Building Briefs – August 18th

GAP Hire Solutions is delighted to announce nominations in three categories at this year’s Glasgow Business Awards.

GAP is shortlisted in the Family Business of the Year, Best Performing Business (over 51 employees) and People Development award categories. The awards celebrate the businesses that make a positive contribution to the economy in Glasgow and the West.

Currently, GAP has over 120 locations throughout the UK and 8 divisions. GAP employs over 1400, with 160 employees based at its Head Office in Glasgow. The company was established in 1969 in Linwood, Renfrewshire, hiring out large plant equipment to the construction sector.

GAP has also recently been shortlisted for two National Business Awards in the Growth Strategy of the Year and Employer of the Year categories.

The Glasgow Business Awards will be held at the Hilton Glasgow Hotel on the 1st October 2015.

Green light for new Aberdeen Simply site

Simply Self Storage has been granted planning permission to build a second site in Aberdeen.

The company expects to spend around £2.8 million converting the former AC Yule factory in the West Tullos Industrial Estate to offer 650 storage units.

It already operates a 75,000 square feet site in the city at Mugiemoss Road.

Dundee’s road reinstatement performance ‘acceptable’

Dundee’s roads are being reinstated to an acceptable level by the utility companies who dig up them up, according to new inspection data.

Work by Openreach (BT), Scottish Water, Scottish & Southern Energy, Virgin Media and Scotland Gas Networks is randomly inspected two ways by council staff after works have been carried out.

Utility companies’ reinstatements can be subject to a visual sample inspection at three different stages during the works; or the local coring programme which is a physical core that is measured and assessed; or the national coring programme undertaken by all roads authorities in Scotland.

Using these methods, engineering staff identify problems to determine what is happening locally and compare it with previous results and national practices.

On visual samples there was a 98 per cent pass rate, broadly in line with the past five years. After being suspended in 2012 due to fewer reinstatements, the local coring programme resumed in 2014. It showed an 88 per cent pass rate.

The city development committee will discuss the results on Monday August 24.

Forestry Commission Scotland visitor centre shortlisted for award

Forestry Commission Scotland’s (FCS) recently refurbished visitor centre has been shortlisted for an award.

The Queen’s View Visitor Centre has been listed for the Association of Heritage Interpretation (AHI) ‘Discover Heritage 2015’ awards.

AHI Judges will visit the facility over the summer and announce the winner of the award at the AHI conference on 21 October.

The centre, located in Tay Forest Park, was redeveloped during 2013/2014.

The exterior of the buildings has been refreshed and a large balcony area added to the cafe facility which overlooks the forest.

Car and coach parking facilities have also been extended to cater for increased numbers of visitors.

The winner of the award will be announced at an Association of Heritage Interpretation (AHI) conference on 21 October.