Building Briefs - October 23rd

  • £21.3m Sustrans funding for Avenues Plus project in Glasgow city centre

Glasgow City Council has approved the acceptance of up to £21.3 million of funding from Sustrans - as part of the ‘Places for Everyone’ programme - for the Avenues Plus project, which will see the existing Avenues programme extended to connect the city centre to surrounding neighbourhoods.

Building Briefs - October 23rd

The project will cover five routes on the fringes of the city centre: Cowcaddens Road (from Cambridge Street to North Hanover Street); Dobbie’s Loan (from North Hanover Street to Canal Street); Duke Street (from High Street to Bellgrove Street); John Knox Street (from High Street / Castle Street to Duke Street); and South Portland Street (from Carlton Place suspension bridge to Norfolk Street).



The Avenues Plus project will complement and be delivered alongside the ongoing Glasgow City Region City Deal funded Avenues programme in the city centre, with the latter delivering 17 Avenues when complete. The Sauchiehall Avenue, completed in September 2019, is the first of these, which are so named due to their emphasis on green and active travel infrastructure, increased pedestrian space and improved connectivity/accessibility.

The aims of Avenue Plus include the creation of a series of high-quality walking and cycling links with communities on the fringes of the city centre, featuring cycling storage hubs and programmes to encourage the use of these links, bringing health, social and environmental benefits to Glasgow. The Avenues Plus project will be delivered over a five-year period.

The origin of the Avenues Plus project lies in the recommendation of the Connectivity Commission that the Avenues programme be expanded: Glasgow City Council then submitted a funding bid to Sustrans to extend the scope of the programme to include further Avenues to provide further connections between the city centre and surrounding communities.

 



  • Restaurant use approved For B-listed Glasgow bank building

Glasgow City Council’s planning department has approved plans for the ground floor of former bank premises in Govan to be used as a restaurant.

Sava Estates made the change-of-use proposal for the B-listed building at 705 Govan Road.

The decision report states: “The active use of the vacant unit is desirable and is not considered to give rise to significant impact upon residential amenity, subject to safeguarding conditions.”



A design statement submitted with the application explained: “When constructed, this building would have been a major feature on Govan Road.

“It is the only remaining building of that period and now links to modern residential flatted accommodation on both gables.

“Now vacant, it was originally occupied by the Glasgow Savings Bank and most recently by a branch of the TSB.”

 



  • Refurbishment work underway at Brechin Health Centre 

Work to upgrade facilities at Brechin Health Centre has now started and is expected to last until March 2021.  

The health centre has already benefited from new windows and work is due to begin to repair the building’s roof. Once this is completed, the reception and administration areas will be upgraded and will feature a new fully wheelchair accessible reception counter. 

 



  • Highland Council approves £2m investment in Caithness council housing

Highland Council has approved over £2 million of investment in council housing in Caithness.

A total of £2,253,000 will be used to carry out improvements to the housing stock across the county.

Members of the Caithness Committee identified fuel poverty as their number one concern and in turn, increased the member-led capital housing budget by 10%.



A specific priority of the capital programme is improving heating and make homes more energy efficient, with over £1,300,000 of budget approved to replace the oldest and most inefficient heating systems with a further £150,000 for one-off heating replacements.

These works will assist towards achieving the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH).

In addition, the programme includes an allowance for kitchen replacements, bathrooms replacements, structural work to roofs, chimneys and the external fabric of properties, allowance for environmental works, regeneration works and continued funding of equipment and adaptations.

Members will continue to be updated on progress against both the current year programme and the 2021-2022 programme through ward business meeting updates and further reports to their committee.



 

  • East Renfrewshire Council helps Me 2 Club secure £4,000 donation from CCG Scotland

East Renfrewshire Council has assisted Barrhead-based charity, the Include Me 2 Club, in securing a £4,000 donation from CCG (Scotland) Ltd.

Building Briefs - October 23rd

Paul McIlvenny, chair of Include Me 2 Club and Claire Mistretta from CCG

As part of the council’s community benefits, suppliers who win any major contract must commit to supporting local causes through community enhancement, training and employment opportunities, work placements, school curriculum support and SME supply chain development.



The Glasgow-based construction and manufacturing company was awarded a contract to build 48 new council houses on Barrhead’s Balgraystone Road and, as part of a wider initiative, to provide two jobs, six work placements and curriculum support for local schools.

£4000 of the company’s contribution has been awarded to the Include Me 2 Club; a Barrhead-based charity which supports and works with children, young people and adults with additional support needs and disabilities. The funds will be going towards the group’s digital engagement work, which is needed more than ever during the pandemic.

Include Me 2 Club is an organisation that was built on bringing people together to break social isolation and exclusion, but found itself in uncharted waters when lockdown was imposed.

The group quickly had to develop a wider range of online, digital and media options to keep its members engaged and included.

 

  • Funding for West Lothian town centres

Local communities across West Lothian will receive a share of over £650,000 to improve town centres.

Local groups and organisations will have the opportunity to apply for a share of the funding. The grant aims to stimulate local construction activity, support local employment and help to improve and regenerate town centres.

The council’s nine Local Area Committees (LACs) will consider applications from each community to the fund and have the power to award funding up to the amount allocated to each community. Funding for each town a is based upon population size and other criteria.

Examples of possible projects include paths, street furniture, outside green gyms,  building refurbishments and signage.

The funding is part of an overall package of £18 million which the Scottish Government has provided to councils as a top-up to the existing Town Centre Fund which was approved in 2019. 

The deadline for applying for the grant monies is November 27 with successful applicants being informed thereafter. 

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