Building Briefs - December 2nd

  • Gannochy Trust wins at Glasgow Institute of Architecture Awards

A new intergenerational neighbourhood in Perth designed by Glasgow architecture firm Anderson Bell + Christie for the Gannochy Trust, has won the Large Residential category and a sustainability accolade at the Glasgow Institute of Architects Awards 2020, which took place at a virtual ceremony on Friday November 27.

Building Briefs - December 2nd

The new 48-home development has been designed to integrate with the Trust’s neighbouring model village development, which was constructed by former Scotch whisky entrepreneur and philanthropist Arthur Kinmond (A K) Bell back the 1920s.



Not only is the new neighbourhood well integrated in terms of building proportions, scale and layout, but careful consideration of the existing tenant group means the new housing will accommodate their future needs as they age, and will also attract younger families and accommodate carers to create an inclusive and resilient community.

The new development is underpinned by three core design principles; ‘Healthy Homes for Life,’ ‘Lifetime Neighbourhoods’ and ‘High Quality Design’ which aim to improve health, accessibility and connectedness for tenants, with the flexibility to adapt to their needs as circumstances change.

These guiding principles will help the Trust provide affordable rented accommodation to a wide range of people, from small families to single people of all ages, including those who need additional support to live in their own home.

The Gannochy Trust Lifetime Neighbourhood was built by Campion Homes and designed by Glasgow architectural firm Anderson Bell + Christie.



‘Healthy Homes for Life,’ and ‘High Quality Design’ elements also received design input from the Mackintosh Environmental Architecture Research Unit at Glasgow School of Art with support from the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre.

Others involved in the project include Perth and Kinross Council, Brownriggs Quantity Surveying and Construction Consultancy, G3 Consulting Engineers, Mike Hyatt Landscape Architects, Hawthorne Boyle Ltd and Sentinel Clerk of Works.

 

  • Illuminated sign set for Dundee’s Caird Hall

A new high profile illuminated sign for the Caird Hall in Dundee could be fitted early next year if councillors back the move next week.



The city development committee will consider tenders worth a total of £140,500 for the half meter tall sign on the south facing wall of the building as well as two digital advertising boards at the venue and another at the McManus.

If the tenders are approved the Caird Hall sign will be erected by the construction services division of Dundee City Council while the digital advertising boards will be installed by Efficient Infrastructure.

Both contracts are expected to be started early next year and completed by spring.

The city development committee meets on December 7.



 

  • Cash boost for South Lanarkshire town centre projects

Town centres across South Lanarkshire are to benefit from an investment of more than £5m.

The money is coming from the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Capital Grants Fund and Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, as well as South Lanarkshire Council’s Capital Programme.

New projects recently agreed by members of South Lanarkshire Council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee include £250,000 for The New Cross (Hamilton Hub) project, which aims to re-purpose part of the 1970s shopping mall which has recently returned to council control.

It will become a community/business/enterprise hub which will include office space, private and shared facilities for businesses, a community café, youth activities and business start-up space. 

Another new project is in East Kilbride, with two main strands to the £376,000 project. In the first instance the funding will support the masterplanning and re-provision of Civic Centre facilities.

The second element very closely mirrors the Hamilton Hub proposals, providing community/business/enterprise business space alongside other public and voluntary sector partners. 

 

  • New affordable homes available across East Lothian

Affordable homes including new council houses, have been delivered across East Lothian this year.



Building Briefs - December 2nd

Despite the closure of construction sites for a significant part of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, East Lothian Council has continued to work with developers to ensure as many new affordable homes as possible are made available this year across the county.

The council has recently taken ownership of 25 council houses, two of which were built to be wheelchair-accessible, at one of the largest new developments in East Lothian, at Letham Mains, Haddington.

As well as these 25 houses, the council is expecting another 12 new council houses to be handed over on the same site before the end of the year. We have also taken ownership of a further 19 new council homes for rent across the county since September; seven new homes at Home Avenue, Dunbar and 12 new homes at Pinkie, Musselburgh.



Hart Builders was responsible for construction of the new council houses on the Letham Mains site.

Further good news for 2020 includes six homes handed over to East Lothian Housing Association (ELHA) at Dovecot, Haddington and 30 new homes handed over at Limeylands Ormiston, also to ELHA for social rent.

In addition 12 new extra-care council houses at Elder Street, Tranent will be handed over to the East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership.

Touchstone, part of Castle Rock Edinvar, has taken ownership of four, three-bed homes for mid-market rent in Gullane.



Early in the new year, it is anticipated that six houses for veterans will be handed over at Osborne Terrace, Cockenzie. Tenancies for these will be arranged via Veterans Housing Scotland.

 

  • Work to begin on 349 new council homes in West Lothian

West Lothian Council’s ten-year pledge to facilitate the delivery of 3000 new affordable homes across the region will see work begin shortly on another project.



A report at a recent meeting of council executive detailed various initiatives to increase the supply of housing locally in relation to the council’s affordable housing programme.

Since the start of 2012/13, 2190 affordable homes have been delivered and a further 290 are currently under construction across sites in Livingston, Bathgate and Armadale.

Three of the sites are part of the council’s new-build programme with the remaining six being developed by registered social landlords.

Another 349 units are planned for site start during 2020/21 including council sites at Wellhead Farm, Murieston and Mossend, West Calder amongst numerous sites from Registered Social Landlords (RSLs).

Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the overall programme is projected to complete 94 per cent of the target 3000 units by March 2022, with the remaining six per cent complete by late summer 2023.

 

  • Glen Homes granted retrospective planning permission for Muir of Ord homes

The Highland Council has given Glen Homes (Scotland) Ltd retrospective planning permission for eight new homes at The Maltings in Muir of Ord.

The permission comes despite objections from neighbours over the height of the buildings, with many saying they were too tall.

The proposal has been amended by the developers from the original three blocks of flats.

The council’s planning chiefs had recommended approval provided Glen Homes puts in place a number of mitigating measures because the new buildings would be close to existing homes.

Planning officer Julie Ferguson told members of the council’s North Planning Applications Committee it was one of the last areas of The Maltings to be completed and the development totalled more than 100 houses.

One of the measures she had recommended was replacing the fence of a neighbouring property with a taller one because the windows of one of the new homes, which were already under construction, overlooking the garden.

She said the owners of the existing property, which they only bought two years ago, had found the prospect upsetting and they had also lost their view because the new buildings were in the way. She added: “This may have an impact on the amenity but it’s not considered significant.”

Ms Ferguson said there had been seven representations from neighbours who had also complained that the buildings were too high, The Ross-shire Journal reports.

 

  • Abertay Historical Society to discuss Logie housing scheme in live event

A free online talk organised by the Abertay Historical Society on Scotland’s first council housing scheme at Logie in Dundee has been made available to view with a live Q&A scheduled for next week.

Building Briefs - December 2nd

A housing revolution in Scotland and the rest of the UK was sparked when the first tenants moved into the homes in May 1920. The new houses were intended to improve lives and give ‘homes to heroes’ but embarking on a massive building project just after a major war was by no means a straightforward affair.

The live event offers a chance to find out about the ups and downs of the building process, who those first tenants were, and why Dundee was ahead of the game.

Sarah Aitken has been records manager and assistant archivist at Dundee City Archives for four years. She previously worked at the University of Strathclyde and Gloucestershire Archives.

Her talk, which was hosted by the Abertay Historical Society as part of the events programme for Dundee’s West End Christmas Fortnight, can be viewed below.

A Zoom link for the live Q&A on December 9 will be sent to everyone who has booked via this link.

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