Building Briefs – June 18th

• Aberdeen flats ‘A-List’ decision on hold

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is considering awarding Category A listed status to Aberdeen’s city’s Gilcomstoun Land, Porthill Court, Seamount Court, Virginia Court, Marischal Court, Thistle Court, Hutcheon Court and Greig Court.

However, a HES spokesman has announced that there will be no imminent ruling made on whether the blocks are to be protected because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The spokesperson told The Press And Journal: “This decision is on hold until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak.”

HES has described the 1960s-era buildings as “brutalist multi-storey ‘slab’ blocks of flats”. It said Category A is the “most appropriate level of listing” due to “outstanding architectural interest and rare survival”.

The listing would put the buildings on par with some of Aberdeen’s most historic buildings, including The Music Hall, St Machar Cathedral and King’s College.

However, the discussion over their status has proven controversial in Aberdeen as owners – including the council – were concerned listed status would vastly increase the cost of home improvements.

The conservation status would also require special permissions to make many alterations to the buildings.

• Plans lodged for car park to accommodate new Kirkcaldy hospital

NHS Fife has submitted plans for extra car parking spaces at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy with one of the hospital’s main car parks set to be used for a £33 million orthopaedic centre.

The centre, due to open in 2022, will be built next to the accident and emergency department.

It will accommodate services currently housed in the ageing tower block and increase the number of orthopaedic theatres from two to three.

Under plans submitted this week, the 140 parking spaces that will be lost once construction starts will be replaced with 145 bays. The staff car park at Whyteman’s Brae would also be extended under the plan.

• Work on Highland schools projects to resume

Preparatory work to resume construction activity on three key Highland school projects has commenced, the local authority has confirmed.

Highland Council said the move is a significant step towards the completion of new buildings at Alness Academy and Merkinch Primary, and the refurbishment of Inverness High School.

The contractors will follow Scottish Government and construction industry guidance to ensure a safe return to work and a phased approach to increasing site activity. Individual plans on the measures required at each location are being developed in conjunction with the council’s in-house project teams and school management, and with particular consideration to the return of pupils and staff in August.

Work on all three projects will continue beyond the start of the new school session in August. Further details will be released as remobilisation progresses and revised completion dates are confirmed.

The projects, with a combined value of over £70 million, are funded through the council’s capital programme, with support of £27m from the Scottish Government’s investment programme (Scotland’s Schools for the Future) managed by Scottish Futures Trust.

Construction work will also resume on a range of other school improvement projects that were suspended in March. This includes new or refurbished nursery accommodation at Deshar, Durness, Keiss, Rosebank, Tomnacross and Tongue Primary Schools that are all part of the Early Learning and Childcare expansion programme.

• Compulsory purchase to bring two empty Govanhill homes back into productive use

The promotion of the compulsory purchase of two empty homes in Govanhill has been agreed by Glasgow City Council.

The purchases of these properties - at 1/1, 29 Annette Street and 1/1, 35 Westmoreland Street - will improve the condition of the housing stock and bring empty homes back into use.

The council has also approved ‘back-to-back’ agreements with Govanhill Housing Association for these flats, which will see - on completion of the compulsory purchase order - the ownership of the homes transferred to the housing association.

Through the council’s Empty Homes Strategy - which aims to turn empty properties in Glasgow into living homes, increasing local housing supply and contributing to the regeneration of neighbourhoods - these properties were identified as long-term empty homes.

The flat at 35 Westmoreland Street has been unoccupied since August 2017, with the 29 Annette Street flat unoccupied since August 2019.

The funding for the acquisition of these flats by Govanhill Housing Association will be made available through the council’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) budget.

• New plan announced for Midlothian allotments and community growing spaces

Midlothian Council has approved plans which could see local community groups turn areas of publicly owned land in places like health centres and parks into growing spaces for food.

Midlothian’s First Allotment and Food Growing Strategy for Midlothian 2020 – 2030 also includes plans to increase allotments across the county.

The council already has a list of two potential community growing spaces on council-owned land in each of the main urban areas and one community growing space in each of more rural areas such as Pathhead and Roslin.

Midlothian Council will also draw up a list of potential sites for allotments and Community Planning Partners will identify areas around, for example, police stations and health centres that could be used for community growing.

• The Langholm Initiative receives £1m donation from Scottish Land Fund

The Scottish Land Fund has awarded the Langholm Initiative charity £1 million towards the purchase of 10,500 acres of Langholm Moor in the south of Scotland, which would see the local community creating a vast new nature reserve.

The charity hopes to buy the wildlife-rich and culturally important land – jointly valued at £6m – from Buccleuch Estates, in what would be southern Scotland’s largest community buyout.

The Scottish Land Fund’s £1m offer is time-limited – meaning the community faces the challenge of raising the rest of the funds for the land buyout by October this year.

• Improvement works for Inverness walking and cycling route nearly completed

Work is currently underway making improvements to Kinmylies Way in Inverness, the lane connecting Leachkin Road and the Kinmylies shops, to make it more cycle-friendly and have easier access for walkers. 

This includes the clearing of vegetation and overhanging trees and scraping back the path to allow pedestrians and cyclists easier access along the popular route. The existing barriers have also been taken away to remove pinch points and at each end of the lane cycle-friendly bollards will be put in place to prevent vehicle access. 

The works are part of the Spaces for People project and are being managed by the Highland Council which was successful in applying for money from the Scottish Government’s Spaces for People fund to deliver a series of active travel interventions across Highland in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, to help physically distancing and encourage healthier travel modes.  

The contractor on site is Hunter Landscaping which is doing the vegetation clearance and Strath Civil Engineering who are installing the bollards. 

• B851 Inverarnie Village Improvement Scheme works to recommence

Works to the previously suspended B851 Inverarnie Village Improvement Scheme will recommence on Monday.

Pre-start site preparations are currently underway to provide enhanced welfare provisions for site personnel, the erection of pedestrian signage and the marking out of 2m distancing where required welfare units are scheduled to be delivered to site this Friday.