Building Briefs - April 4th

Work to demolish four blocks of unpopular and empty council flats at Guthrie Hill and Smithy Croft in Arbraoth is scheduled for completion by late April/early May 2016 after work got underway this week.

A two-year construction programme will then start on site as the old buildings make way for energy efficient low rise accommodation designed to complement the abbey and provide a place where people can enjoy living.

When finished, these 42 new high quality homes will be available for social rent and will reinvigorate the area.

The development will also improve access to the abbey and High Street.

Specifications for the new development include:

The multi storey blocks originally on the site had long been unpopular and were increasingly difficult to let. It was also felt that they impacted negatively on business, retail and tourism.

The Abbey Quarter is important to Arbroath both as a central residential and retail area, but also as a major visitor destination due to the presence of the historic abbey.

Noss Primary School project reaches practical completion

The new £15.4million Noss Primary School has reached a vital milestone with the practical completion of the facility.

Replacing the existing North and Hillhead Primary Schools in Wick, work on the 4,620 sq m facility commenced in late 2014 and has been delivered by hub North Scotland on behalf of The Highland Council. The main contractor for the project was Morrison Construction.

With construction of the new school building now complete, work is set to begin on the demolition of the existing school, completion of landscaping works alongside the formation of the adjacent Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) pitch.

The school itself, which will welcome its first pupils later in April, is a blend of educational and extra-curricular facilities and benefits from 14 classrooms in total, a library, two nursery rooms, two learning support rooms, a games hall, dining area, a medical room and a multi-use games area along with a grass pitch.

The construction project itself has also brought a number of benefits, with 90% of the total value of work for the new school awarded to SMEs alone. It also created four apprenticeships and two graduate positions.

hub North Scotland comprises Alba Community Partnerships (a joint venture of Galliford Try Investments, Equitix and Sweett Investment Services), Scottish Futures Trust and 16 Northern Territory Partners, working with local suppliers and contractors to deliver quality buildings and services.

Partnership for next generation of housing and services for older people

Three of Scotland’s leading housing associations, Bield, Hanover (Scotland) and Trust Housing Association, have combined to write to all of the newly established integrated joint health and social care boards in Scotland to highlight the savings and benefits that could be made by working in greater partnership with housing associations.

They are calling on the new integrated boards to work in partnership with them to develop the next generation of housing and services for older people.

On Friday the 31 new integrated boards began and running and developing services across their localities. Appropriate housing, particularly for older people, has been identified by practically all of the new boards as playing an important role in reducing pressures on hospital services and enabling people to continue to live fulfilling lives in their communities.

Bield, Hanover (Scotland) and Trust are the three largest Scottish providers of housing, care and support services for older people. With developments across Scotland, they have modernised housing developments for older people, developed specialist services and adapted homes so people can live longer in their own homes.

Aberdeen City Council completes £1.2million investment in advanced technology for sheltered housing