Building Briefs – December 19th

You’re hired! Best Christmas gift ever for redundant Fife apprentice‏‎

A young apprentice joiner made redundant half way through the second year of his apprenticeship has found a new job thanks to the efforts of Kingdom Housing Association.

Twenty-one year old Dean Muir, from Kelty, was facing a bleak Christmas after losing his job with a multi-national firm but now he has plenty to celebrate after landing an apprenticeship with Campion Homes, one of Kingdom Housing Association’s main contractors.

After losing his job, Dean was helped by the Opportunities Fife Employer Programme, a partnership between Fife Council and Kingdom Housing Association’s Fife Works Project.

They approached Campion Homes who readily agreed to employ Dean, allowing him to continue with his apprenticeship.

Funding support, to allow Dean to continue his training, was offered through the Fife Youth Jobs Contract, Skills Development Scotland’s Adopt an Apprentice grant and Construction Industry Training Board grants, lowering the financial impact for Campion.

As part of its Affordable Housing Programme, Kingdom incorporates various community benefits into its contracts and employment and training opportunities are facilitated by Kingdom’s employability project in partnership with Fife Council.

Campion Homes has been consistently supportive providing a range of work experience placements for unemployed individuals and school projects.

New town centre access road opens in Dumbarton

West Dunbartonshire Council has opened a new road and footpath into Dumbarton town centre which improves access and could assist future regeneration of the area.

The new access from Glasgow Road via Castle Street into the town opened to vehicles and pedestrians last week.

The existing three-way junction next to McDonald’s Restaurant, at Glasgow Road, has been changed to a four-way junction with a new exit into Castle Street and down to the High Street. Pedestrian routes between the town centre and St. James Retail Park have also been enhanced.

Work is still ongoing to complete the project which includes the creation of new improved parking, lighting and environmental improvements such as street furniture and landscaping which will be completed early in the New Year.

The development which provides an alternative route to the High Street and Dumbarton Waterfront marks the first stage of the planned regeneration of the town centre and has been part-funded by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

Bid to claw back Midlothian repairs budget

Repairs and maintenance like refreshing paintwork on public buildings in Midlothian may be done less frequently in a bid to save £250,000.

Meanwhile a further £250,000 could also be clawed back from Midlothian Council’s resources budget by extending the time between non-essential work on the roads and footpaths network such as replacing ageing signs.

The budgets for pothole repairs and winter gritting would not be affected.

These proposed savings would not come until 2016.

Grant scheme changing face of Paisley town centre

A £3.5 million Renfrewshire Council project to transform a historic area of Paisley is literally changing the face of a busy town centre street by revamping its shopfronts.

The Townscape Heritage Initiative/Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme has made big changes to the Causeyside area of Paisley over the past three years.

The council-run scheme includes funding to reinstate and restore traditional features on the shopfronts of retail businesses within the project area.

Work is already complete or almost complete on seven Causeyside Street shops, with contractors on site on an eighth, and work set to start on a property in Forbes Place in the New Year.

The THI/CARS scheme is funded by Renfrewshire Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Scotland.

Completed work has included £1m public realm works around Causeyside and Johnston Streets, as well as a £500k revamp of two B-listed buildings, Paisley Arts Centre and the tenement at No 43 Causeyside St.

It has also taken in a programme of community benefit schemes, including a three-day arts and crafts workshop allowing young people to design artistic banners, now being displayed along Causeyside St.

Carnoustie housing decision shows westward expansion is favoured

Carnoustie’s direction of development has reversed in the space of a landmark month.

After Angus Council decided just a week ago to delete a local plan housing allocation for Carlogie to the east of the town, Thursday saw a 13-8 vote in favour of the Pitskelly housing/business park plan brought forward by local firm DJ Laing and landowner K&D Henderson restores the emphasis westwards to Upper Victoria.

The scheme will cover around 20 hectares and see some 250 homes built, alongside industrial/ storage and distribution facilities.

A community survey delivered strong support for a scheme, which was on the cards some years ago but foundered on drainage issues.

The applicants say those have now been resolved and supporters suggested the loss of prime agricultural land will be worth the gain for the town.

Aberdeen approves council housing budget

Aberdeen City Council has agreed proposals which bring the city’s capital housing investment to £40 million for 2015/16.

The 2015/16 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and the Housing Capital Programme, approved by councillors this week, will also see a rent increase of 3.3 per cent.

To ensure that the council can deliver on its priorities for its housing stock and its tenants, it was agreed that the budget includes a revenue contribution to the Housing Capital Programme for 2015/16 of £20m. Combined with an additional £15m in borrowing, this will bring the level of capital investment to £40m for 2015/16.

Some 360 homes will have new kitchens fitted, and 250 homes will be equipped with new bathrooms. Window replacements will go ahead in 36 blocks of flats, and 11,600 homes will be rewired. More than 200 homes will have extra-secure “crime-check” doors installed.

Some 1,300 homes will receive new high-efficiency gas heating systems – and seven multi-storeys in Tillydrone will be connected to the award-winning Combined Heat and Power scheme.

Work on the programme to over-clad a total of seven multi-storeys in Cornhill will also be completed during the coming the financial year and a start will be made on a similar programme in Seaton, with three blocks due to be started in 2015/16 and a further four in 2016/17.

This will mean all of the blocks will meet the demanding new Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing within the deadline of 2020.

Fife agrees five year affordable housing investment plan

Fife Council has agreed a five year plan that will set the direction for investment in affordable housing in the Kingdom.

The Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) for 2015/16 – 2019/20 was agreed at the committee meeting earlier this week and will have a direct contribution to the delivery of the council’s target of 2,700 affordable homes by 2017.

Fife is required to submit this plan to the Scottish Government to set out the affordable housing investment priorities for the council and housing associations for the next five years and show where just over £38 million of Scottish Government grant funding for affordable housing will be prioritised.

The council’s own budget for affordable housing is in the region of £93m, which it uses alongside the Scottish Government grant but an over provision of £16.5m has also been built in to the plan should additional budget or grant funding become available.

Read the full Strategic Housing Investment Plan.

Link Group chair Peter Foreman retires

Peter Foreman has retired from the Link Group Ltd board after 14 years of service including three years as chair and four years as vice-chair.

Peter was appointed as chair in February 2012 and ‘on his watch’ Link not only celebrated its 50th birthday but was also named Scottish and UK ‘Social Enterprise of the Year’ 2013, Scottish Home Awards ‘Housing Association of the Year’ 2013, ‘Outstanding Achievement’ and ‘Employer of the Year’ at the Falkirk Herald Business Awards 2013 as well as Homes for Scotland’s ‘Best Supporting Company’ 2014.

During his time as chair, Link delivered 790 new high quality affordable homes, it committed to providing the Living Wage for all its employees, achieved Investors in People Gold, Investors in Diversity and became the first Registered Social Landlord to become a National Skills Academy for Construction.

The board has appointed Roy Stirrat as chair and John Hinton as vice chair.

New Monifieth homes approved

A decision has been made to approve hundreds of new homes in Monifieth.

On Thursday, Angus Council rejected a 300-house scheme for land north of Ashludie Hospital but approved another 350-400 house plan for housebuilder Taylor Wimpey at the Grange.

Double win for Glengate Hall in Angus

Angus Council and Redford Homes Ltd are celebrating a double awards win for the Glengate Hall in Kirriemuir.

The derelict 19th century listed building has been converted into new affordable homes for rent, following a £225,000 investment from the Scottish Government’s Empty Homes Loan Fund.

The Glengate Hall has won the SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration.

The news comes a week after Angus Council picked up the ‘Best use of media’ at Shelter’s Scottish Empty Homes Champion of the Year 2014 awards. The council won the award for their work to further the objective to bring private sector empty homes back into use.

Portobello store plan is cleared

Plans to create a major supermarket and hundreds of homes in Portobello have been given the green light despite fears it will send the high street into terminal decline.

Budget shopping chain Aldi and housebuilder Cruden will develop the former Scottish Power site at Baileyfield – creating a supermarket and 200 homes – with the promise of creating up to 500 jobs.

£3.5m plan for new home for Great Tapestry

Councillors have agreed to fund the building of a permanent home for the Great Tapestry of Scotland in the Borders.

Members of Scottish Borders Council voted 21-10 in favour of allocating up to £3.5 million towards the project which will be built on a greenfield site on an industrial estate in Tweedbank, near Galashiels, Selkirkshire.

Kirkcaldy’s Posting Steps set for makeover

Work is set to begin early next year to improve the ‘Postings Steps’ at Bell Inn Wynd in Kirkcaldy.

The total project cost is around £95,000 with the rest of the work being funded from Fife Council’s Transportation budget.

Work is due to begin in February 2015.