Building Briefs - September 4th

  • Public asked for views on the future of engagement for major road project design

A virtual public exhibition which started yesterday sets out how Transport Scotland plans to engage with the public in a new way instead of face-to-face public exhibitions.

Building Briefs - September 4th

Transport Scotland is encouraging members of the public to take time over the next few weeks to go online and provide their views on plans.



The deadline for any comments is Thursday 24 September 2020 so please take the chance to tell us what you think.

 

  • Hillcrest buys 12 affordable homes in Muirton

Hillcrest Homes has completed the acquisition of 12 homes in Perth’s Muirton area, working with developer Urban Union against the odds of lockdown to deliver more affordable homes.



Building Briefs - September 4th

With construction sites and public sales halted as a result of the pandemic, Hillcrest’s acquisition of the homes not only provides a welcome boost to the development project, but it has also allowed the organisation to continue to deliver good quality homes despite its own development sites being put on hold.

The homes were purchased with funding support from the Scottish Government and Perth & Kinross Council.

The homes, which comprise of a ready-built mixture of three and four-bedroom semi-detached and terraced townhouses, contain a range of energy efficiency measures to help tenants reduce energy bills and save money.



The 12 homes in Perth also joins another lockdown purchase of 15 affordable apartments in Broughty Ferry Dundee, which Hillcrest had previously been contracted to manage and maintain.

 

  • Works start on new Alford household recycling centre

Works have commenced on a new household recycling centre at Alford.



Kirkwood Homes is undertaking the construction of the facility for Aberdeenshire Council under a planning agreement linked to its development at Wellheads, Alford.

The improved and extended centre at the Mart Road site will be open to the public early in the new year.

The former facility had fewer operating hours and, because of the small footprint at the site, recycled fewer streams of materials when compared with larger sites.

The new ‘drive-in, drive-out’ centre will feature an extended range of materials collected for recycling including soil and rubble and will also operate four days a week from Friday to Monday inclusive.



There are other glass collection points within the village and residents can also continue to access other Household Recycling Centres across Aberdeenshire with the nearest ones being at Insch, Inverurie, Westhill, Banchory and Huntly.

 

  • Number of first-time buyers in Scotland at seven-year low

The number of first-time buyers in Scotland is at a seven-year low, falling over a third (35%) since last year, according to the latest data from Bank of Scotland



The data revealed that in the first six months of 2020 there were 10,158 first-time buyers, compared to 15,570 over the same period in 2019. This is the lowest number of buyers taking their first step onto the property ladder since 2013.

The fall comes despite first-time buyers making up over half (51%) of the property market, up from 37% in 2009.

Meanwhile, the cost of a first home has risen 42% in the last decade, with the average price of a first-time buyer property increasing from £108,774 in 2010, to £154,449 today. This compares to an average 34% rise for home-movers. Scottish first-time buyer properties have seen a 4% rise in the last year alone.

The data also revealed that Scottish first-time buyers are putting down record deposits, averaging £31,257 in 2020, which is 27% higher than 2010. However, deposits as a percentage of the property price continue to slide from their peak of 23% a decade ago, to 20% today.



The average deposit for a first-time buyer in Scotland is also a third less than the UK average of £47,059.

In Edinburgh, first-time buyers are putting down the largest deposits, with an average of £49,575 (24% of the property price). This is followed by Stirling in the Central Belt (23%), further North in Moray (22%) and the Highlands (22%).

Buyers who are willing to look around could consider homes in East Ayrshire, which has the smallest average deposit, at £16,656 (15% of the property price). First-time buyers could also consider West Dunbartonshire – where the average deposit is also 15% of the property price – and Inverclyde (16%).

The average age of a first-time buyer continues to rise gradually, from 29 a decade ago to 31 in 2020. This mirrors the average age across the UK, which has risen from 30 in 2010 to 31 today.



The youngest buyers can be found in Falkirk, South Ayrshire, Angus, and the City of Edinburgh, where the average age of someone taking their first step onto the property ladder is 30. The oldest buyers are in Dundee, Perth and Kinross and the Scottish Borders, where the average age is 32.

Areas are considered ‘affordable’ when property prices are no more than four times local earnings. Scotland’s most affordable area for a first-time buyer can be found in North Ayrshire, where the average property price is 3.2 times the average local salary. East and South Ayrshire closely follow, with properties costing 3.3 and 3.6 times the average local income respectively.

Buyers looking to get the biggest ‘bang for their buck’ may also want to look at Renfrewshire, or West Dunbartonshire, where property prices are also 3.6 times the average local earnings.

Midlothian is Scotland’s least affordable area, with properties costing 5.3 times the average local salary. This is closely followed by the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian, where first-time buyers can expect their first property to cost 5.0 times local salary.

Edinburgh continues to be more affordable than the UK capital, with properties in Brent, North London, costing 12.3 times the average income, making it the UK’s least affordable area.

 

  • Hillcrest Maintenance appoints Bruce Davidson as new chairperson

Hillcrest Maintenance had appointed Bruce Davidson to succeed Don Ridgway as its new chairperson.

Building Briefs - September 4th

(from left) Bob Jack, head of Hillcrest Maintenance; Don Ridgway; Bruce Davidson and Mark Percival

Mr Ridgway recently stepped down from the role after over a decade’s involvement in Hillcrest’s board of committee.

Bruce Davidson joined the Hillcrest Maintenance board in February 2018.

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