Building Briefs - March 9th

• Vital resurfacing for major route in East Kilbride

• Tenders invited for Muir of Ord Square works

Muir of Ord Community Council has selected its preferred design option for a new square for the village using Town Centre Funding.

In 2019, Muir of Ord Community Council successfully bid into the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Regeneration Fund for £190K of funding for works to Muir of Ord Square. 

The community council approached the Highland Council to deliver the project to maximise the benefit from the available funds.

The council’s design team has worked closely with the community council to consider a range of options, and the community council has undertaken public engagement to determine the local views.

Following the meeting of the Muir of Ord Community Council with local members and council officials, the community council on March 3 selected their preferred options to allow tenders to be invited –  to meet the grant conditions of an award of contract by the end of March.

The tender will include a range of options so that the cost of various elements can be established so that the Community Council can make a decision on the scope of the project to be delivered.

• Dundee approves £1m community regeneration funding

Communities across Dundee are set to benefit from a near £1 million boost over the next year.

Proposed allocations from the Dundee Partnership Community Regeneration Fund for the financial year 2021/22 were approved by Dundee City Council’s policy and resources committee last night.

A total of £813,000 was brought forward, with at least £330,774 of this intended for capital projects. The funds will be spread across the eight council wards covering Dundee.

The committee heard that the coronavirus pandemic had an impact on the current year’s work, but that work had gone on to try and continue the distribution of funding.

Grant allocations during the pandemic have come forward for a range of activity and wellbeing packs for people of all ages, equipment to enable digital delivery of activities online, and equipment & other costs to support development & delivery of emergency food provision.

Community regeneration funding is directed towards three priority areas: physical improvements, youth inclusion activity and small grants to local groups.

In the six Wards with Community Regeneration Areas (CRAs), recommendations on funding are made by a Forum of elected local residents. In the West End and The Ferry, the Local Community Planning Partnership makes decisions.

• Alva town centre regeneration begins

Work to refurbish Alva’s Stirling Street is underway.

The £1.6 million project has been three years in the making and has involved intensive community engagement. The design and improvements have been created in collaboration with Alva Community Plan Action Group, which is a sub-group of Alva Community Council, Alva Development Trust and Sustrans.

Sustrans Scotland’s Places for Everyone programme, which is supported by Transport Scotland, has confirmed £889,000 funding with the council providing at least £600,000. 

The project will improve Stirling Street between Queen Street and Brook Street with work including new natural stone paving; new street lights; new seats and benches; new hanging baskets, trees and planters; new bus shelters; new cycle parking and a new ebike charging station.

Three new traffic controlled pedestrian crossings will be installed on Stirling Street, one near to Queen Street, one at Cobden Street and near to Brook Street. The junctions at Queen Street, Brook Street and Cobden Street will be raised to slow traffic and to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists.

A new car park will be created at the north end of Norton Street.

The works is being carried out by JH Civil Engineering, following a competitive tendering process, and is due to be completed in November 2021.

• Investment in West Lothian’s Open Spaces

West Lothian Council is to invest over £14 million in Open Spaces projects to aid the provision, development, regeneration and management of open spaces throughout West Lothian.

The investment is part of the council’s recently approved Capital Programme for 2021/22 to 2027/28 with a total of £14,458m allocated to Open Space initiatives over the period. 

£2,975,000 of the total is to be invested in the coming financial year 2021/22.

Highlights include the completion of a new 3G surface football pitch in East Calder in addition to work relating to two synthetic turf pitch projects at both St Margaret’s Academy and Inveralmond High School in Livingston.

A sum of £272,000 will help cover the cost of works planned improvements at public parks including: Eliburn Park Play Area, Livingston; Bellsquarry Park, Livingston; Craigton Park, Winchburgh; Letham Park, Pumpherston; Justinhaugh Drive Green, Linlithgow; Preston Road, Linlithgow and Westburngrange, West Calder

£2,668,000 will be invested during 2022/23 with one notable project already identified in the refurbishment of a Multi-Use Games Area at Mosswood, Livingston. East Calder Park is also in line to benefit from significant improvements during this period. 

£8,815,000 of investment has also been approved to be spread over the years 2023/24 to 2027/28.