Building Briefs – August 26th

Orkney-based Green Marine has won a three-year contract to deliver operations and maintenance work for Equinor’s Dudgeon offshore windfarm after a competitive tendering process.

Green Marine will supply its Damen-built 2610 Twin Axe vessel, Green Storm, to assist in the operations and maintenance of the windfarm alongside support from the company’s experienced onshore team.

Green Storm is a dedicated vessel for the offshore wind industry, providing safe transportation of personnel and cargo to offshore installations.

• £3.4m funding for world’s most powerful tidal turbine

Scottish Government funding of £3.4 million has been awarded to help build the world’s most powerful floating tidal turbine.

Scottish engineering company Orbital Marine Power has been awarded the money as the first recipient of the £10 million Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund.

The funding will be used to deliver the next generation O2 2MW Floating Tidal Energy Turbine, capable of powering more than 1,700 homes per year.

• Alloa town centre to undergo improvements

Five key projects have been approved in Alloa which will look to improve the town centre.

The schemes are being delivered with £683,000 government funding presented to Clackmannanshire as part of its Town Centre Fund, which supports councils to ensure that town centres are more diverse, sustainable and successful in the face of changing and evolving retails patterns.

The projects identified in Alloa include a £200,000 Active Travel scheme; £186k improvements on King Street, creating a link between King Street and Drysdale Street; and remodelling social space at Shillinghill and Bank Street.

When complete, the works will address town centre issues such as sustainable transport, congestion, pedestrian connections and anti-social behaviour.
Clackmannanshire Council is delivering the works in partnership with Alloa First, CTSI and Architecture and Design Scotland.

• Public views sought on Skye improvement projects

The Highland Council is hoping that people living and working on the Isle of Skye take up the opportunity to view and comment on plans for two separate projects to improve infrastructure – the Rural Tourism Infrastructure funded Bayfield West Car Park Project in Portree and the Upland Path Improvements Project at the Old Man of Storr.

A Partnership has been established between Highland Council, Portree and Braes Community Trust and Portree Tennis and Squash Club to progress the development of additional parking at Bayfield car park.  

Before progressing the project further, the partnership wants to hear from local people about their views of the project, the benefits they see this could bring and any issues that may arise. It also provides an opportunity to share information on what is proposed and how the new arrangements would work. 

The project is scheduled to be completed in May 2020.

Meanwhile, the Skye Iconic Sites Partnership has been established between the Highland Council, Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate, Scottish National Heritage, Staffin Community Trust, Minginish Community Hall Association and Skye Connect to progress a number of initiatives to improve the infrastructure at multiple tourism sites on Skye. 

The council plans to hold two public information events relating to the provision of a high-quality footpath at the Old Man of Storr, funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, to enhance visitor access while protecting iconic landscapes and internationally important habitat.

Over recent years the Isle of Skye has seen increases in visitor numbers and of these an increasing number are being directed by social media and travel websites to visit specific sites which are promoted as the top places to visit. Visitors to the Old Man of Storr have exceeded the numbers that the current path was designed for by a colossal amount: in 2007 automatic people counters on the path showed that 27,000 people visited the site, but this had increased to an incredible 205,000 in 2018. Indications are that visitor numbers are set to rise further.

The former path has been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of visitors. Erosion on the route has led to disintegration of the original path.

There is an urgent need to build a new footpath on this site to a standard commensurate with the profile and high visitor numbers at the site. This would enhance the visitor experience and be the final piece in the infrastructure jigsaw at this iconic site to tie in with the new car park and visitor facilities.

The project is scheduled to be completed in October 2020.