Building Briefs - March 29th

• Global malting firm Boortmalt announces £12m Buckie expansion

The expansion will support the growing demand for malt in whisky distilling and brewing.

Boortmalt’s expansion of its site will see production capacity increased by 50% to approximately 90,000 Mt per year. The expansion is already underway and scheduled for commissioning by the end of 2021.

The investment will also positively impact Boortmalt’s sustainability credentials with increased capacity reducing the distance malt and barley will be transported, helping to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. A new, modern kiln brings its own benefits to energy efficiency with more economical burner technology being installed.

Boortmalt operates in the UK as Pauls Malt, based in Bury St Edmunds, East Anglia and is one of the oldest malting family businesses in the UK dating back to the 19th century.

It has run its malting facility in Buckie since 1974 and currently employs 24 people in Buckie, where it sources barley and sells its product locally, with the majority of its malt being delivered into Speyside.

• West Lothian Council invests in essential repair works to three key structures

West Lothian Council has appointed contractor WI & A Gilbert to undertake essential masonry and gabion repairs to three stone masonry arch structures.

The council will invest a total of £121,000 for work to be completed at Lochmill Bridge, which carries the A803 Falkirk Road over an unnamed watercourse lying to the west side of Linlithgow; Seafield Tip Culvert, which carries the A705 over the Dean Burn to the east side of Seafield and Stepend Bridge, which carries the B7015 over the Breich Water to the east of Oakbank Cottages near Easter Breich.

Work is due to commence from 29 March 2021 and is anticipated to last for 11 weeks dependent on weather conditions and suitable water level.

The works will start at Lochmill Bridge lasting approximately three weeks before moving to Seafield Tip Culvert and then to Stepend Bridge. The work will involve repointing of exposed stone masonry faces, restoration of missing stonework, banking protection, embankment stabilisation and provision of gabion baskets in order to stabilise wing-walls.

During the works at Lochmill Bridge and Seafield Tip Culvert temporary traffic signals will be operated for the duration of the works in order to allow the works to safely be undertaken. 

At Stepend Bridge road surfacing, kerbing and verge replacement works will also take place.

A full road closure will be required at Stepend bridge as the carriageway is currently narrowed down to a single lane over the structure. The closures will commence from 3 May 2021 and is expected to last for a period of six weeks. Suitable diversionary signs will be place in during the closure.

• Melville completes first new homes since start of pandemic

Delighted Melville Housing Association tenants have moved into the first new homes completed by the Dalkeith-based social housing provider since the start of the COVID pandemic.

Ten of the 26 new Melville homes at Taylor Wimpey’s Pentland Green development have now been handed over, with the remainder expected by the summer.

Made possible thanks to Scottish Government funding of £1.935 million, these latest homes help towards meeting the exceptionally high demand for social housing locally and build on a successful partnership between Melville and Taylor Wimpey which has already delivered over 100 high quality, affordable homes across Midlothian.

The 26 Melville properties at Pentland Green are made up of four one-bedroom flats and eight two-bedroom flats as well as six two-bedroom houses and eight three-bedroom houses.

• Grant awarded to historic Penicuik building

The owners of a historic building at 1-7 Bridge Street in Penicuik have been awarded a grant of £193,787 towards its repair and restoration by the Penicuik Heritage Regeneration Project.

Known as the Pen-y-coe Press building, the property includes a printing works and community stationery shop on the ground floor, run by Penicuik Community Development Trust, together with a small heritage centre with an exhibition and artefacts explaining the history of paper making in the town. The upper floor houses four separate flats.

The total cost of the restoration scheme is £234,252 with all five property owners contributing towards the cost of the work.

Dating from the late 19th century, the building is of traditional stone brick and render construction with a slate and tile roof. The shop at ground floor level retains the original post office and printing works interior. 

The restoration work will include repairs to the front façade, including exposing the original stonework, roof repairs and re-slating and shop front improvements. Window repairs and replacement will be carried out where necessary, with timber sash and case windows to match the originals. 

The building is regarded as an important part of the street scene in the Penicuik Conservation Area and is also seen as a priority for the heritage regeneration project given its connection to the history of paper making and printing in the town. The historic Pilkington Buildings, which are opposite 1-7 Bridge Street, are also being restored as part of the 5-year project, aimed at enhancing the historic town centre.

The Penicuik Heritage Regeneration Project is a partnership funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, Midlothian Council, and Penicuik First and supported by Penicuik Community Development Trust, and Penicuik and District Community Council.

• Shepherd’s first commercial property auction of the year features 26 lots with value of £3.35m

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors’ first dedicated commercial property auction of the year features lots with a combined commercial value of £3.35 million.

After forging a new partnership with SDL Property Auctions late last year, the first live-streamed Shepherd Commercial Property Auction of 2021 will be held on March 30 and conducted by auctioneer Andrew Parker from SDL Property selling commercial properties via a live-streamed Auction Event.