Building Briefs – August 28th

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) will be asked to approve a spend of just over £906,000 to overhaul the heating and ventilation systems and fund additional repairs and alterations to the staff quarters at Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow.

Papers lodged ahead of today’s SPT Operations Committee meeting state that two-storey office building, which houses around 100 staff, “is in need of refurbishment”.

Eric Stewart, SPT’s assistant chief executive in charge of operations, has recommended that the contract for the work be awarded to AKP, who he said submitted a “very high quality tender”.

The overhaul will see the space converted from a series of separate offices into an open plan style to improve efficiency between departments.

Contact centre staff who take bookings for SPT’s MyBus, Hospital Evening Visitor Service, Social Transport and Community Transport, along with IT staff, will be relocated to Buchanan Bus Station following the upgrade.

The heating and ventilation systems in the office block are also said to be “overdue for replacement”.

The ventilation system uses R22 refrigerant, which was outlawed in January this year due to its harmful effect on the ozone layer.

Work to begin on new town after 13-year wait

A “new chapter in the history of the Highlands” began yesterday with work on a new town for 10,000 people now finally under way.

Up to 5,000 homes could be built at Tornagrain, between Inverness and Nairn, with more than 13 years s pent developing t he plans.

Landowners Moray Estates and John Stuart, the Earl of Moray, said the first houses would be ready next year.

Scottish Water announces preliminary works ahead of Glasgow upgrades

Scottish Water has announced investigative work, ahead of a planned waste water network investment, is being carried out in Glasgow.

Road users are being advised of some road traffic management in the Kelvinside area ahead the planned upgrade works.

Scottish Water has identified the need for improvements to its infrastructure in the Bellshaugh Road area.

The improvements will reduce the frequency of spills from Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO’s) into the River Kelvin during prolonged heavy rainfall.

The contractors, Environmental Scientific Group (ESG) will carry out ground investigations in Bellshaugh Road from around 7 September for approximately four week.

Plans for wind farm near Leswalt refused

Plans to build eight new wind turbines in the far south-west of Scotland have been rejected by councillors.

Brookfield Renewable UK applied to develop a site at Larbrax, near Leswalt in Wigtownshire.

Dumfries and Galloway Council’s landscape architect objected to the plans, claiming it would have an adverse visual impact on the surrounding coastal area.

Scottish Natural Heritage also raised “significant and serious concerns”.

Meanwhile, a separate proposal for a wind farm at Gass Farm, north-east of Glenluce, has been approved.

Councillors backed WilloWind’s plans for the nine-turbine development, subject to strict conditions.

Work on crossing for A84 trunk road completed

Stirling Council has announced work on a signal controlled crossing for the A84 trunk road is completed.

Council workers finished the majority of work in Doune at the end of July.

The final work on kerbing and the footway has now been completed by BEAR.

The work is due to the council’s support for a long-running campaign to create a safe crossing point on the trunk road, to develop links between the village and nearby Wood of Doune.

The council, Sustrans Scotland and Transport Scotland shared the cost of installing the crossing, with Transport Scotland agreeing to take responsibility for ongoing maintenance.

Public invited to propose names for new Argyll building

Argyll and Bute Council is inviting local people to propose names for a new building development on East Clyde Street.

The building will provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ for key council services, space for community groups and a marriage suite for couples, families and friends.

Other features include a cafe, gallery and meeting rooms.

In addition, landscaped grounds outside are open for public use, including an outdoor events and marriage area as well as a community garden.

The project has been supported by the Anderson family, who agreed money from the sale of the old Templeton Library could be used for the community annexe in the new building.

With the building nearly completed, the council is now working with its contractors and all parties involved to resolve outstanding issues.

Council agrees plans for new Galston school campus

East Ayrshire Council has approved plans to relocate a primary school.

Councillors granted consent to relocate St Sophia’s Primary School to a shared £3.1m campus with Galston Primary School and Early Childhood Centre.

The council said the schools will retain their own ‘unique’ identities with the move, while also benefitting from shared resources and facilities at the campus.

The decision comes after months of extensive consultation with a wide range of agencies and groups, including parents, teachers, local residents, the Catholic Church, politicians, trade unions, other local authorities and the pupils.

Many of the new facilities will also be available to the local community and further consultations are now planned on how best the campus designs can adapted to serve pupils and local communities.

In addition, a traffic impact assessment will be conducted to improve traffic flow and parking at the new campus.