Building Briefs – July 29th

St Enoch subway entranceSt Enoch Subway entrance open to public after £5.3m modernisation

The new entrance to the St Enoch Subway Station has been fully unveiled to the public after a multi-million pound renovation by Graham Construction.

Work began on the new eye-catching entrance canopies for the city centre subway station back in February 2014, costing £5.3 million.

Monday saw the last of the boarding removed around the new glass canopy at the Argyle Street entrance, with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) hoping the design will become a talking point with both visitors and regular subway users.



The major makeover to the flagship city centre station is part of a £288m modernisation programme across the Glasgow Subway network.

St Enoch’s, one of the biggest and busiest of Glasgow’s 15 subway stations, serves almost two million passengers per year.

 

Rolls-Royce to invest up to £60m in Inchinnan



Rolls-Royce has announced plans to invest up to £60 million in its facility in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, creating a new Centre of Competence (CoC) for the manufacture of aerofoils and a new location for the manufacture of mainline engine shafts.

The new CoC will manufacture an extensive range of aerofoils, including turbine and compressor components, for Rolls-Royce engines that are no longer in high volume production, such as the Adour and BR715. This requires a flexible workforce with a high degree of specialist knowledge.

The new location for the manufacture of mainline shafts will produce components that sit in the core of all Rolls-Royce aero engines.

 



Plans for new Dundee restaurant and bar

Plans have been lodged for a new restaurant and bar to be built next to a popular Dundee nightclub — bringing 20 full-time jobs to the city.

Blackscroft Properties Ltd is bidding to change the use of a building next to the Reading Rooms to convert it into the food and drink venue.

It would be spread over two floors and would also feature an outside decking area.



The site has been explored for other uses — most recently an application for a children’s nursery was refused by the city council.

The building was originally a church and has been used as offices and warehousing for more than 60 years. If the application is successful the decking where the seating shelter would stand would be raised on columns to allow for a view of the surrounding area.

The application also says the outdoor decking would not conflict with the look of the nightclub next door, which is housed in a B-listed building, also owned by Blackscroft Properties Ltd.

The nightclub’s tenants are also said to be pleased to hear about the new development, believing it’ll help the area.



 

Homeless hostel plan for former Glasgow pub

A Glasgow pub once owned by Celtic legend Billy McNeill could be turned into a homeless hostel.

An application to transform McNeill’s into supported accommodation for nine people has been submitted to Glasgow City Council.



The bar in Torrisdale Street opened in 1965 as the Madeira before Lisbon Lion Billy McNeill bought it and renamed it.

The former Celtic captain offloaded the two-storey venue several years ago and has no financial interest in the hostel plan.

The application for planning permission states that the redevelopment will be led by a company known as Dundas Heritable Ltd.

It is understood the applicant had wanted to turn the 335 square metre site into a twelve-bed hostel but that number has since been reduced to nine beds.



A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said the application is expected to be considered by the planning committee in “late summer or early autumn”.

Comments on the planning application must be lodged with the council by 5pm on Monday, August 3.

 

Glentress Forest ‘masterplan’ seeks progress



Councillors in the Borders are being asked to take a development masterplan for one of the region’s key visitor attractions out to consultation.

Glentress Forest near Peebles is considered to be one of the UK’s premier mountain biking venues and gets more than 300,000 visitors a year.

An enhanced visitor centre and potential cabin site are among the masterplan proposals.

Scottish Borders Council will meet to discuss the plans next week.

Councillors are being asked to agree to approve the draft scheme as a basis for a 12-week consultation.

The authority would then receive a further report on that feedback in order to formally agree how to take the project forward.

The “development vision” being put to the council outlines how the site could develop over the next 20 years.

Among the proposals are:

  • the creation of an enhanced recreation centre to support existing developments
  • stand-alone mountain bike skills areas
  • improved roads giving priority to pedestrians and cyclists
  • at least 300 additional parking spaces
  • approximately 65 cabins providing accommodation.
  • Once the plan has gone out to consultation it will be brought back to the planning and building standards committee to seek final approval.

     

    Work starts on 96-turbine Kilgallioch wind farm

    Construction work has begun on a 96-turbine wind farm straddling the border of South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

    ScottishPower Renewables said the Kilgallioch scheme would be the third largest onshore wind farm in the UK.

    Once fully operational in 2017 it will provide enough energy to meet the needs of about 130,000 homes.

    The firm said it would also provide a fund of £30m to the local community over its 25-year lifespan.

     

    Plans for major solar farm put to Angus Council

    Plans are in the offing for the largest commercial solar farm in Scotland — the size of 80 football pitches.

    Green Energy UK Direct Ltd has approached Angus Council over the prospect of building a 162-acre, 30MW development at the village of Lundie.

    It will dwarf the largest commercial solar farm in Scotland, at New Mains of Guynd in Carmyllie, which started construction this year.

    The site, part of the 1,000-acre Lundie Farm, is near a Scheduled Monument but the developer believes it will not have any substantial impact on the landscape.

    Nonetheless, the council will be consulted on whether a full environmental impact assessment will be needed before work proceeds.

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