Building Briefs – August 26th

Developer Queensberry Properties, a partnership between Cruden Homes and land and property experts Buccleuch Property, has announced plans for a development within the extensive grounds of the famous Peebles Hydro Hotel in the Scottish Borders.

The aptly named Hydro Gardens will include a selection of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, five-bedroom mews and semi-detached villas and executive style four and five-bedroom detached villas, all designed exclusively for the location and each featuring an exceptional interior specification.

The location sits in a raised position overlooking the expansive Gytes playing fields and onwards across the River Tweed to the Tweeddale countryside and the Southern Uplands beyond.

Aberdeen regeneration plans approved

Aberdeen City Council has agreed plans to demolish 112 properties to support community regeneration in the Middlefield area.

Due to the planned Haudagain Improvement Scheme, the local authority will now rehouse tenants in the Triangle Site - Logie Avenue, Logie Gardens, Logie Place and North Anderson Drive – who would otherwise be surrounded by major new and existing roads.

The plans were largely supported by tenants in the area who will be given high priority for housing and will be placed on the urgent list with a view to having everyone re-housed by December 2017.

As part of the council’s multi-million pound Shaping Middlefield regeneration plan, the re-housing programme will free up the existing site to be used in line with community wishes.

Aberdeen City Council chief executive, Angela Scott, is to write to the Scottish Government seeking additional financial support.

Kingdom delivers 27 affordable new homes for Kincardine

Twenty-seven affordable new two and three-bedroomed homes will be created by the latest phase of the redevelopment of Devilla in Kincardine, Fife, which is now under way.

The £3.6 million development of new homes, on the site of former high rise flats owned by Fife Council, is scheduled for completion in August 2017.

Twenty-five of the new houses will be provided by Kingdom Initiatives, which has obtained funding from the Scottish Government. Kingdom Initiatives is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingdom Housing Association which will also provide a further two cottages on the site.

Nine of the houses will be for mid-market rent and 16 will be for sale to local priority applicants.

The latest phase is part of the partnership between Kingdom and Fife Council, which has been ongoing at Devilla since the council started to demolish the high rise flats in June 2010. A total of 71 social rented and 13 mid-market rent homes have already been built by Kingdom on the site.

The total cost, for the current project, is around £3.6m and the Scottish Government have provided £973,000 in subsidy support to the project. The private finance element of the project will be funded through the Allia bond funding that Kingdom agreed earlier this year.

All the homes have been designed to Kingdom’s normal high standards and will be Secured by Design accredited, built to meet Silver Sustainability standards and Community Benefits have been incorporated into the contract in line with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) Matrix.

The project has been designed by Oliver & Robb Architects, Scott Bennett Associates, both of Dunfermline, and Langmuir & Hay of Glasgow. The main contractor is Campion Homes also located in Dunfermline.

When the current phase is completed there are plans for a final 22 new homes to be provided as part of the project.

Community to be consulted on future of Lochaber multi-use games area

Repairs are to be made to a multi-use games area at Upper Achintore, Fort William to allow the previously closed pitch to be brought back into temporary use.

The Highland Council has agreed funds of around £10,000 which will be used to repair the pitch that was closed for safety reasons following vandalism.

Work begins on £2.5m Moray supported housing

Construction has started on a new £2.5 million housing development in Moray for adults with complex care and support needs.

The work marks the first major project to be taken forward by the Moray Integration Joint Board (IJB) which has responsibility for bringing together a wide range of health and social care functions for adults.

Vice-chair Christine Lester was joined by colleagues, staff and the families of the prospective tenants at the Lhanbryde site to mark the start of work.

The development of 10 purpose-built bungalows on a site off Garmouth Road will provide permanent homes and respite accommodation for adults with autism and communication difficulties.

It will replace the existing residential facility Maybank in Forres, a converted Victorian house which has become an increasingly unsuitable environment for those who live and work there.

The integration joint board is drawn from representatives of Moray Council, NHS Grampian, health and social care professionals, the third sector and the community to reflect the broad partnership approach to working together to improve the health and wellbeing of adults in Moray.

The Lhanbryde development has been fully funded from Moray Council’s capital programme and will be managed by Health and Social Care Moray, the operational workforce reporting to the IJB.

Springfield Properties has won the contract to construct the 10 homes in Lhanbryde.

Plans for Cumbernauld bus stances

Proposals for the refurbishment of Cumbernauld bus stances are now on public display.

North Lanarkshire Council is working in partnership with Campsies Centre (Cumbernauld) Ltd, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Hamcap (Cumbernauld) LLP, owners of both the Cumbernauld Town Centre and Cumbernauld Shopping Centre, to deliver the £2.2 million project.

A planning application has been submitted for the work, which is designed to upgrade and modernise the bus facilities for passengers.

The proposals have been issued to the community councils, community forum and elected members in the Cumbernauld area, and are on display at the bus stances.

The proposals include: full height glass fronts to the passenger waiting areas, increasing light and visibility to the bus stops; widened external pedestrian areas to improve safety and access; improved layouts allowing better passenger circulation; improved passenger information; and resurfacing of the bus stop areas.

Within each bus stance, on either side of the dual carriageway, there will be space for a kiosk and improved lighting and automatic doors.

Decision deferred on 110 Aberdeen key worker homes

Councillors have deferred a decision on whether to approve plans to build more than 100 homes for NHS staff and teachers in Aberdeen.

NHS Grampian lodged proposals with Aberdeen City Council late last year to create 110 homes on the former nurses’ accommodation complex at Foresterhill Court at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Drafted in conjunction with Grampian Housing Association and designed by Halliday Fraser Munro, the proposed key worker accommodation would not only be used for NHS staff but for emergency workers and teachers.

A report by Aberdeen City Council planning officers had recommended councillors to reject the development due to its impact on green space and the character of the area, with particular reference to the number of trees on the site.

However, councillors voted 15 to one to defer the application in order to see if issues with the application could be resolved and to carry out a site visit.

The flats were hoped to be completed by winter of 2017.

Roadworks to start in Kirkmichael

Roadworks are due to take place on the A924 Main Street, Kirkmichael starting from Monday 26 September for a period of two weeks (excluding weekends).

Perth & Kinross Council said the works will require the road to be closed from 9.15am – 12.00 noon and from 1.00pm – 3.15pm daily. The road will be open outwith these times to minimise disruption.

WSHA celebrates £50m East Glasgow regeneration milestone

West of Scotland Housing Association (WSHA) was joined by minister for local government and housing Kevin Stewart MSP and Councillor George Redmond, executive member for jobs, business and investment at Glasgow City Council, at the launch of their latest housing development which celebrated a landmark £50 million investment in Camlachie/Barrowfield in East Glasgow.

The housing association has been delivering a comprehensive regeneration programme in the area since 1996 creating 500 high-quality, affordable homes. WSHA have invested an additional £25m in developing 200 homes within the neighbouring communities of the Gallowgate and the Games Village, Dalmarnock.

The latest £2.4m development in Camlachie consists of 18 amenity homes designed for older people with two ground floor flats being designated for wheelchair users. The project, which also includes a community car park, was constructed by CCG (Scotland) Ltd and given funding support by Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and WSHA.

Other recent physical regeneration includes a new community park and improved recreational facilities at the local community centre.

Aberdeen Link Road to open next week

The first phase of the £15.2 million Dyce Park and Choose scheme in the form of a Link Road which connects the A96 Craibstone roundabout to the Dyce Drive/International Avenue junction is to be open to the public next week.

The three-lane dual carriageway road is one of a series of infrastructure improvements to tackle congestion and reduce journey times for motorists around the city.

It will also improve access to Aberdeen International Airport, relieve pressure on the busy A96, provide improvements to traffic in the Dyce area, and also provide opportunities to bus routes to access the airport more easily.

The Link Road is part of a wider strategic plan to connect with other major infrastructure projects which are designed to transform moving around the city including the AWPR/B-T, the £26.4m Berryden Corridor, and the £22.3m third Don Crossing which was opened in June.

The Link Road, which will be open to motorists on Monday afternoon, is the first phase of the 1,000-space Dyce Park and Choose project and is designed to connect into the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR/B-T.)