC names Glasgow builder as one of UK’s best

NHBC has named Matt McLaughlin of Barratt Homes in the first round of its flagship competition for his site in Cathcart, Glasgow. The competition is dedicated to recognising site managers who achieve the highest standards in house building.

Now in its 39th year, the Awards are the most highly regarded competition in the house-building industry. Judging for the Awards is rigorous, beginning in July 2018, with each site manager assessed across these six key areas: consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise and health and safety.

Matt will now go on to compete for a Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards that will be announced at events across the UK in the autumn, with the Supreme Award winners unveiled at a gala ceremony in January 2020.

• Restaurant planned for Fopp Store in Glasgow’s Byres Road

Grovemoore Properties Ltd has applied to change the use of music store Fopp in Byres Road, Glasgow, into a Thai restaurant.

The property has been marketed since last summer and has only attracted interest from restaurant operators.

A statement by Bennett Developments and Consulting, submitted with the application, stated: “The existing retail unit on the ground floor is currently occupied by a niche music, film and book store. Unfortunately it has not been trading viably.

“It was subsequently purchased by the applicant [who owns the restaurant upstairs] who, rather than see an empty unit on the road, has generously permitted the current tenant to trade at a greatly reduced rent until the lease expires in January next year, though such a position is not sustainable in the long-term.

“The proposed restaurateur is an international renowned Thai outlet who will bring a new dining experience to the area.

“The development will enliven and enrich this part of Byres Road. It will offer a zone of activity and vitality where good wine and food will be on offer and where indoor/outdoor experience can be enjoyed by all.”

• Work starts on new Lidl store in Dundee

Construction of a new Lidl supermarket at New Craigie Retail Park in Dundee has started.

The new store on Kingsway East is expected to take nine months to build.

Opening in spring 2020, it will also create around 40 new full and part-time jobs.

• Step forward for St Kilda visitor centre

A proposed visitor centre dedicated to the remote St Kilda archipelago has been given planning permission in principle.

Ionad Hiort, the St Kilda Centre, would be built at Uig in Lewis.

Under the plans, visitors would be able to experience St Kildan cultural traditions and the environment of the islands.

It would also act as a research base.

• New visitor centre plan unveiled at Highland Wildlife Park

The Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore has showcased plans for a new visitor centre.

The purpose-built, three-story building will feature an exhibition and education space alongside a café, function room and shop.

The site is estimated to bring in more than 200,000 people each year, generating a welcome boost for the local economy.

• Ayrshire Housing opens latest development

Ayrshire Housing has completed 39 flats in Peebles Street in Ayr to add to its portfolio of over 1,500 houses.

The Association’s vice-chair Kenny George welcomed Miss Sharon Bell and her daughter Myrren to their new flat.

He said: “It’s great to see all the tenants enjoying their well-appointed flats. Built by CCG, the development has cost £5 million. We are grateful for the generous grant from South Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Government which has allowed us to rent the flats at affordable rents. Ayrshire Housing is drawing up plans for four more developments in Ayr and Troon. We hope that work will start on these over the next twelve months.”

• Perth ‘Smart Flat’ showcases tech that helps people live independently for longer

A new ‘Smart Flat’ showcasing how the use of technology can support vulnerable people to continue living independently in their own homes has opened in Perth.

The flat at Carpenter Court Sheltered Housing will be open to members of the public and staff from care organisations to have a look around the see how technology enabled care (TEC) can support people to remain independent and safe in their own homes.

Equipment on display includes internet-linked smart speakers with screens that can receive video calls so that carers can check how someone is doing or to remind them to take their medicine. The speakers can also be used to alert the householder when the doorbell rings and to check who’s at the door, and can switch lights and appliances on and off with voice commands.

The facility, which is set up to look like a normal flat, features dementia clocks which display the date and day of the week in large lettering, as well as pressure, bed and fall sensors that can let carers know when someone is moving around their home or when they’ve had a fall.

There is a heat detector to provide an early alert of a possible fire, as well as flood detectors at floor level.

The council’s award-winning Community Alarm service, which provides people with a direct and fast link to support 24-hours and day, can also be demonstrated.

The new Smart Flat is a partnership initiative by Perth & Kinross Council’s Housing Service and Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership.

To make an appointment to visit the Smart Flat please contact Michelle Smart by calling 01738 475701 or email MichelleSmart@pkc.gov.uk.