Building Briefs - March 19th

• Union Chain Bridge work hits milestone as Border crossing cut

In 1820, the bridge near Horncliffe united communities on both sides of the border and has been a key crossing and landmark ever since.

In September 2019, plans to fully restore the bridge received £3.14 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This followed an ambitious funding bid put together by Northumberland County Council, Scottish Borders Council, Museums Northumberland and community group Friends of the Union Chain Bridge, after serious concerns about the condition of the world-famous structure.

Both councils committed match funding totalling £5.7m towards the £10.5m scheme, with other fundraising activities continuing to be progressed by the Friends of Union Chain Bridge in support of the project. 

Full restoration of the structure got underway last October and now work is starting on the final stage of its removal – to take down the main chains of the bridge which supported the deck.

The 12 chains, which in total are around 2,000 metres long, will be taken down over the course of six weeks, leaving nothing but the River Tweed separating the two countries.

The painstaking work to refurbish the bridge will then begin as it slowly starts to take shape again. It’s due to re-open early next year.

• Tiree pierhead snagging works

Engineers will be on-site at Tiree Ferry Terminal next week to carry out routine snagging works following completion of the pierhead repairs in December last year.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), which owns the pier, has advised that a team from its contractor George Leslie Ltd will be on-site for five weeks. The minor works include the installation of chains and brackets on the fender piles, levelling the top of the fenders, resetting mooring bollards and general tidying of the works site and surrounding areas. The works will not impact ferry services.

The project to return the old pierhead to operational use for third party vessels was completed last year, and also delivered robust repairs to several areas on the main pier.

• Possilpark site approved for vehicle storage

Permission has been given for a large area of land in north Glasgow to be used for storage of hundreds of vehicles.

Councillors approved the proposal by Allied Vehicles which involves a Glasgow City Council-owned site in Finlas Street, Possilpark. There will be room for around 500 vehicles.

The area will be finished in compacted gravel, with a 2.4-metre-high fence around it plus lighting and security camera columns.

Planning officials, who had recommended approval, stated in their report: “The site has been discounted in the most recent Housing Land Supply Audit (2019), and is not required to maintain a five-year supply of effective housing land in the city.

“The applicant is a successful business in the area, and the proposed development is intended to assist the business in achieving further growth and operational efficiency.”

• Roof repairs planned for Glasgow’s City Halls

Plans have been submitted to re-roof the City Halls in Glasgow’s Candleriggs.

Permission is being sought to carry out the work because the premises is situated in a listed building.

The plans include repairs to roof and stonework of the City Halls and Fruitmarket.

A decision is expected to be made on the plans by May 7.

• Property selling prices rise in Dumfries and Galloway while selling times fall

Between December 2020 and February 2021, the average property selling price in Dumfries and Galloway was £177,319, a 14.9% increase on the same period last year, ESPC reports.

Properties in Kirkcudbright boasted an average property selling price of £207,967, while those in the town of Dumfries achieved an average property selling price of £164,749. Castle Douglas homes had an average selling price of £183,600 during this period.

The number of homes coming to market during this period was down by 5.3%. Property listings also decreased year-on-year in several other parts of Scotland over the past three months.

There could be a number of reasons for this, including the strong start to 2020 in terms of listings, current stay-at-home guidance and impact of homeschooling in recent months.

Dumfries boasted both the greatest volume of property sales and number of listings over the past three months, compared to other towns in the area.

From December 2020 to February 2021, the median time for a property to be placed under offer in Dumfries and Galloway was 36 days, an impressive 21 days faster than the same period last year.

Dumfries properties had a median selling time of 22 day while Castle Douglas properties were placed under offer in a median time of 45 days. Kirkcudbright properties had a median selling time of 85 days.

Over the past three months, houses in the south-west of Scotland achieved 100.6% of Home Report valuation on average compared to 96% last year.

Kirkcudbright properties achieved 101.9% on average while homes in both Castle Douglas and Dumfries attained 100% of the Home Report value on average.

• Mill Burn Flood Alleviation Scheme proposals take shape

Plans for a flood alleviation scheme at Mill Burn, Millport, are taking shape.

Following a successful consultation with the local community earlier last summer, approval was given by North Ayrshire Council’s cabinet to progress the scheme.

Two potential options for the scheme had been drawn up and the engagement exercise indicated a clear preference for the creation of a 494-metre overflow diversion culvert between Golf Road/Kirkton Crescent junction and West Bay via Nether Kirkton Farm.

This would provide protection for up to 124 properties on the island against a one-in-200 years flood event.

The Outline Design and Environmental Screening for the project has now been completed and the Scheme Notification will run from Tuesday, March 23 to Monday, May 3, 2021. Interested parties are invited to review the scheme proposals and provide comment. Scheme documentation can be inspected at the North Ayrshire Council website.

• Galashiels Community Campus consultation launched

An informal community consultation has been launched on plans for a new secondary school in Galashiels.

The consultation provides the opportunity for the community to provide views on five options for the replacement of Galashiels Academy. Following a feasibility study of these five options, Scottish Borders Council has identified a preferred option and is particularly keen to get feedback on this proposal.

The preferred option is for the new 1,000+ pupil school to be largely built within the existing school boundary and a portion of the town’s Scott Park. Following early feedback from the community, the building location has been altered to reduce the impact on the Park.

Demolition of the existing school buildings would allow for extensive landscaping which would actually see the usable Scott Park area expanded and improved upon. This would include the establishment of a community orchard and new pathways for both school and community use.

This initial consultation will be followed by the submission of a pre-application notice towards the end of April for planning purposes before a full planning application is lodged. These latter two steps will include formal consultation with the community on site and building specific matters.

A statutory education consultation, focused on the educational benefits of a new school rather than the site or building itself, will also commence shortly.

The current aim is for the new campus to open in 2025.

• Inverclyde Council announces £61m infrastructure fund as budget agreed

Inverclyde Council has approved its budget for next year with up to 4,000 households set to receive a £100 Council Tax credit this year to support those who fall on the wrong side of other Covid financial support.

The council’s overall budget of £203 million and a three-year capital budget to fund infrastructure costs of nearly £61m was approved at a meeting yesterday.

The council has also put in place an additional £10m in funds to support the community through the pandemic.

A new £4m Covid recovery fund is now in place to support the community and services recover from the effects of the pandemic. The council also confirmed a £6m Covid jobs recovery fund to support increased jobs, training and employability projects across Inverclyde.

• Scottish Government to invest £20m for Gypsy/Traveller accommodation

Up to £20 million will be invested by the Scottish Government to provide more and better accommodation for Gypsy/Traveller communities.

This funding, part of Scotland’s first long-term national housing strategy, will enable local authorities to improve existing sites and expand provision over the next five years. This builds on £2m allocated to site improvement in 2020-21.

It comes as the timeline to complete the range of actions from the Gypsy/Traveller Action Plan has been extended by 18 months, due to the impact of coronavirus restrictions. This includes continuing work to improve access to public services such as health and education, better engage with member of the Gypsy and Traveller community and tackle negative attitudes towards them.

• Scottish Government announces £40m additional funding for councils

Local authorities in Scotland will receive an additional £40 million to support local communities, public finance minister Ivan McKee has confirmed.

This takes the total funding package the Scottish Government is providing to councils in 2021-22 to almost £11.7 billion.

Councils will have the autonomy to allocate the extra money based on local needs and priorities.

• Dundee set for more pop-up cycle lanes

Measures to improve cycling provision on key commuter links in the West End of Dundee have been revealed by Dundee City Council.

As part of the Scottish Government’s Spaces for People programme the council has designed almost three kilometres of pop up cycle lanes in Perth Road and Ninewells Avenue.

The proposed new lanes will be on Ninewells Avenue northbound, where they will be segregated by bollards and cycle lane separators, southbound on Ninewells Avenue footpath which will be widened from 2m to 4m by removing the grass verge and vegetation and in Perth Road west of Harris Academy as dedicated cycle lanes where width of the road allows.

Funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Sustrans Scotland, Spaces for People is a temporary infrastructure programme in Scotland offering funding and support to make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel for permitted journeys and exercise, while physical distancing is in place during Covid-19 and the transition out of lockdown.