Building Briefs – April 5th

• School leavers take part in Hand Picked academies to boost chance of FES apprenticeships

The thirty-four school leavers from Alva Academy, Stirling High School, Bannockburn High, Lornshill Academy and Wallace High School attended two Hand Picked Academies, each held over three days at the FES training centre in Stirling. The Academy courses were specifically designed to boost the teenagers’ chances of being selected for one of the 28 apprenticeships available at FES.

This is the fourth consecutive year of a successful collaboration between FES and Hand Picked, an employment opportunities programme run by CR Smith for young people.

Last year, six candidates on the Hand Picked course were offered apprenticeships with FES and 10 took up apprenticeships with other local companies. For those that don’t go on to become FES apprentices, they leave the course with greater skills and confidence to help them compete in the jobs market.

Hand Picked delivered workshops on marketing yourself to an employer, selling yourself at interview, creating the right first impression, behaviours and attitudes in the workplace and identifying skills and attributes. In addition, the participants undertook in a number of practical, interactive workshops as well as an aptitude test, practical assessment and a first stage interview with FES senior managers.

FES takes on apprentices to be plumbers, electricians, joiners, heating engineers and data engineers.

• Broughty Ferry flood protection works

Preparation works for the Broughty Ferry flood protection scheme are set to get underway next week.

Investigations, which start on Monday, will look at ground conditions and ground water levels to help inform the design and construction of the final scheme.

Contractor BAM Ritchies will be at various points between Douglas Terrace and Beach Crescent between 8am and 5pm for four weeks. Short sections of traffic management will be used to ensure the safety of workers and road users.

• Council secures regeneration funding of £1m for Lochgilphead

Lochgilphead’s historic town centre has been handed a £1 million boost in the shape of a grant from Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

The funding, part of the HES’s Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), will see Lochgilphead benefit from similar CARS projects that have improved Campbeltown, Inveraray, Dunoon and Rothesay.

Along with the £969,700 from HES, Lochgilphead CARS is backed with £386,000 in council funding, and estimated contributions from building owners of £250,000 – bringing a projected total budget of £1.6m over the five years that the CARS scheme will run.

The scheme will fund extensive repairs to a number of priority buildings in the town, with a focus on Argyll Street and part of both Lochnell Street and Poltalloch Street. It will also allow for the creation of a small grant and shopfront improvement budget. Additionally, there will be traditional skills training and education opportunities available.

Approval of the CARS funding follows on from the announcement of a £1.5m investment in the Lochgilphead Front Green project, which will deliver improvements to the Lochgilphead Front Green and Colchester Square. A consultation process is currently underway to shape plans for the Front Green project, which is part of the wider £3m Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund.

The council was supported in the application process by the local community and businesses, who supplied letters of support and other assistance in creating a successful bid.

• Town centre regeneration funding confirmed for Hawick

A Scottish Borders Council bid for funding for a Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) in Hawick has been agreed by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

The £1.314 million from HES – the largest award from this round of funding - will help to conserve and enhance historic town centre buildings, address issues with key priority properties and encourage general repairs to others.

The council has committed almost £160,000 to the scheme, with further public sector contributions being sought.

Following the announcement of the successful bid today details of the scheme and grant funding opportunities will be developed and launched in due course.

• Holyrood committee launches inquiry into Scotland’s empty homes

The extent of empty homes and how these can be brought back into use is to be investigated by the Scottish Parliament’s local government and communities committee.

National Records of Scotland data from 2017 has shown that 4% of the dwellings in Scotland are unoccupied and the committee’s inquiry will investigate why.

The new inquiry will examine the scale of the issue, the effectiveness of current legislation and what more can be done to prevent properties remaining empty for extended periods of time.

For the purpose of the inquiry, second homes will considered as distinct from empty homes.

Convener of the local government and communities committee, James Dornan MSP, said: “There are a number of reasons why a property can be empty, but empty homes can have a huge impact on communities and reduce available housing supply at a time when housing is in great demand.

“The committee will explore the extent of the problem and the impact this can have in both urban and rural communities across Scotland.

“We want to ensure local authorities have appropriate powers to tackle this issue and that everything possible is being done to encourage owners to put these empty homes back into use. To do this we want to hear from local authorities, housing experts and those who have been impacted by empty homes in their communities.”

The committee is calling for evidence on its website.

The call for written views will close on May 17.

• New phase of Great Glen water works underway

A new phase of work has begun to install around 5 miles of new water main along the Great Glen Way, between Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston, as part of a £21 million investment in the area’s water supply.

The work is being carried out on Scottish Water’s behalf by its alliance partner, Efficient Service Delivery (ESD).

Since work began in December, around 2 miles of water main has already been laid. The second phase of planned closures affecting the normal route of the Great Glen Way is now beginning, with signposted alternatives in place and a shuttle vehicle operating between Allt na Criche and Fort Augustus.

The new water main is a key part of a major project to provide a single, improved water supply to around 1250 Scottish Water customers in Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston, as well as catering to significant seasonal demand in the area from tourism.

The second phase of work on the Great Glen Way will involve closure of the normal route between Allt na Criche and Fort Augustus for around 6 weeks. A higher alternative route will be signposted using forestry tracks and part of the Old Military Road, which adds just over 4 miles to the route. Over this period, a shuttle vehicle will also operate every day from 8:30am until 4:30pm between the Allt na Criche car park and Fort Augustus village hall car park.

As during the earlier phase of work, the lower route of the Great Glen Way will also remain closed between Allt na Criche and Invermoriston with a signposted diversion via the established higher route.

• Stirling a ‘leading light’ for green energy

Stirling Council has now fitted more than 10,000 energy efficient and higher quality street lights in communities across the area, underlining its continuing commitment to environmental protection.

Since 2015, the authority has invested almost £10 million to convert 10,620 old and inefficient sodium lanterns to modern light-emitting diodes (LEDs), along with replacing 3,622 lamp posts – around a quarter of the total across Stirling.

The new lighting units reduce energy consumption by 50%, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and providing significant long-term cost savings to the council.

Through enhanced, clearer and more focused lighting, the LEDs also improve public safety and reduce light nuisance, while their longer life expectancy means they require less maintenance.

Due to the scale of the upgrading programme, local companies have worked effectively in partnership with the council, including Lightways, Gilmartins and Gordon Electrical to install the new columns and lanterns.