Building Briefs - September 14th

• Merrylee Road rail bridge refurbishment underway

The refurbishment of the bridge is part of a wider, rolling programme of maintenance work on structures which is designed to extend their lifespan and keep the network safe and reliable. It represents an investment of around £750,000 to protect and prolong the life of the bridge.

To deliver this work safely and efficiently, one lane of Merrylee Road needs to close to enable Network Rail engineers to erect scaffolding and deliver work on the structure. At the half-way point, the opposite lane will be closed.  Traffic lights will be in place throughout to control vehicle movements and pedestrian and cycle access will be maintained throughout the lane closures.

Work on the bridge, in the Cathcart area of the city, includes strengthening girders, repairing masonry, cleaning and repairing the metalwork, applying corrosion protection and painting. Part of the work involves ‘rivet-busting’ to remove old rivets, which is a particularly noisy activity and local residents have been advised.

• Inverurie drive-thru coffee shop rejection to be appealed

The firm behind rejected plans to demolish a north-east health centre and replace it with a drive-thru coffee shop has lodged an appeal.

West Coast Estates (WCE) and NHS Grampian teamed up for the project to transform the old Inverurie Health Centre site into four retail units with one of those to be a Starbucks outlet. Councillors rejected the proposals in May.

West Coast Estates has now lodged an appeal with Aberdeenshire Council’s local review body.

Edinburgh-based Hargest Limited has submitted the appeal documents on behalf of WCE and NHS Grampian.

• CALA back at the races with new Musselburgh development

A development at the eastern edge of East Lothian’s largest town has been launched to market by CALA Homes (East).

Ravensheugh Brae will see the creation a long-awaited mix of 36 three, four and five-bedroom homes from the developer’s latest ‘Light and Space Collection’.

As a result of the development’s planning agreement, £567,936 will be put towards improving the region’s schools and transport infrastructure – as well as Musselburgh and Tranent town centres.

Throughout the build, the housebuilder is utilising the broad skills of local trades, with more than 10 contracts awarded to firms based in either East Lothian or the nearby Scottish capital.

This includes G&A Joinery from Prestonpans, Port Seton-based Signature Security Solutions and Terry Hill Plumbing and Heating from nearby Haddington.

With demand for its homes in East Lothian increasing following the reopening of the market, CALA has opted to launch the development digitally, with a dedicated sales advisor on hand at another East Lothian development. A show home and on-site sales office will launch this autumn.

CALA is also ensuring that the site’s natural characteristics become key assets. The current tree lined boundary will be retained and reinforced in places.

• First day for new South Lanarkshire nursery

Staff at South Lanarkshire Council’s newest nursery have been busy preparing for the arrival of its first young learners.

Woodhill Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) in Kirkmuirhill open its doors to children this week with staff starting on site earlier this month to get everything ready for the first term.

South Lanarkshire’s is engaged in a large-scale programme to expand early years capacity with the construction of new nurseries and the expansion of existing ones.

The Woodhill ELC offers 63 places in total while, once completed, the new build and expansion programme across South Lanarkshire will have increased capacity in the council’s early years units by 1,658 places.

• Students unveil vision for Linlithgow beauty spot visitor hub

Students from Edinburgh Napier and the City of Glasgow College have linked up to design a new visitor hub for Beecraigs Country Park, Linlithgow.

Two teams from the Scottish institutions were tasked with creating an ecologically sustainable, environmentally friendly, and inclusive focal point to the vibrant country park.

The aim was to layout a proposed building that could be constructed and deconstructed away from the intended site.

Team 2 won the first prize of £600 in the Offsite Ready challenge, when they designed a hub which would cater for cyclists, with open and accessible areas.

Team 1 delivered their presentation on a centre which would withstand the elements, including a mezzanine complemented by the carefully considered path of the sun. They received the runner up prize of £300.

From Edinburgh Napier, the winning team included digital designer Zarja Krevelj, production manager Emily Rankin, production manager Callum MacGillivray, and Agata Gaspari in charge of the summer pavilion.

The ‘Are you Offsite Ready? Online design challenge’ was sponsored by Finnish renewable materials manufacturer, Stora Enso, which donated £900 to reward students for their efforts.

The project spanned 12 weeks, starting in June. It presented challenges for the students as they learned to work together remotely, whilst figuring out how to get the best from their designs and cater for the park’s one million yearly visitors.

• Council commits to case for Borders Railway line extension

In the week that the Borders Railway celebrated its fifth anniversary, Scottish Borders Council has reiterated its commitment to the case for the potential extension of the line.

September 2015 saw the Scottish Borders receive global attention with a host of events which marked the return of rail to the area for the first time in 46 years.

5 September 2015 was the day around 500 deserving Borders individuals and their families receive a special Golden Ticket trip along the rail line, before it opened to the public on 6 September.

The Borders Railway was then officially opened by The Queen on 9 September, on the same day Her Majesty became Britain’s longest serving monarch.

Since then, millions of journeys have been made in both directions by those living in and visiting the Borders, providing significant work, education and leisure opportunities.

Councillor Mark Rowley, Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for economic regeneration and finance, said: “The success of the Borders Railway has come in many different forms.

“It has attracted people to live, work and visit the Borders, and in the opposite direction it has given Borderers the opportunity to connect to the rest of Scotland and the UK more easily for commuting and leisure purposes.

“A number of positive projects have also been taken forward to attract more people to the Borders since the railway opened, with a number currently being developed.

“These include the Borders Innovation Park in Tweedbank, where work began this summer and is a project which has the potential to create over 380 jobs, and the continued progress on the Great Tapestry of Scotland gallery and exhibition centre which is due to open next year.

“Scottish Borders Council remains fully committed and supportive of the case for a potential extension of the line to Hawick, Newcastleton and onto Carlisle, with the Borderlands Growth Deal-funded feasibility work into an extension due to begin soon.

“The extension of the line would be a catalyst to help regenerate the economy of the Borders.”