Building Briefs - October 1st

• Closing date set for the sale of Craigholme School in Glasgow

The famous former school lies in a tree-lined location in the residential area of Pollokshields in Glasgow’s south side. The development opportunity includes three handsome period sandstone villas and two extended semi-detached houses within a 1.6-acre site, just over two miles from the city centre.

• Borders councillors to discuss funding bid for new secondary schools

Scottish Borders Council’s executive committee will next week be asked to endorse a submission to the Scottish Government seeking funding support for its secondary school estate.

The proposal would replace Galashiels Academy and redevelop the Peebles High School site following the devastating fire in November 2019.

The executive report estimates the replacement of Galashiels Academy will cost £55.5 million based on the current plans, and will be completed in 2025.

The development of the Peebles High site aims to be completed in 2025, with an overall cost of £40m.

The report also informs the executive committee that a progress update is being submitted to the Scottish Government on plans to redevelop Hawick High, which if all projects are accepted by the government, would be created in the next financial year after Galashiels Academy and Peebles High. Hawick will cost £48.4m and is currently expected to open in 2026/27.

The report responds to Scottish Government’s request for an update to be submitted by councils later this month, as part of the national Learning Estate Improvement Programme (LEIP) which delivers assistance to a local authority with the running costs of a newly built school.

In November 2018, the council agreed its priorities for further investment in the secondary school estate based on the condition of the current buildings.

In February 2020, adjustments to the capital investment strategy were approved which progressed the replacement of Galashiels Academy and accelerated the development of Peebles High school following the fire, with the plans for Hawick High continuing to be progressed in line with the estimated timescales set out in the November 2018 report.

The update to the Scottish Government will provide estimated costs, timescales and demonstrate how each project would match the LEIP’s objectives.

Selkirk High is also in line to see re-development of its estate, and while these plans are not as advanced as the three other secondary schools, investment is currently being made in creating improved spaces for studying.

• Gordons Construction Equipment appointed as Mecalac dealer for Central and Southern Scotland

Mecalac Construction Equipment UK has appointed Gordons Construction Equipment to its national dealer network.

The Castle Douglas-headquartered firm will retail Mecalac’s latest models from its head office and five depots across Wigtownshire, Dumfries, Strathaven, Berryhill and Carlisle (based at Rickerby Ltd).

Founded in 1865, James Gordon Ltd, or ‘Gordons’, distributes agricultural and construction machinery in South West Scotland. Specialists in new and used equipment, the dealer also supplies parts, servicing and support. Factory-trained engineers lead its comprehensive after-sales care programmes, which includes an on-site service network.

• Angus stone firm building on £1m foundations

A series of contract wins worth more than £ 1 million has underpinned the success of an Angus specialist stone firm.

Denfind Stone will supply material from its Pitairlie Quarry near Monikie to flood protection schemes at Broughty Ferry and Hawick, following the firm’s involvement in the Stonehaven flood protection scheme.

The firm has also been appointed to supply paving stones for the Inverkeithing town centre regeneration project.

Defined Stone is also working in collaboration with Dundee University on the development of a new cladding system which can be rapidly installed on site.

• JR Group offers warm welcome home to social housing residents with gift box

The JR Group, which has worked alongside Link Group to deliver high quality social housing across Scotland for more than five years, has created an initiative that gives every new resident a welcome gift box in an effort to make moving day a little smoother.

Each JR Group Welcome Home gift box will include a selection of mugs, water bottles, dishcloths and biscuits – everything needed to help moving day feel a little less stressful.

JR Group will gift these boxes to all social housing partnerships it is working with moving forward.

The considerate team saw a disparity in this gesture between private housing and social housing and wanted to play their part in filling this gap and helping to make all residents feel special during one of life’s milestones.

A total of 140 welcome boxes will be delivered to new residents immediately and, with seven further projects in the pipeline, this number is expected to exceed more than 1,000.

• Big-hearted Barratt gifts showhome furniture to mental health charity

Barratt Homes West Scotland has donated all the furniture from two of its show homes to mental health charity Chris’s House.

Luxury items from the award-winning Chelsea MacLaine interior designers, which were in Barratt’s show homes at its Riverside and Weirs Wynd developments, have been gifted to the charity. The generous donation is the second time in six months that the housebuilder has shown its support to the Wishaw-based charity. In February this year, Barratt West Scotland gifted more than £115,000 to help support people in crisis in the west of Scotland.

Barratt’s Riverside development – on Glasgow’s southside – was recently shortlisted for ‘Medium Development of the Year’ by Homes for Scotland and the show home furniture, and that from Weirs Wynd in Brookfield.

The package includes beds, sofas, side tables, dining tables and chairs, and smaller items such as lamps and accessories. The donations have been made to Chris’s House premises in Wishaw and will be used to help style a new facility that is close to opening.

Chris’s House – which stands for Centre of Help, Response and Intervention Surrounding Suicide – was set up by Anne Rowan following the tragic loss of her son.

It is the first 24-hour, non-medical crisis centre in Scotland and offers integrated support and a safe environment to those in crisis. More than 40 volunteers help run Chris’s House and many were in attendance during the charity evening.