Building Briefs – April 10th

Arup takes entire floor at 1 West Regent Street

Professional services firms Arup Group Limited has been confirmed as the latest office occupier of 1 West Regent Street, a new Grade A development located in Glasgow city centre.

Arup has taken the entire seventh floor of the property, comprising 13,681 sq ft of office space, on a ten year FRI lease. Arup will move its Glasgow operation from its existing location on Bath Street to 1 West Regent Street later this year.

Arup is an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers and technical specialists offering a broad range of professional services for all aspects of the built environment. Headquartered in London, Arup’s Scottish business has been operating in Glasgow for over 40 years and has been responsible for many notable projects in the city such as the Hydro and Princes Square. The firm works across the UK, Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and has over 11,000 staff based in 92 offices across 42 countries.

1 West Regent Street, which is being developed by Clearbell together with M&G Real Estate, comprises 143,000 sq ft of Grade A office and retail space over eleven levels. The site benefits from a unique location that is not only in Glasgow’s Central Business District but is also near to Queen Street station and adjacent to the Buchanan Quarter retail scheme.

The scheme has been designed by Ryder Architecture with Sir Robert McAlpine as the main contractor and Woolgar Hunter as engineering consultant.

Dunfermline housing plans approved despite mine works fears

A housing development in north Dunfermline has been given the green light, despite concerns the site lies on old mine workings.

Perth-based I&H Brown aims to start work on the £100 million development on 62 hectares of agricultural land between Parkneuk and Wellwood later this year.

Included in the plans are 1,100 homes — including 275 affordable houses — a new primary school, urban park, neighbourhood centre, employment land and a path and cycle network.

West Fife planning committee gave conditional approval to the plan in principle, pending a legal agreement, despite significant concerns about such a major development being built on top of mining land.

A year ago alarm bells sounded when a huge sinkhole, of three to four metres wide, opened up overnight.

As soon as it appeared, the Coal Authority fenced it off to protect the public, with the developer setting out its plans to prepare the ground and confirming the arrival of the sinkhole would not deter its ambitions.

A mine risk assessment report found coal seams across the site, at shallow, moderate and greater depth. There were also 22 mine entries there with only two previously treated.

The Coal Authority said it had “substantive concern”.

Dundee waterfront resurfacing works move forward

The grid pattern of streets at Dundee’s £1 billion waterfront development will take another major step towards completion over the next few weeks.

New and replacement road surfaces for a number of the area’s main routes are expected to be finished by the middle of May.

Fife Council commits £2.6m for warmer homes

Fife Council is to spend £2.6 million on making local homes warmer, more environmentally friendly and cheaper to heat.

The council will undertake a number of projects across Fife to install energy saving measures as part of the Scottish Government’s programme to tackle fuel poverty and increase energy efficiency in the home.

A variety of measures will be available including external, cavity wall and loft insulation. Insulation can significantly reduce heat loss from the home while lowering heating bills. About a third of all the heat lost in an uninsulated home escapes through the walls and a quarter of heat is lost through the roof. For example, installing external wall insulation could save the householder around £260 a year on their heating bill.

Plans for Aberdeen flats put forward

Plans have been tabled for two dozen flats and 33 parking spaces at a former workshop in Aberdeen.

The application from D&D Properties is for Don Street in Tillydrone. The site has been vacant since 2009, having previously been occupied by Grampian Electronic Components.

The flats will all be two-bedroom and be housed within blocks of up to five-storeys. The statement said the application complied with the relevant policies of the adopted Aberdeen City Local Development Plan.

Last footbridge of Borders Railway installed at Newton Village

The last bridge over the Borders Railway has been installed as part of the construction of the new 30 mile route.

A total of 95 bridges have been refurbished and 42 new bridges constructed on the railway between Edinburgh and the Tweedbank.

This footbridge at Harelaw provides a connection from Newton Village to the new station at Shawfair, south-east of Edinburgh.

The line is due to open in September.

Project underway to protect Orkney Cathedral

Orkney Islands Council has announced the launch of a project to record every detail of Orkney’s St Magnus Cathedral later this year.

The 12th century building, which is maintained by Orkney Islands Council on behalf of the islands inhabitants, is to have experts carry out detailed laser scans of both the internal and external structure of the cathedral. The council is currently seeking recruits for the project.

The objective of the project is to complete a generated, detailed, 3D record of the building. This would be compared with scans taken in the future, detecting changes that might occur to the building due to factors such as weathering, decay, erosion and moss build up.

Another aim of the project is to develop digital tours of the Cathedral using 3D scans. The tours would be used for an exhibition on the history of Kirkwell, providing insights for tourists by enhancing their experience. The data will also be beneficial to researchers.

Backing for the project has been given by the Society of the Friends of St Magnus Cathedral.

Important stage reached in Aberdeen Local Development Plan

An important stage has been reached in the preparation of the next Aberdeen Local Development Plan.

Views on the proposed plan are now being welcomed.

The plan is Aberdeen City Council’s view on what should be included in the next adopted Aberdeen Local Development Plan.

The plan influences public and private investments in homes, businesses and shops. The proposed plan is to support the improvement of Aberdeen city centre, such as infrastructure and its facilities. The plan is also promoting regeneration in brownfield site areas for housing, whilst also seeking to protect and enhance the urban greenspace and its subsequent networks.

Supported by a proposed action programme, the proposed plan stipulates what needs to happen to make the plan work. Proposed supplementary guidance will provide details on how the City Council will deal with the proposals for development. In accordance with this, an environmental assessment has been undertaken.

The publication of the documents marks the beginning of a 10 week period in which anyone can submit a representation on the plan and its supporting documents. Representations can include suggestions as to what changes should be made to the plan. The deadline for representations is Monday 1st of Jun 2015.

The plan is due to be implemented in 2016.

Trust Housing Association welcomes new CEO

Trust Housing Association has announced the appointment of Rhona McLeod as its new chief executive following a highly competitive and rigorous interview process.

Bringing with her a wealth of experience from the Health Care sector, Rhona has worked in a variety of roles within operational management and strategic development. As well as this, she has a real drive and enthusiasm to work within a customer focused association.

Rhona will start with Trust on Monday 4 May 2015.