Building Briefs – August 15th

Almost 50 new affordable homes are taking shape in the latest phase of a major regeneration project in the south side of Glasgow.

The £4.7 million development by Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) will see 47 new modern and energy-efficient flats for social rent at Shawbridge in Pollokshaws.

It is the latest phase in plans to create a vibrant and popular neighbourhood in Pollokshaws - one of eight areas in the city earmarked as a priority for regeneration by Transforming Communities: Glasgow (TC:G) - a partnership between GHA, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government.

Two years ago 93 new homes for social rent were built on Riverford Road and, last year, two tenement blocks in Shawbridge Street were fully refurbished as 40 mid-market rent flats.

The latest new homes – ranging from one bedroom to four bedroom flats – are being built by McTaggart Construction and are due to be finished in early 2017. They are all environmentally friendly with a ‘Very Good’ energy rating and will benefit from low-energy lighting in common closes and high levels of insulation.

The new flats, five of which will be built for wheelchair users, are being built for GHA tenants whose homes have been demolished as part of the regeneration of the local area.

Work to transform part of Pollokshaws began in 2008 when the first of nine multi-storey blocks that had stood there since the 1960s were demolished. The final block, on Shawbridge Street, came down in March this year.

A future phase will see a further 42 new affordable homes developed nearby by Loretto Housing.

East Ayrshire wind farm plans altered following local feedback

Revised plans for a community backed wind farm that could positively transform the local economy have been resubmitted following a careful redesign.

Hamilton based developer Banks Renewables has taken on board comments and suggestions including feedback from East Ayrshire Council and looked to improve the appearance of its proposed Lethans Community Wind Farm in the landscape, while maximising the clean, green energy produced.

Situated east of New Cumnock in East Ayrshire, the new plans include the removal of five turbines that were originally proposed to be located on a ridge, whilst the total number of turbines has also been reduced from 26 to 22.

In order to generate maximum clean energy, Banks Renewables is now proposing that five 176 metre turbines are located within the valley area which is better screened from view and the updated 74.8MW project will be capable of powering an estimated 40,600 homes.

The plans for Lethans Community Wind Farm, were submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents and Deployment Unit and East Ayrshire Council on 26th July and the proposed site is over 2km away from the nearest homes.

Construction costs are valued at an estimated £70 million with a potential £17m to form local contracts, including a variety of local services, from aggregate supply to catering facilities.

The Lethans Wind Farm would contribute approximately £8m over the 25 year lifetime of the project towards community initiatives, in addition to a £250,000 investment towards improving access to the site with cycling and walking facilities.

The firm is also offering the community the opportunity to purchase up to a 5 per cent stake in Lethans Wind Farm. Having an annual revenue stream over the 25 years lifetime of the wind farm presents an opportunity for long lasting, positive benefits for the local area.

Borders education centre plans seek progress

Approval is being sought to start consultation on plans for an additional support centre for pupils with profound and complex needs in the Borders.

The site in Earlston is scheduled to open in 2017.

Scottish Borders Council said early indications were that community views of the project were “very positive”.

It is now seeking approval to start formal consultation on the move which would also end current provision at primaries in Hawick and Innerleithen.

The council has said the new building will provide a “first class learning environment for children with complex and profound needs from across the Borders”.

CCG completes Yoker village for Cube Housing Association

CCG Scotland has completed a new 46 home development in Glasgow for Cube Housing Association.

Located on a prominent position overlooking the River Clyde, Yoker Village comprises a single four storey block of one and two bedroom apartments available for mid-market rent which are managed by Lowther Homes.

The property management company, part of Wheatley Group, owns, lets and manages a portfolio of more than 700 quality homes for mid-market and full-market rent across central Scotland.

Helensburgh public realm project wins another award

Scotland’s first Outdoor Museum, created as part of Argyll and Bute Council’s ambitious multi-million pound public realm regeneration project, has won the prestigious Saltire Arts in Public Spaces award.

The museum was curated and delivered by arts organisation WAVEparticle in collaboration with landscape architects Austin-Smith:Lord for Argyll and Bute Council.

The Saltire Society Arts in Public Places Awards, which were awarded at a ceremony at the Saltire Society Headquarters in Edinburgh on Thursday 11th August, highlight excellence and demonstrate how arts and crafts can be an intrinsic and beautiful part of our built environment.

The innovative Outdoor Museum sits at the heart of Helensburgh’s wider revitalised town centre public realm, which was designed by landscape architects Austin-Smith:Lord as part of Argyll and Bute Council’s regeneration initiative.

South Ayrshire community campus reaches first major milestone

Construction work on the new Tarbolton Community Campus has reached its first major milestone.

The steel frame for the new South Ayrshire Council project is now complete, with the project on course to be completed on time and on budget.

The £8.2 million project will provide places for 297 primary children and 40 early years children, with sports, leisure, library facilities, and meeting rooms all being provided under one roof, to be used as shared facilities for the whole community. The project includes a new multi-use games area which has already been completed and will shortly be available for community use.

The flexible design of the campus will allow education and community use of the building to be offered at the same time, maximising access to this valuable resource.

The front of the new campus will be extensively landscaped to provide car parking and to ensure the campus is accessible from all parts of the village.

Since the project got underway in March the main contractor Morrison Construction has been working to complete the steel frame, with work now focusing on developing the building’s exterior.

The new building is set to open in early 2017.

Six graduate from Dundee construction employability programme

The hard work of six young people in Dundee who faced barriers to getting a job has paid off for them in spades.

All have been offered full time work with Advance Construction after impressing on their training programme.

The group, Billy Dunn, Cameron Healy, Dale Holt, Drew Buchan, Michael Malone and Robbie Sommerville formed the second cohort of Construction Employability candidates.

They recently completed an intensive six week training and work experience programme in the Construction Industry.

The candidates went through a number of training courses and also had extensive work experience operating on construction sites.

Alex Davidson, project manager at Advance, said: “As we continue to expand in the east of Scotland it is important that as well as employing local labour on all our contracts, we give something back to the local community and this seemed like a great opportunity to get involved.

“The scheme has been a great success and we will be hoping to run the same course later on in the year.”

The programme was developed by Dundee City Council and Jobcentre Plus, as part of a partnership response to tackling unemployment among young people in the city facing barriers to work and was supported by Advance Construction, Kilmac, Robertson Construction, Balfour Beatty and JB Safesite Training.

Work underway on £2.6m Fife archive store

Work is underway to build a new £2.6 million historical archive store in Fife.

The storage and management facility is being developed at Fife Council’s Bankhead Depot in Depot.

It will store over 100,000 historic objects, documents, photographs and works of art into one secure and environmentally controlled facility. In addition, it will house the council’s historic archive records and staff managing the school library service.

The new centre is to be completed in spring 2017.

Moray road maintenance project to begin

Work is to begin on a road maintenance project in Moray.

The council will start resurfacing two sections of road in the Kintessack and Rafford areas on Monday, 22 August.

The C7E at the Wellhill Road junction will be closed for two days, while the C14E Mannachie to Rafford Road will be shut for 10 days.