Building Briefs – August 7th

Muirhouse Housing Association (MHA) has completed its final phase of homes on the former BT training ground in Edinburgh.

The association has added a further 64 units to the 58 homes it completed in 2014.

The development is split between 62 general needs, amenity and wheelchair user properties for MHA, and 60 properties for mid market rent. The development includes a mix of one and two bedroom flats, traditional four in blocks, and large family houses.

The development, by Springfield Properties, reached the finals of the national Premier Guarantee awards in 2014, and has high hopes for the same award for 2015. The development has been designed to high standards of quality and efficiency, and achieves Silver Standard for sustainability. The development includes gas central heating and electric air source heat pump systems, and solar panels are connected to the landlord supply.

A subsidiary company, Muirhouse Homes, was established in 2014 to introduce and manage the new tenure of mid market to the community.

New £5.2m transport hub in Galashiels to open

A new £5.2m transport interchange in Galashiels is to be officially opened.

It will help to connect the Borders railway - due to open next month - with a new bus station and pedestrian access to the town centre.

The interchange, which will also include a cafe, will open to the public on Monday.

Councillor Stewart Bell said the interchange will be an eye-catching entry point to the Borders Railway.

Sod cutting marks start of work on Borders affordable homes

Work has started on an affordable homes development in the Scottish Borders.

An agreement was reached with developers Waverley Tweed Ltd at the end of last year for Scottish Borders Council (SBC) to acquire three flats at a long-standing gap site in Innerleithen High Street, in addition to a further six two-bedroom properties at the developer’s adjacent Waverley Road site, where work is also due to start imminently.

The latter acquisition has been facilitated through SBC’s National Housing Trust Initiative, with limited liability partnership Bridge Homes taking ownership of the houses. The Scottish Government contributed £120,000 from its Affordable Housing Supply Programme towards the purchase of the High Street properties.

Bridge Homes was established by Scottish Borders Council and Scottish Futures Trust following the decision to start an affordable housing investment programme through the National Housing Trust Local Authority Variant scheme.

Inverkip Community Centre set for autumn start

Inverclyde Council is poised to appoint a main contractor for delivery of a £1.8m community centre in Inverkip ahead of an anticipated autumn start on-site.

Designed by SasanBell Architects the facility will comprise a 90 seat capacity multi-purpose hall alongside a library, meeting room and café as well as a 3G sports pitch and community open space.

The main mass of the centre will house the community hall which will play host to local events as well as table tennis and badminton sessions.

20 new homes completed to meet Islay’s pressing housing needs

Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) has completed 20 new homes at Sealladh na Mara, Bowmore on Islay.

Comprising 10 one bed and 10 two bed homes, the project’s total funding amounted to £3,084,922 with contributions from the Scottish Government, ACHA, Argyll and Bute Council and Scottish Water.

The development was built by MacLeod Construction Limited of Lochgilphead. During the construction phase of over a year, 35 workmen were employed on the site including five apprentices.

The development is the first part of Project Shoreline involving ACHA, the Scottish Government, Argyll and Bute Council and Islay Estates. Its ultimate objective is to provide 200 new homes for Bowmore.

Aberdeen primary school to make way for new housing

Barratt has submitted plans to demolish the unlisted former Victoria Road Primary School, Aberdeen, to make way for 62 homes designed by Halliday Fraser Munro.

Between the proposed houses and flats will be an area of public open space with keystones from the existing school retained for use in a retaining wall adjacent to a garden space.

Scottish Borders major planning decision wait reduced

Scottish Borders Council has cut the average time it takes for it to decide major planning applications by more than half.

In 2013/14 it took more than 70 weeks to deal with schemes like wind farms or large housing developments.

That was reduced to an average of just over 30 weeks last year.

Smaller scale developments also saw reductions which it is hoped will result in improved ratings for the service from the Scottish Government.

Last orders for Port Glasgow pub

A Port Glasgow pub gutted by fire is finally being demolished.

Inverclyde Council announced earlier this year that it had bought the building which has been empty since a blaze in March 2009.

Now the council has brought in a demolition company to tear down the building.

Monty’s Bar is located on a corner of Bay Street opposite the junction with Court Road at the heart of Port Glasgow town centre.

After demolition, the area will landscaped while a decision is made on the long term future of the site.

Historic Fife church wins £90,500 from HLF

The 12th century Kirkton Church in Burntisland has been awarded £90,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to preserve the nationally significant ruined building and its churchyard.

The Old Kirkton Church and Historic Graveyard Steering Group made up of the Burntisland Heritage Trust, Fife Council, Burntisland Community Council and the Floral Action Burntisland group submitted the successful bid to safeguard the future of the medieval building and graveyard.

The grant will ensure the oldest building in Burntisland is preserved for future generations by clearing off ivy growth, stabilising its crumbling walls, capping the wall-heads and both reinstating and repairing fallen and broken gravestones.

The two-year project to transform the roofless ruin is set to start later this year, subject to reaching the funding total of £130,000. Once all funding is in place, the project will begin with the building works, followed by graveyard work, culminating in educational and promotional activities.