Building Briefs - December 8th

• City streetscape works completed in Inverness

The project, which involved work on Castle Wynd itself as well as the two sets of steps leading to the castle from the River Ness and from Castle Wynd, was funded by the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal which is a joint initiative supported by up to £315 million investment from the UK and Scottish governments, the Highland Council, HIE and University of the Highland and Islands, aimed at stimulating sustainable regional economic growth. 

The streetscape works have included the partial reconstruction of the existing road using natural stone sett paving, Caithness flag stone and granite kerbing.  The steps to the Castle have been replaced with granite step units on one side and a ramp on the other to make this area more accessible.

The Castle steps down to Castle Road have had new granite step units installed, the landing areas have been paved with Caithness flag stone and new handrails have also been installed.

The work was carried out by Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd.

• NHS Lanarkshire to consider preferred site option for new University Hospital Monklands

The Board of NHS Lanarkshire will meet on Wednesday, 16 December to consider a preferred option for the site of the new University Hospital Monklands.

The three site options for the Monklands Replacement Project (MRP) are Gartcosh, Glenmavis and Wester Moffat.

Any recommendation on a preferred site will be put forward to the cabinet secretary for health and sport, Jeane Freeman, who will make a final decision.

Neena Mahal, chair of the board of NHS Lanarkshire, said: “We would like to thank the public and our staff for their participation during the extensive engagement process on the Monklands Replacement Project.

“The community’s valuable feedback on the three site options will be among a set of detailed information that will be fully considered by the board in determining its recommendation for a preferred site.”

• New Osprey home gives young family a fresh start

Osprey Housing has recently completed and handed over the keys for six eagerly anticipated new build houses in the village of Sauchen in rural Aberdeenshire.

And for one family in particular this marked the chance to make the new start they so badly needed.

After Lisa Humphrey and three-year-old son Johny gratefully moved into their new two-bed house, she felt compelled to put her feelings in writing.

Lisa added that she and Johny, who is attending a local nursery, could not wait for the first proper cold snap of winter so they could explore the nearby hills covered in snow.

The £737,000 Sauchen development at The Brambles comprises three two-bedroom and three three-bedroom terrace houses.

They form part of Osprey Housing’s growing portfolio of homes in rural locations, and with developments also completed or on site in Kincardine O’Neil, St Cyrus, and Marykirk.

Together they add 25 new high-quality social rented homes across rural Aberdeenshire and represent a £2.97 million investment, supported by £1.9m of Scottish Government grant.

• Caring Turners Services staff dig deep to provide gifts for Govan children

Kind-hearted staff at a Glasgow housing association repairs contractor have dug deep to buy gifts to make Christmas morning magical for lots of less fortunate youngsters across Govan.

It’s the third year running that staff from Turner Services, which is Elderpark Housing’s repairs contractor, have done their bit to support Glasgow’s Spirit of Christmas appeal.

Now in its seventh year, the Spirit of Christmas drive supports children affected by hardship or living in poverty and helps communities across Glasgow and surrounding areas.

Organisations backing the charity drive get to choose where their gifts go and this year Turners picked the work done by Glasgow’s hard-working social work teams in Govan.

They are able, through, their vital work to identify youngsters affected by poverty or who are less fortunate than others and in need of a Christmas present.

The drive to gather in gifts by Glasgow’s Spirit of Christmas has really taken off on social media with many people pledging their support.

Turners staff collected 45 gifts and stored them at the firm’s offices in Craigton Road, Govan before they were handed over.

The process worked by staff choosing a gift tag in a draw which identified what age they should buy a present for and whether it is a boy or girl. No limit was set on how much could be spent.