Building Briefs – February 17th

• Stirling’s Killearn Hotel to be replaced by flats

Under the plans by Mosaic Architecture + Design, it is proposed to move the building line and introduce a new section of pavement on Balfron Road to improve traffic flow while replicating the overall form of the current hotel, including its distinctive twin gable façade while rear elevations are given a more contemporary feel.

• Edinburgh hotel plans £1.5m expansion

Edinburgh’s Cumberland Hotel has purchased a neighbouring Victorian Listed building as part of a £1.1 million extension and a £400k refurbishment programme.

The owners of the Cumberland Hotel have added 14 ensuite bedrooms, added a beer garden and increased their parking to accommodate 25 cars.

• More new council homes completed in Stanley

A new £1.4 million council house development has been completed on behalf of Perth & Kinross Council in Stanley.

The ten homes, built in partnership with Muir Homes at Clunie Way, comprise of four three-bedroom houses and six two-bedroom homes. Each with double glazed door and windows, with solar PV roof panels to help reduce the tenant’s energy bills, as well as the carbon footprint of the development.

The new homes were funded by the council with support from the Scottish Government.

It is the second phase of new council homes at Clunie Way. The first 10 houses were completed in May 2018.

• Joanna Place named independent non-executive director at Persimmon

Persimmon has appointed Joanna Place to its board as an independent non-executive director with effect from 1 April 2020.

Joanna will also join the company’s remuneration and nomination committees on the same date. She will also chair the corporate responsibility committee.

Since July 2017 Jo has been the chief operating officer of the Bank of England with responsibility for the day to day management of the Bank including finance, technology, information and physical security, human resources, property, and procurement.

Jo has over 30 years of experience at the Bank of England, including leading teams in banking, statistics and regulation. Before her appointment as COO she was the Bank’s HR director for three years.

Roger Devlin, chairman of Persimmon, said: “Jo is an outstanding talent and Persimmon will benefit from the great breadth of her management experience, in human resources in particular, in the course of her 30-year executive career at the Bank of England.

“Her knowledge and insights will be invaluable to the business as we continue to implement our programme of progressive change. I am pleased to welcome Jo to the board.”

• CABLEtalk goes green ahead of COP26 in Glasgow

Ahead of this year’s UN climate change summit in Glasgow, SELECT is issuing a green energy edition of its trade magazine which explores how renewables are re-shaping the future of the electrical industry.

The theme of the upcoming CABLEtalk, which has just arrived with members, is “The Future is Electric”. With 28 pages of in-depth reports, the magazine has switched to a one-off green cover as it focuses on the continuing impact of electric vehicles (EVs), hydro, solar and wind power on Scotland’s electrotechnical industry.

Instead of the traditional polythene bag, the magazine comes in an envelope made from recyclable material.