Building Briefs – 27th February

Halliday Fraser Munro appointed to £4.7m redevelopment of Aberdeen Science Centre

Halliday Fraser Munro, the architects chosen to take forward the expansion of Aberdeen Science Centre have pledged to create a facility fit for the 21st century.

The practice will oversee the £4.7 million redevelopment of the venue, which is one of the north-east’s most popular tourist attractions.

The centre, on Constitution Street, will almost double in size, enabling it to significantly boost its teaching capabilities.

It is hoped the work will garner national attention for the centre and the educational charity that runs it and encourage the next generation of scientists.

The architects’ plans for the venue will involve redeveloping the current building and adding space. During construction, which begins later this year, the centre will temporarily relocate to another city location, which has still to be confirmed.

John Halliday, chief executive of the architects’ firm, said: “We are working closely with Aberdeen Science Centre to create a state-of-the-art 21st century facility able to serve the north of Scotland.

“We hope it will excite future generations of budding young scientists.”

Port of Leith Housing Association on track to build 846 homes by 2023

Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) is on course to create 500 homes in Leith and North Edinburgh by 2020 and a total of 846 homes over the next five years thanks to an investment of £110 million.

The plans have been announced in an update on the organisation’s 2015-20 strategic plan which covers the whole PoLHA Group for the first time, including Persevere Developments Ltd which provides mid-market rent homes and Quay Community Improvements which delivers commercial services for profit to be reinvested back into the community.

Keith Anderson, chief executive of Port of Leith Housing Association, said: “We’re pushing forward with our key objective – to improve access to high quality, secure and affordable homes at the same time as supporting the local community.

“The 846 affordable homes we plan to build over the next five years will be an important contribution to the 20,000 new homes which are much needed across the city.

“We are also staying focused on investing in our existing homes and making Leith a great place to live, work and do business. Our plans to develop Quay Community Improvements and to extend our employability project, Community Works, will be integral to this.”

New SELECT training courses to raise electrical safety and assist the industry in the developing knowledge on electric car charging point installations

SELECT, the campaigning body for the electrotechnical trade in Scotland, is set to launch two new training courses in the next few months.

The first is an SQA-customised award in electrical safety as part of its commitment to keeping its members at the cutting edge of safety improvement.

The course, which will last for two and a half days, and result in an SCQF level 7 qualification, is aimed at both electricians and safety technicians, including H&S operatives. It will cover changes in legislation, environmental issues such as the safe disposal of electrical waste and safe isolation of circuits.

Dave Forrester, Head of Technical Services for SELECT, said: “The training course material has been prepared and we are currently running pilot courses to ensure that the course content meets our member’s needs. We plan to have the course open to all applicants by Easter.

“As well as the new course on electrical safety, we are also currently testing a course on the safe installation of electric vehicle charging points at residential and business premises. The course will also feature routes to public funding available for installations.”

Mr. Forrester said: “We have looked into providing this training as a response to the rising demand for charging points. The actual installation work is covered within the scope of BS 7671 The Wiring Regulations and as a result, is well within the abilities of any qualified electrician.

“However, the training focuses on the maintenance of charging points, identifying how to access funding and how to get the best value for money for customers.”

The Electrical Vehicle Charging point installation course is likely to be available by early summer, and talks are ongoing with Edinburgh College and other providers.

Public consultation on A96 upgrade

North East residents have been urged to become more involved in the upgrade of the region’s busiest road.

Updated plans go on display tomorrow to show the progress of dualling the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road.

Representatives from Transport Scotland will tour the region this week to let residents view the latest updates on the route between Nairn and Fochabers.

A96 consultation events will be held today in Elgin Town Hall, tomorrow at the Mansefield Hotel in Elgin, on Thursday at Forres Town Hall and on Friday at Fochabers Institute.

All the sessions run from noon to 7pm.

Scottish hotel sector bucks trend to deliver strong performance

Against a backdrop of Brexit uncertainty that has subdued performance in a number of commercial sectors, tourism and hotels have defied conditions to deliver significant growth in Scotland.

GVA’s inaugural Hotels Economic and Property Market Review has highlighted strong hotel market performance across the UK in 2017.

In Scotland, this has been buoyed primarily by inbound tourism.

VisitScotland statistics show that the number of international tourist trips to Scotland in the first nine months of 2017 increased by 14.6 per cent (to 1.26m) over the same period of 2016.

This offset a drop in domestic overnight trips over the same period, which fell by 5.5 per cent to 8.29m.

Unlike the rest of the UK, Scotland saw a drop in the number of ‘staycation’ trips following the Brexit referendum.

Property Repair Seminar

A free seminar, aimed at current or prospective owners of historic buildings, will be held in Perth next month.

Perthshire Solicitors Property Centre (PSPC) is organising a ‘Property Repair Seminar’ to help people care for their historic home, and to raise awareness of the potential pitfalls and challenges associated with older properties.

The event, on Tuesday 6 March 2018, will include a series of short talks and Q&A with industry professionals, shedding light on maintaining the condition and value of traditional properties (pre 1919). With guidance and advice on everything from stone and roof repairs to window maintenance and grant eligibility, the event will take place from 5.15 until 7pm in Royal George Hotel, Tay Street, Perth, PH1 5LD.

With refreshments served from 5pm, the event is supported by Perth City Heritage Fund and Fife and Tayside Traditional Building Forum.

To reserve a place, please email admin@pspc.co.uk or telephone (01738) 635301.