Building Briefs – October 19th

Bellsmyre Housing Association launches £5m improvement programme

Bellsmyre Housing Association has announced the commencement of a comprehensive £5 million housing improvement programme.

Over the summer months, Bellsmyre sought the views of tenants and factored owners on proposals that would inform a large scale housing improvement programme.

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Following the consultation, the Association developed a comprehensive and wide ranging programme that includes new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, heating systems, door entry systems, paint work and environmental improvements.

 

Wind farm approved in the south of Scotland

Planning consent has today been granted for a new 19-turbine wind farm in the Lammermuir Hills between East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.

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The Aikengall IIa development by Community Wind Power Ltd will generate up to £9.4 million in community benefits, to be divided equally between local communities, and support the creation of around 100 jobs.

The wind farm will also have a generating capacity around 75.5MW, enough to power the equivalent of almost 35,000 homes.

Approving the development, cabinet secretary for economy, jobs and fair work, Keith Brown, agreed with the findings of the Public Local Inquiry Reporters to grant consent.

 

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Pedestrian and cycle counters installed across Aberdeen

Pedestrian and cycle counters have been installed around Aberdeen to accurately monitor numbers of people using pavements and cycleways.

The equipment, from Traffic Technology Ltd, includes 13 Eco Multi counters which have been installed beside strategic pavements which include off-road paths, dual-use pavements and segregated routes, and are on paths which connect residential areas to schools, employment areas, parks and riversides.

Some of the counters are on well-established routes while others are on new pavements or cycleways.

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The data collected by the counters enables Aberdeen City Council to understand how popular routes are, and it can also demonstrate the benefits of improvements such as localised widening, improved access arrangements, and lighting.

Where a new path has been installed, the counters provide data which enables the council to compare numbers of pedestrians and cyclists using the new path currently and in the future.

The innovative Eco-Multi accurately distinguishes between pedestrians and cycles on a single path and determines their direction, and a click and lock system enables several units to be combined to provide up to sixteen channels for multi-direction, multi-count sites for combined vehicle, cycle and pedestrian monitoring if required.

 

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Link Property achieves quality management system accreditation

Link Group’s in house repairs and maintenance service Link Property has successfully achieved ISO 9001:2015 accreditation.

ISO 9001 is a certified quality management system (QMS) for organisations who want to prove their ability to provide products and services that meet the needs of their customers and other relevant stakeholders.

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The award was obtained through thorough external audits, performed by an independent accredited registrar company. The certification aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of Link Property’s service, including processes for improving the service and assuring compliance with various regulations.

The accreditation covers the provision of Link’s reactive and void property maintenance service provided to Link group’s tenants and other customers.

 

​ A82 at Tomnahurich Bridge road works to begin next week

Temporary traffic restrictions will be placed on the A82 at Tomnahurich Bridge in Inverness next week as work on the Inverness West Link route continues.

The remaining traffic disruption works on the A82 associated with the West Link project start on Monday 24 October and require for an overnight closure of the road over Tomnahurich Bridge from 7pm until 7am.

Road lining works will also be carried out during the day on November 1.

The area affected forms part of the Great Glen Way walking route but full pedestrian access through the works will be maintained at all times.

 

Aberdeenshire energy efficiency scheme benefits from government funding

A pilot project to improve the energy efficiency of homes and businesses in Aberdeenshire is to move forward following the award of more than £660,000 by the Scottish Government.

The project will involve the installation of energy efficiency measures to social and private housing in Huntly, Lumsden and the surrounding areas.

The project is part of Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP), which is directed at businesses, community groups and individuals working and living in areas with particularly high levels of fuel poverty.

The scheme, which was awarded a total of £660,700 from the Integrated Energy Efficiency Pilot Projects Pathfinder Fund, will involve the insulation of various properties over the coming year.

This includes internal, external and cavity wall insulation for a total of 100 residential properties in the private sector, with similar measures including loft insulation, double-glazing and solar panels for four community buildings.

Work on the pilot scheme is due to begin this month and continue until November 2017.

 

Fife House Builders Forum to take place in Dunfermline

Fife Council has revealed it will host the House Builders Forum at the Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline tomorrow.

The event provides an opportunity for local building contractors, development companies and those employed within related professional services to discuss various issues within the industry.

This year’s forum will address a number of discussion points including modernising Building Standards, innovation in the construction sector and private/public partnership working.

In addition, housing minister Kevin Stewart will deliver a key note speech and a variety of speakers from the private and public sectors will also be in attendance.

To view the event programme, visit here.

 

Rearo wins £1m distribution deal with Meyer Timber

Glasgow-based bathroom and kitchen surfaces manufacturer and supplier Rearo has secured a £1 million distribution deal with Meyer Timber for its bathroom wall panel product, Selkie.

Rearo’s full Selkie range will now be available across England and Wales with Meyer Timber’s delivery service, making the product quickly available to trade customers and merchants.

Rearo has its headquarters in Glasgow, with showrooms across the UK.

 

Plans revealed to boost delivery of sewage heat recovery systems

Plans have been revealed to boost the development of Sewage Heat Recovery systems in Scotland.

Scottish Water Horizons is to establish a strategic alliance with SHARC Energy Systems to accelerate the technologies deployment, as well as supporting the Scottish Government’s renewable heat and carbon reduction targets for 2020.

The news follows the launch of SHARC’s UK-first Sewage Heat Recovery (SHR) system at Borders College in Galashiels. The facility aims to displace 1.8 Gwhs of natural gas and save 150 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

Scottish Water Horizons has estimated up to 750 systems would need to be installed by 2020 for Scotland to achieve its carbon savings targets.

The partnership is the result of two years of informal collaboration between SHARC and Scottish Water Horizons, which has created a £20 million pipeline of potential installations across Scotland.

Once completed, it is estimated 170GWHs per year of heating and cooling would be generated to displace fossil fuel currently being used.

Council to display plans for Orkney museum redevelopment

Orkney Islands Council is to publicly display plans for a museum redevelopment project in Lyness.

Proposals for the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum includes building additional display areas, a shop and café and improved visitor facilities.

In addition, plans are in place to make improvements to the environmental conditions within the building to ensure the continued preservation of the artefacts.

The council, Historic Environment Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are committed to supporting the project, subject to securing grant approvals following the current development phase.

The proposals will be available to view at the museum from Monday, 24 October. Further plans can also be seen at OIC Customer Services in Kirkwall and the Warehouse Buildings in Stromness from Monday until the end of this month.

 

Winter deaths signal home upgrade calls

Figures showing there were nearly 3,000 additional winter deaths last year show that Scotland’s cold and draughty housing stock must be upgraded as a matter of urgency, the Existing Homes Alliance has argued.

The annual Winter Mortality in Scotland report published yesterday by the Scottish Government revealed that 2,850 more people died in Scotland last winter when compared with the average for the rest of the year, the vast majority of whom were elderly.

While the seasonal increase in deaths was smaller than in most of the 64 previous winters, the figure still exceeded the level seen in 8 of the previous 10 winters.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 30 per cent of such deaths ‘additional’ are attributable to cold homes. While the report stated that improvements in home insulation and increasing central heating use had helped redress the relationship between cold winters and ill health, the Existing Homes Alliance said quick action must be taken to further tackle fuel poverty and protect the ill and vulnerable.

Scottish Ministers have pledged to make energy efficiency a National Infrastructure Priority, but plans are still under development.

In the meantime, the Alliance is pressing for a more substantial financial commitment to be made and for much needed regulation to ensure that no-one in Scotland is forced to live in fuel poverty as a consequence of a cold and poorly-insulated home.

The Scottish Conservatives said the figures highlight the importance of everyone in the country having a warm home and repeated their manifesto pledge of investing around £1 billion by 2020/21 to ensure all properties achieve an EPC C rating or above by the end of the next decade.

 

Architect joins Kingdom Housing Association Board

Kingdom Housing Association confirmed the appointment of Freya Lees as the Association’s new chairperson at its October Board meeting.

Freya succeeds former chairperson Charles Milne who has completed his tenure in the role.

Freya has been a Board member with Kingdom since 2013 and also serves on the Policy Sub Committee and Senior Management Remuneration & Succession Planning Sub Committee, along with being a Board director on the Association’s subsidiary, Kingdom Initiatives. Freya is also director of housing consultancy firm North Star Consulting & Research.

Charles will remain on the Board of Kingdom and will become chairperson of the Association’s second subsidiary, Kingdom Support & Care CIC, which will be operational from April 2017.

In addition to the appointment of the new chairperson, Kingdom welcomed three new Board members following the AGM including Iain Connelly, a retired architect and former president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).

 

Forres pool set to reopen after £1m investment

Final preparations are being made for the reopening of Forres swimming pool after a £1.1million upgrade.

The facility has undergone a major overhaul by Moray Council during the past six months and is set to reopen on October 24.

The work at the Forres pool is the most extensive since it first opened more than 40 years ago and has seen the replacement of most of the main plant and equipment, including the boilers.

Energy saving systems have been installed, including a heat recovery unit interfaced with solar panels linked to the council’s building energy management system.

The fabric of the building has been upgraded with a new insulated roof, insulated walls and new high performance doors and windows.

A more efficient pool filtration system has also been installed, resulting in significant energy saving.

 

East Lothian renewables firm shortlisted for innovation award

East Lothian-based renewables company Sunamp has been shortlisted for an accolade at an industry awards ceremony in London.

The firm is one of five companies nominated for the Innovation Leading New Markets category in Innovate UK’s Small Business innovation awards at the UK Parliament.

Founded by Andrew Bissell in 2005, Sunamp designs and produces heat batteries which store energy as heat when it is available and release it when it is required.

The Innovate UK awards will be presented by universities and science minister Jo Johnson MP, and Ms McKernan in the House of Commons on October 25.

The event aims to recognise examples of innovation excellence among the projects funded by Innovate UK.