Building Briefs – October 5th

James Frew doubles up on apprentices

Ayrshire building services company James Frew has stepped up its apprenticeship programme by doubling the number of new recruits this year.

Eight youngsters from Ayrshire, Glasgow and Edinburgh, have embarked on the company’s long standing programme which will see them complete a four year apprenticeship, combining on the job training with attending day release at their local college.

The apprentice roles include positions in plumbing, heating engineering, joinery and gas engineering.

Based in Stevenston, James Frew has been running an apprenticeship programme since 1911 and has trained more than 150 youngsters most of whom go on to receive full time employment at the end of their training.

The apprentice programme is open to young people aged over 16 and trainees also receive a nationally recognised qualification.

MP sees innovative work on progress in Dundee housing improvement project

Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie took the opportunity to meet with key staff of Abertay Housing Association on a mini-tour of an innovative project that will tackle condensation issues and insulation in ninety steel framed homes in Craigiebank.

The pilot project involves a tie-up between the housing association and experts in the School of Architecture and Building Environment at Robert Gordon University.

The total investment in the project is in excess of £3.6 million.

After the work is complete, the average house’s energy efficiency rating will rise from Band E to Band C with an average saving on energy bills of over £600 per year.

All homes in the project will also get new modern kitchens, bathrooms, heating and triple glazing.

Construction output growth hits seven month high

Rises in house-building, commercial work and civil engineering helped output growth in the construction sector to hit a seven-month peak in September, according to the latest poll of construction buyers.

The survey, carried out by Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), rose from 57.3 in August to 59.9, its highest level since February.

This is well above the average result of 54.7 for the survey, in which questionnaires are sent to purchasing executives in more than 170 construction firms to get an indication of growth in the sector.

Staffing levels also shot up in September, the poll found, driven by greater workloads and optimism surrounding the business outlook at many companies.

According to the results, the growth in employment continued for the 28th month running, while the pace of staff hiring accelerated at its fastest rate since June.

GAP triumphs with three wins at Glasgow Business Awards

GAP Hire Solutions has excelled at this year’s Glasgow Business Awards, scooping three awards during the dinner held at the Hilton Glasgow.

GAP took home the Excellence in People Development and Best Performing Business (51 employees or over) awards at the ceremony which celebrates the best in Glasgow business. At the end of the evening, GAP then added the Most Outstanding Business Award to complete their hat-trick. This award is presented to the business recognised as best in class across all categories.

Craigtoun Park’s pond drained to help bring Dutch Village back to life

The pond at Craigtoun Country Park in St Andrews has been emptied while Fife Council works on a £120,000 project to bring the boat house at the dilapidated Dutch Village back to its former glory.

It is expected to be back to normal in time for the Easter holidays.

Work to the Dutch Village will include roof repairs, re-rendering of walls and installation of new windows.

Built in 1920, it has fallen into disrepair in recent years.

The Friends of Craigtoun Park group hopes to secure lottery funding for a full-scale restoration.

Sector calls for 12,000 new affordable homes a year in Scotland

The level of need for affordable housing in Scotland is double what is currently being delivered, according to a new report published today by three of Scotland’s leading housing organisations.

The report says tackling Scotland’s housing crisis requires at least 12,000 affordable homes to be built each year for the next five years.

‘Affordable Housing Need in Scotland’ was commissioned by Shelter Scotland, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), and defines the scale, cost and reasons for what would be the biggest house building programme in Scotland since the 1970s.

The report is the result of the first in-depth investigation into Scotland’s total housing need in the last 10 years and puts the cost of the proposed housing programme at an average of at least £700 million each year over five years.

A team from the independent Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam, Sheffield University and University of St Andrews, who compiled the report, found that the need and demand for affordable housing far outstrips supply in Scotland.

In line with the research’s findings, Shelter Scotland, the SFHA and CIH Scotland want all political parties to adopt ambitious targets for new affordable housing in their manifestos for next year’s Holyrood election campaigns.