Building Briefs – April 24th

One of Scotland’s leading housing associations has announced that it is planning to build up to 1,000 new homes over the next five years.

Kingdom Housing Association, based in Glenrothes, Fife, made the announcement after the association’s management committee approved the 2015 Kingdom Housing Group Corporate Plan. The plan covers Kingdom’s strategy for the next five years and is reviewed and updated annually.

Last year Kingdom completed 160 new homes and started work on another 128. Planning permission was also granted for 140 homes during this period.

Read the Summary Corporate Plan.

Morgan Sindall appointed to replace bridge

Morgan Sindall has been appointed as contractor to replace the Ruthven Railway Bridge at Kingussie.

The deterioration of the bridge has restricted its load carrying capacity to less than three tonnes.

The Highland Council has agreed to provide immediate funding for the work, along with the Scottish Timber Transport Scheme (STTS) and the Forestry Commission Scotland (Scottish Government), which has already provided £250,000.

For build work to take place, a period of full road closure will be necessary.

Stage 2 design workshops for Perth West expansion

Perth and Kinross residents are invited to the second stage of design workshops to help shape a masterplan framework to take forward the western expansion of Perth City.

The Perth West Stage 2 Review Charrette will be held on Tuesday 28 April at the Huntingtower Hotel in Perth between 3pm and 8pm.

The charrette follows the first design workshops which took place in March and were attended by around 60 people.

The ambitious expansion plans to the west of Perth will help to cement the area’s status as a city, stimulate economic growth and provide much needed additional housing and schools to support the increasing population.

Councillors approve demolition of Broughty Ferry building

The imposing Redholme building on Dundee and Angus College’s Gardyne campus in Broughty Ferry, which has been deteriorating for the past decade, is to be demolished to make way for modern family homes.

Houses, flats and a large, 50-bed nursing home could all have taken shape, only for each proposal to fail.

Now, with the former student accommodation deemed “beyond economic repair”, councillors have unanimously backed a scheme they believe will bring “welcome new homes” to the area.

They took the decision despite concerns from some residents who believe the homes to be built by Gardyne Developments are poorly designed and will adversely affect the area.

Objectors even suggested that Redholme had been encouraged to deteriorate to support the case for its demolition.

Aberdeenshire homes plans lodged

Plans for 200 new homes will be discussed by councillors next week.

The proposals for the Hallgreen Park development – on farmland south of Inverbervie – will go before Aberdeenshire Council’s Kincardine and Mearns area committee on Tuesday.

The plans have been drawn up by Peterkin Homes in collaboration with architects A B Roger and Young and Suller and Clark planning consultants.

The 42-acre site would include 50 affordable homes and be developed in two phases.

Councillors are being asked to agree the masterplan for the project, which includes a woodland walk area, an extension of an existing play park nearby, a grass pitch and allotments.

The site was included in Aberdeenshire Council’s 2012 local development plan.

Crumbling tenements crisis taking communities ‘back to the 60s’

The worsening condition of many tenements is a blight on local communities and in some areas feels like a return to the 60s and 70s, a new report out today has warned.

The report, from the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF), is being launched at an event at Govanhill Housing Association addressed by first minister Nicola Sturgeon. It says that concerted action is needed from owners themselves and from national and local government, in partnership with local housing associations, to tackle the growing number of badly neglected privately owned tenements.

Sponsored by TC Young, the report estimates that there are over 12,500 sub-standard traditional (pre-1914) tenement flats and 5,000 sub-standard post-1924 flats in or adjacent to areas covered by housing associations which are members of the Forum.

GWSF’s report can be seen here.