Building Briefs – April 10th

Robertson Construction has started construction work on the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service’s £12m training centre at Newbridge on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

It is expectation that the facility, designed by Smith Scott Mullan Architects, will be operational by March next year.

The new facility will be able to simulate multi-vehicle road collisions and will also be used to develop specialist skills including Urban Search and Rescue.

The project was procured through Scape Group’s National Major Works framework, now superseded by the Major Works Scotland, part of the Scape National Construction framework, and delivered by Robertson in partnership with Willmott Dixon.

Alasdair Hay, chief officer of the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, said: “There can be no clearer indication of our commitment to both our communities and our firefighters than the significant investment in this new training facility”.

Affordable housing given the green light in Skye

Highland Council have approved plans for six new affordable houses in the north-east of Skye – the first of their kind in almost 20 years.

The application indicates plans for the construction of the three-bedroom houses on a piece of common land currently tenanted by the Stenscholl crofting township in Staffin.

The homes will be provided by the Staffin Community Trust (SCT), in partnership with Highlands Small Communities Housing Trust and Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association; becoming the first to be built in the district since 1999.

The site, located near Staffin Primary School includes several business units and a storage facility.

Staffin Community Trust (SCT) Chairman Sandy Ogilvie said: “The granting of this planning permission is a significant step in what is a game changing project for the Staffin community.

“Affordable housing is at the heart of any rural community and this development will kick start future plans to reverse the population decline and build a community with growth, aspiration and stability.”

New housing developments to get underway

Work is due to get underway soon on 27 new flats opposite the Islesburgh Community Centre in the heart of Lerwick after DITT was awarded the contract to develop the site by Hjaltland Housing Association (HHA).

HHA has also signed off a contract with builders E&H for an additional 24 homes next to its Gaet-A-Gott scheme in Tingwall at a cost of £4 million.

Green light for homes, visitor centre and cafe plans backed at Aberdeebshire country estate

Aberdeenshire councillors have narrowly backed the transformation of a country estate into houses, a tourist attraction and equestrian centre.

Proposals for hundreds of homes on Fasque Estate, near Fettercairn, have been on the table since 2014.

The grounds are home to the 19th-century Fasque House.

The overall development is for 115 homes, a visitors’ centre, and a cafe and farm shop at the site off the Cairn O’ Mount road.

Plans for nearly 350 South Queensferry new builds granted

The green light has been given to develop nearly 350 new homes on 35 acres of land in South Queensferry.

The houses will be built, subject to a legal agreement, on land off Kirkliston Road to the south of South Queensferry.

The development will be a mix of two bedroom apartments, as well as two, three, four and five bedroom homes.

Plans to turn historic Dundee industrial buildings into homes resubmitted

Plans have been resubmitted to transform two derelict Dundee factories into homes.

Dundee City Council had previously granted planning permission for both the Tay Rope Works in the West End and Burnside Mill in Lochee but no work took place before permission expired.

The first application to turn the former Tay Rope Works into five houses and two flats was submitted by Denholm Architects on behalf of Crieff-based F&H Developments.