Building Briefs - June 18th

• Councillors approve 25-year Vinery lease with Aberdeen Foyer

The decision by Aberdeenshire Council’s Banff and Buchan area committee follows a public consultation which was largely supportive of the plans.

A formal application will now be made to the Sheriff to grant a Common Good Order for disposal of the land.

Following a highly competitive process, Aberdeenshire Council received £663,768 in a second stage funding application to the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund for the continued development of the GrowBanff@TheVinery project.

Originally constructed in the Duff House estate to grow grapes, the Vinery building was a gift to the town along with the gardens it sits in by the Duff family.

The Vinery project was also awarded £200,131 through Aberdeenshire Council’s allocation of the Scottish Government Town Centre Fund to undertake Stage 1 of the refurbishment of the site which has included repairs to part of the Bothy structure.

That work is currently being carried out by local contractor Ken Barbour Ltd and is expected to last 48 weeks, with an estimated completion date of March 2022.

• Clackmannanshire’s transformation programme gathers pace

Clackmannanshire Council’s Be the Future transformation programme is moving on to the next phase with the development of innovative “Transformation Zones” across Clackmannanshire.

Over the past two years, the council has been working at pace on the strategic roadmap for the Be the Future programme and at a council meeting next week, councillors will hear about the progress that has been made and what this means for Clackmannanshire and its communities. 

Councillors will hear that the first of the new Transformation Zones would be in Alloa and would encompass a number of place-based and innovation opportunities through the new Well-being Campus developments; investment in the Council’s  Learning Estate; the City Region Deal investments and ongoing asset management including use of vacant and derelict land to benefit residents and communities and capitalising on the Council’s strategic partnerships.

The Transformation zone model would then move out from Alloa to other zones across Clackmannanshire and would be aligned to the investment in the council’s capital plan and wider budget strategy.

There would also be the opportunity to access additional investment from the Place-based Investment Programme, the UK Government’s Levelling-Up Fund and other major investment programmes.

Work is already underway with the Scottish Futures Trust to develop proposals which would lead to a “rapid scoping assessment” that would create a development framework for the transformation zones in consultation with our citizens, communities and businesses.

• Green light for Merchant City hostel

Glasgow City Council has granted planning permission to Metro Inns for the conversion of offices at 62 Virginia Street into a backpackers’ hostel.

Around one third of the rooms will be ensuite, and communal showers and toilet rooms will be provided.