Building Briefs – August 14th

New state-of-the-art amenity flats and a day care and resource centre in Largs were officially opened this week by Provost Joan Sturgeon.

The modern facilities - located on the site of the former Stevenson Institute - were created as part of a pioneering initiative between North Ayrshire Council’s Housing Services and the North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership.

The new development includes the construction of the £1.3 million Stevenson Court housing development comprising 11 two-bedroom amenity flats.

These flats have been specifically designed for older people and include features such as level access showers, accessible sockets and switches, and a communal lift to help tenants remain independent.

To ensure the new development complements the local surroundings, the stone bell tower from the original Stevenson Institute has been restored and incorporated into the unique entrance feature of the flats.

Opportunity to meet the A96 Nairn Bypass design team

Locals are to get a chance to meet the design team behind the Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) route.

Two “Meet the team” events are being held later this month in Culloden and Nairn when representatives from Transport Scotland’s A96 Dualling team and their design consultants, including the Stakeholder Co-ordinator, will be available to answer questions on the design and assessment work being carried out on the preferred option for the scheme which was announced last October.

The events are on Wednesday 26 August 2015 – 12 noon – 7 pm –The Barn Church, Culloden House Avenue, Culloden, Inverness IV2 7AB and ‪Thursday 27 August 2015 – 12 noon – 7 pm – Nairn Community and Arts Centre, King Street, Nairn IV12 4BQ.

Demolition of historic royal station hit by blaze will cost £150,000

The ruins of a historic royal railway station hit by a devastating blaze will cost £150,000 to demolish.

Ballater’s Old Royal Station was gutted by the fire, which began in the early hours of May 12 and left three quarters of the building in ashes.

A restaurant, clothing shop, photographer’s studio and a VisitScotland visitor centre were all destroyed.

Aberdeenshire Council has pledged to restore the building but most of the old station must demolished before work can begin. The oldest part of the site, built between 1866 and 1886, will be partly preserved.

In a report to councillors, council engineers reported: “The cost of works associated with initial clearing of debris, removal of remaining platform canopy and erection of temporary enclosure to protect remaining historic element of station is £150,800.

“The cost of this element of the works will be met in full by the council’s insurers.”

Moray housing pilot planned to deal with condensation

A pilot scheme is to be carried out in a bid to deal more effectively with condensation in council houses in Moray.

Councillors are being asked to agree to a programme of works in specific house types to develop a model specification for dealing with condensation and damp.

The main control property will be a standard cavity-walled house with full gas heating, adequate levels of insulation, double glazed windows and mechanical ventilation, although other house types will also feature in the pilot.

Moray Council’s communities committee will be told that staff from the housing and property section have been looking at how the impact of condensation and damp can be reduced in the council’s housing stock.

A report to the committee says that property design – in conjunction with improved doors, windows, heating and insulation – has resulted in homes being more energy efficient but also more airtight.

Sigma Capital completes £20m share placing to build PRS portfolio

Urban regeneration specialist Sigma Capital has raised £20 million through a share placing to build its own portfolio in the private rented sector (PRS).

The initiative follows the Edinburgh-based firm’s existing PRS joint venture agreements with Gatehouse Bank and Grainger.

The fund will initially focus on the development of family homes across up to eight sites, with the first sites to be delivered in the Greater Manchester and Liverpool regions.

The commencement of construction is targeted for early 2016.

Low mortgage rates see home repossessions continue to fall

Low interest rates have kept the number of homes repossessed in the UK falling during the course of the second quarter of the year, new data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has revealed.

The CML said that 2,500 homes were repossessed in April, May and June, down from 3,000 in the previous quarter and down by more than half year-on-year from 5,400.

Some 11.1 million mortgages are outstanding in the UK, with loans worth more than £1.3 trillion.

The CML figures showed that 1,800 homes were repossessed from owner-occupiers, and 700 were seized from landlords in the buy-to-let market in the second quarter of the year.

The number of owners falling into arrears on mortgage repayments had also fallen in the second three months of the year compared with the first quarter, the CML said.

Some 100,700 owner-occupiers, and 5,700 landlords, had arrears of more than 2.5 per cent of the mortgage balance.

Ministry of Justice figures, also published on Thursday, show that the number of homeowners facing court action at the earliest stage of the repossession process fell during the second quarter of the year.

Plans emerge for more Finnieston housing

Rhubarb Blue have submitted an application to demolish a funeral directors on Glasgow’s Minerva Street and build 13 flats together with associated parking beneath a landscaped amenity deck.

Rhubarb Blue was founded by Colin McIntyre, a graduate of the Mackintosh School of Architecture and co-founder of Imagine Developments.