Building Briefs – September 21st

Consecutive RoSPA President’s Award for Clark Contracts

Clark Contracts has been named as a winner at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Health and Safety Awards 2017.

To achieve the President’s Award, Clark Contracts has been presented with 11 consecutive Gold Awards by demonstrating excellent occupational health and safety management systems, a rigorous approach to occupational health, a continued high level of performance and compliance with control measures.

Through the RoSPA Awards scheme, which is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas, judges consider entrants’ overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. The awards are now in its 61st year.

The award was presented to Gordon MacKenzie, health safety environment and quality manager, by Errol Taylor, chief executive of RoSPA, at the awards ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow on September 14.

Fife Local Development Plan adopted

Fife Council adopted the region’s Local Development Plan FIFEplan today after two modifications requested by Scottish Ministers were made to the plan.

Councillor Altany Craik, convener of the economy, tourism, strategic planning & transportation committee, said: “This is the last step in producing Fife’s first Local Development Plan and I acknowledge the involvement of all those who took part in its preparation, particularly the communities and individuals who got involved.”

The adopted FIFEplan, now forms part of Fife’s Development Plan.

Bill Lindsay, development plan service manager, said: “The plan sets out the planning policies and proposals for the development and use of land across the Kingdom. Our focus now moves to working with the development sector, communities and other stakeholders to deliver the plan’s proposals for strategic development, supporting new housing development and the infrastructure for growth.”

New affordable homes delivered in the heart of Partick

Partick Housing Association has started work on its latest project to provide much needed affordable homes in the heart of Partick, by transforming the site of the former St Peter’s Primary School.

Glasgow City Council, from whom Partick Housing Association acquired the site, contributed over £5 million towards the £10.5m project.

Designed by Collective Architecture, the development will include a mixture of new build and retention of part of the old school building. Central Building Contractors (CBC) have been appointed as the main contractor.

(Full story… )

Million pound market curtailed by new property tax, putting Scotland at a disadvantage, says Savills

Punitive rates of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) are curtailing the million pound market in Scotland, according to latest research from Savills.

However, the new analysis reveals this market is now less concentrated in Edinburgh and the Aberdeen area, with more activity spreading out to the west and other regional locations. While Edinburgh remains the hub of the million pound market, the Capital has seen a drop in transactions at this level, with 33 such sales recorded in the first six months of 2017 compared to 45 last year.

In addition, at the height of Aberdeen’s oil-dependent residential market, the area generated the second highest level of transactions after Edinburgh. However, there were only five million pound transactions during the year ending June 2017, including just one in 2017, in a period characterised by uncertainty in the energy sector.

Meanwhile, there has been a spreading out of transactions to other locations. Greater Glasgow’s million pound market has had a stronger 12 months, with 28 annual transactions taking place during the year ending June 2017 compared to 20 during the year ending June 2016. The West End, Park, Pollokshields and Bearsden were the stand out locations.

Other headliners include the buoyant East Lothian market, which saw eight annual transactions and also Perthshire where the Tower of Lethendy, on the market for £4.6 million, achieved the highest residential transactions price in Scotland since 2007. In addition, Brackenbrae House in Broughty Ferry became Dundee’s first ever million pound transaction earlier this year.

New GHA homes are helping bring families closer together

New GHA homes in the south of Glasgow are providing modern spacious places to live – and bringing families closer together at the same time.

Tenants who have just moved into the 47 new energy-efficient flats in Pollokshaws Road say they are already saving on their fuel bills – and being able to sit round the kitchen table brings them closer together.

The Pollokshaws area has been earmarked as a priority for regeneration by Transforming Communities: Glasgow (TC:G) a strategic partnership between the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and GHA.

The £4.6 million development in Pollokshaws Road – which included a Scottish Government grant of £2.15m – was built by contractors McTaggart Construction.

(Full story… )

AWPR - new signal layout on B979 Stonehaven

Contractors are planning to reconfigure the temporary traffic signals on the B979 Netherley Road at Stonehaven on September 25 to enable three way traffic signals to operate for around ten weeks, as part of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project.

The new layout of the temporary traffic signals will control traffic travelling on the A90 northbound exit slip at Stonehaven and traffic travelling in both directions on the B979 Netherley Road between New Mains of Ury and immediately north of the B979 junction at Glenury Road. The new A90 southbound merge slip road will remain open.

These changes to the temporary traffic signals will restrict that section of the B979 to one lane and allow the contractor to construct the northbound section of the new dual carriageway on the B979 Netherley Road. When operational, these additional lanes will help to link the B979 Netherley Road to the AWPR and the existing A90 road via a new roundabout, which is also currently under construction.

48 new homes underway in Possilpark

Hawthorn Housing Co-operative and McTaggart Construction have officially broken ground on their project to build 48 new homes in Possilpark.

The development was part funded by Glasgow City Council.

The former mixed industrial and residential site will provide the location for the first new homes that Hawthorn have built in 13 years. The houses have been designed following the principles of Housing for Varying Needs, with all units meeting the HfVN requirements for houses and flats.

Additionally, four homes are designed to meet the requirements for wheelchair standard. Two of these properties have been designed specifically for tenants needs. The development will provide affordable homes for up to 190 people.

McTaggart Construction, along with its design team of Anderson Bell Christie and Scott Bennett Associates, were appointed following a competitive tender exercise which took community benefit into account.

(Full story… )

Developer pledges to restore fire-ravaged Fife mansion house

Byzantian Developments has stepped in to save the ruins of Leslie House in Fife.

Once home to the Earl of Rothes, the 18th century mansion house was ravaged by fire in 2009 and the cost of bringing it back into use has been estimated at £5 million.

A newly-formed company, which is understood to be linked to the renovation of Station Court in Kirkcaldy, hopes to submit a planning application in a matter of weeks for the site in west Glenrothes.

Albyn Housing Society AGM celebrates new build progress across the Highlands

Albyn Housing Society’s ambitious plans to build 750 new affordable homes across the region by 2020 have made a concrete start according to its recent AGM report which recorded 130 completions across nine Highland communities during the past financial year.

Announced in April, the new build programme comprising homes for social rent, shared-equity purchase and mid-market rent (via its new subsidiary Highland Residential (Inverness) Ltd), has so far been supported by almost £11m in Scottish Government grant funding as well as £6m of £30m private placement funding secured by the Society earlier this year.

(Full story… )

Multiplex scoops RoSPA Health and Safety accolade

Multiplex has won an accolade at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Health and Safety Awards in Glasgow.

The contractor was named as the Scotland Trophy winner in recognition of its safety efforts on the new £150 million Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh.

The development, which is being built on the site of an existing hospital in Edinburgh, was also commended in the Construction Commercial Industry Sector of the awards scheme.

Midlothian Council reaches house building milestone

Midlothian Council is celebrating a milestone in its affordable housing programme by completing its 1000th new house.

A total of 1,020 new council homes have now been delivered in Midlothian since the council embarked on its new build housing programme in 2006. The total number of new homes and subsidised housing options provided by the council, Registered Social Landlords and the Scottish Government now stands at 2,488 since 2006.

Midlothian is one of only three councils to have increased their stock over the last 10 years.

As with all the new council houses in Midlothian, the 1,000th home, which is at Robert Franks Avenue in Gorebridge, has been designed to look appealing and also practical for modern day living with fitted wardrobes, high levels of insulation and generous garden sizes.

Midlothian Council is committed to further investment in up to 1000 more new council homes in towns and villages across Midlothian as it continues with its second phase of new housing development.

(Full story… )

Work starts on £4.2m Angus viaduct refurb

Work has started on a £4.2 million viaduct refurbishment project in Angus.

The scheme is being carried out on the South Esk viaduct at Montrose and completion is scheduled for summer 2018.

The 440 metre, grade B listed structure will be grit blasted, cleaned, repaired and repainted section by section over a 16-month period.

The project is being carried out by Network Rail is partnership with specialist contractor Taziker Industrial. A bespoke scaffold system and walkway is now in place to allow workers to access the structure and deliver the work safely.

Over 200 empty homes restored in Stirling

Over 200 empty homes across the Stirling Council area have been brought back into use since April 2013, equating to a massive £2.6 million generated in the region.

On average, every empty home that becomes populated brings about £13,000 from workers contributing to tax revenue and increasing the total amount spent within the economy.

According to the council, owning an empty home normally costs the property owner around £7,000 per year. These costs include council tax payments, lost potential rental income, insurance, and general maintenance.

(Full story… )

Derelict industrial buildings to be demolished in Greenock

Work is to start on a demolition project in Greenock.

Derelict industrial buildings at the east end of Drumfrochar Road are to be cleared to allow the nearby sharp corner with Baker Street to be removed.

The works are part of a £3 million road realignment scheme being delivered by regeneration company Riverside Inverclyde, which will include lowering kerbs, landscaping and improving sightlines. The project includes £300,000 contribution from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT). In addition, a £1.8m community enterprise hub for SME enterprises, micro businesses and business start-ups is also proposed for Baker Street.

To carry out the project safely, Baker Street from the junction with Scott Street to the junction with Drumfrochar Road, and Drumfrochar Road from the junction with Lynedoch Street to the junction with Baker Street, will close at 10pm on 21 September. Diversions will be in place.

Empty homes scheme tackling North Lanarkshire housing shortage

A scheme to tackle the scourge of empty homes across North Lanarkshire is continuing to go from strength to strength.

North Lanarkshire Council has now brought 88 such properties back into use for council tenants to rent in towns and villages across the authority area.

Over £5 million has been spent since the scheme was started in 2013. The scheme involves the council buying long term privately owned empty houses and flats, refurbishing them and renting them out to tenants.

The homes are identified in areas where the council has a need for additional housing or where the purchase of a property will enable the council to take complete ownership of blocks of flats making communal repairs much easier to complete.

(Full story… )