Building Briefs – August 25th

Milnbank Housing Association’s £3m renovation programme

Milnbank Housing Association is embarking on a £3 million maintenance programme that will benefit thousands of tenants in Glasgow, after agreeing new funding with Clydesdale Bank.

Founded in 1975, the community-based housing association owns and manages 1,700 properties and provides factor services to a further 1,000 homes in the East End of Glasgow.

The organisation is celebrating its 40th birthday with maintenance programme that will include windows replacement and kitchen upgrades at a selection of its properties. Other tenants will benefit from tenement close upgrades.

The renovations are being delivered with the support of a £3m funding package from Clydesdale Bank’s specialist social housing team.

Campaign to save Aberdeen’s Broadford Works

A petition has been launched to preserve the heritage of one of Aberdeen’s oldest sites.

The petition, on behalf of the citizens of Aberdeen, demands the local authority use a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to secure the future of the Broadford Works.

The A-listed mill buildings were constructed in 1808, but are now the biggest collection of at-risk listed buildings in Scotland.

The former Richards textile factory closed its doors in 2004, and over the years the vacant buildings have been devastated by vandalism and numerous fires.

Tycoon Ian Suttie, who is boss of First Construction, was given permission by the Scottish Government in 2013 to create a £50 million “urban village”.

But since then no progress has been made at the Maberley Street site.

The petition, which has more than a hundred signatures, calls on Aberdeen City Council to use a CPO to secure the site and conserve its history.

New council homes open in East Lothian

East Lothian Council’s new £1.8 million development of 16 flats in Dunbar have been officially opened by housing and environment spokesperson Councillor Norman Hampshire.

The Rotary Court development was built by local firm Hart Builders under a contract to purchase the completed houses worth. Members of Dunbar’s Rotary Club were also invited to attend the opening event as the development has been named after the club in recognition of the good work they’ve done locally over many years.

The flats, which were completed in late June, have been added to the council’s rented housing stock and let to people from the council’s housing waiting list. Over the past year, East Lothian Council has added 80 newly built homes to its council housing stock across the county.

Rotary Court is situated at the east end of Kellie Road within a residential area, close to the roundabout at Spott Road. The site had been lying vacant and had not previously been developed. Planning permission was granted for the 0.4 hectares site in December 2012 and construction work began in July 2014.

All of the flats at Rotary Court have two bedrooms and are in blocks of four. The homes have beenwill be built to meet the appropriate Housing for Varying Needs standards, to ensure good accessibility but in addition four of the ground-floor flats are provided with wet-floor showers to make them more accessible to people who are less mobile. They also benefit from very energy efficient heating systems and high levels of insulation.

Each of the properties has received £46,000 (a total of £736,000) in Council House Building Grant from the Scottish Government.

Hydro scheme to produce enough power for over 800 homes opens in Argyll

A hydro power scheme which could produce enough power for over 800 homes each year has been officially opened by deputy first minister John Swinney.

The jointly owned £3.5 million project in Glen Fyne, Argyll is now connected to the national grid, and it is estimated it will produce around 3.2 million kilowatt hours (kWh) each year, which is equivalent to the annual consumption of over 800 homes.

The project has been developed by four partners, including Here We Are, which is an innovative community organisation which aims to assist with the development and sustainability of the local community.

Surveyor appointed to RICS board

Ian Fergusson, managing partner of Shepherd Chartered Surveyors, has been appointed to the UK and Ireland world regional board of the industry’s leading professional body.

The board leads the UK and Ireland strategy for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) alongside six other global regions.

Mr Fergusson is a fellow of RICS who has worked in the property industry for more than 30 years, and sits on the body’s Scotland board.

Further investigations into Cairngorms asbestos discovery

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has said further investigations need to be carried out before a path affected by asbestos can be re-opened.

Small pieces of asbestos were found on 730m of path in Ellan Wood, Carr-Bridge in July.

As a result, the path has been closed until remedial action can be undertaken.

Specialist company ENTEC has visited the site and carried out initial sample testing and survey work to establish the extent of this contamination.

Following a review of the findings, the landowners and agencies involved have agreed that further analysis is necessary to ensure that a remedial plan for the site is extremely thorough.

The CNPA met with Woodland Trust Scotland, The Highland Council (THC), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust (COAT) and ENTEC on 18 August.

It was agreed at the meeting that to ensure the effective removal of the contaminated material further testing and analysis would be required.

ENTEC will carry out this work, with results expected within the next two to three weeks.

The further sampling due to be carried out is expected to help identify the potential source of the asbestos.

Demolition work to begin at former East Dunbartonshire Council HQ

East Dunbartonshire Council has announced work is set to begin on the demolition of its former headquarters.

A contractor has been appointed to begin preparatory work on the Tom Johnston House in Kirkintilloch next week.

The council decided at a meeting on 25 June to proceed with the former HQ’s demolition following completion of the tender process.

The site will be secured using hoarding and fencing, with the council’s roads department co-ordinating with the contractor on any temporary closures of the footway in front of Tom Johnston House.

It is estimated the main demolition period will last approximately 15 weeks, beginning in early September.

Afterwards the cleared site will be handed back to the council.

In April, councillors granted planning permission in principle - subject to legal agreement - to proposals for a mixed-use development.

Plans for the former Tom Johnston House site and neighbouring Whitegates Business Park include a food store, petrol filling station, restaurant and associated parking, access and landscaping.

Some existing industrial units and a day nursery would also be retained within Whitegates.

Final phase of work will tackle ‘tired’ section of Kirkcaldy High Street

A major project to transform a “tired” area of Kirkcaldy town centre will start within months.

Contractors will begin a near £900,000 overhaul of the High Street’s west end in October, the final phase in a protracted process to improve the town’s main shopping precinct.

This follows on from improvements elsewhere in the heart of Kirkcaldy.

The High Street improvement programme was always intended to be delivered in three phases.

It began in the east end and continued along the pedestrianised area at a cost of £4.4 million, with any money left over to be used for the third phase in the west end.

However, five years on the west end remains untouched, though changes are now imminent following the appointment of a contractor.

The overhaul will see new lighting and street furniture installed, while the junction at Nicol Street and High Street will be redesigned.

If work begins in October then it is anticipated that the £870,000 project could be finished by May.

Mooring facility improvements to get underway

North Ayrshire Council has announced a funding programme to improve mooring facilities on the Clyde Islands.

The works will provide additional facilities for boating enthusiasts and will get underway this month.

Over £120,000 has been secured to improve facilities on the Isles of Arran and Cumbrae.

The funding has been provided by the Coastal Communities Fund, an initiative established by HM Treasury and delivered in partnership with the Scottish Government (Marine Scotland).

The award will allow the council to install additional moorings at Arran (Whiting Bay, Blackwaterfoot and Pirnmill) as well as Millport on Cumbrae.

The improvements will allow boat owners to visit these locations by securing their boats to a fully serviced berth.

Proposals for the new facilities have been developed in association with the local communities, managed in partnership between North Ayrshire Council, Visit Arran and the Cumbrae Community Development Company (CCDC).

The new bays add to the existing stock in Lochranza, Brodick, Lamlash and Millport. Work is underway to investigate the potential for improved step ashore facilities linked to the mooring facilities.