Building Briefs – August 28th

A masterplan to create hundreds of affordable homes in central Glasgow has been completed by housing provider Sanctuary.

Keys to the final phase’s 206 flats have been handed over, changing residents’ lives for the better.

Sanctuary Scotland worked with the local community, Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council to transform Anderston’s housing stock.

The 10-year project saw many 1960s buildings demolished and replaced with 540 affordable homes. The final phase included 87 flats for social rent and 119 for mid-market rent.

The final phase of Sanctuary’s regeneration of Anderston includes three child play areas. A section of Argyle Street lost to pedestrians and cyclists in the 1960s was also restored, creating an unbroken thoroughfare from the city centre to Finnieston.

Tenants move in to DGHP’s new Lochfield Road development

Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP) chairman, Robert Higgins, visited the latest housing development at Palmerston View this week.

He was joined by other DGHP representatives, funders and contractors, the development was unveiled as the tenants started to move in to the Dumfries development.

The 16 homes, completed ahead of schedule, were built for DGHP by contractors Ashleigh Scotland and designed by Robert Potters & Partners, McGowan Miller and Asher Associates.

The £2.24 million development was part funded by Scottish Government grants of £1.196m and almost £229,000 from Dumfries and Galloway Council.

The properties are made up of two 2-bedroom semi-detached houses; 2 three-bedroom semi-detached houses and 12 one-bedroom cottage flats.

The silver standard properties include water butts, home office desk spaces and mechanical heat ventilation recovery systems. The gold standard also have, in addition, solar thermal panels for hot water, mobility charging points, intruder alarms, enhanced natural lighting, bicycle storage and triple glazed windows. All properties have solar photo-voltaic panels for electricity.

The development was also awarded the prestigious Secured by Design Gold Standard for security measured incorporated into the design and build of the homes.

Ground investigation works at A9/A82 Longman Junction

Ground investigation works are to start on September 3 as part of the plans to upgrade the Longman roundabout in Inverness included in the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal.

The work is expected to last around four weeks and the vast majority of it will take place off the line of the existing junction, ensuring the need for traffic management is kept to a minimum.

New £10m school opens in Bearsden

The new £10m St Nicholas’ Primary School in Bearsden has opened its doors to 450 pupils during its first week of term.

The school was built as part of East Dunbartonshire Council’s Primary School Improvement Programme.

It is the new home for pupils from the former St Joseph’s and St Andrew’s Primaries.

Contractor Morgan Sindall delivered the school in July, ahead of schedule.

The development features one main 32,000 sq ft building, comprising 17 flexible and open classrooms, designed without doors to encourage collaboration. It also contains landscaped outdoor learning areas, play areas and a 3G synthetic pitch. There are also dedicated spaces for art, science and display throughout the school, while a 3,400 sq ft hall designed with a retractable screen allows it to be divided if necessary. A small roof terrace was also built for outdoor teaching.

Hotel developer buys central Glasgow site

Hotel developer Dominvs Group has bought a prime site for development in Glasgow city centre for a price in excess of £3 million.

The company has acquired the freehold interest in No. 47 Old Wynd with “a view to exploring a range of potential uses”, it said in a statement.

The one-acre site, which is currently used as a car park, is situated at the corner of Osborne Street and Old Wynd in the city centre.

Applications open for road safety framework fund

Applications are being welcomed for Scotland’s £500,000 Road Safety Framework Fund.

The fund aims to find innovative ideas to encourage driving at appropriate speeds, tackle issues affecting pre and existing drivers, and better protect vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians.

The new round of funding was launched by Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson to support Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020.

The closing date for applications is 09 November 2018.

For further information or to make an application, visit: www.transport.gov.scot/transport-network/roads/road-safety/road-safety-framework-fund.