Building Briefs – December 9th

Fife NHT scheme welcomes 999th tenant

The latest tenant to move into a property delivered by the National Housing Trust (NHT) and Fife Council has been handed the keys to his new affordable-rent home at Caraille Green in Crail in time for Christmas.

Delivered by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), NHT is an award-winning programme designed to help Scotland’s local authorities increase the supply of affordable-rent housing in conjunction with the Scottish Government. Since its launch in late 2010, contracts have been signed to build over 1,275 homes across 10 local authority areas.

At the Crail development, house builder Stewart Milne is building 62 new NHT homes of which 18 have been built with the rest to be completed in early 2015.

Plans for 310 Aberdeenshire homes lodged

Plans for the first phase of a huge housing development in the Mearns have been lodged.

Kirkwood Homes eventually wants to build 885 homes at Conveth Mains, Laurencekirk, along with space for businesses and shops.

The Sauchen-based firm’s master plan for the 278-acre site was approved last year, and now proposals for the first 310 houses have been lodged with Aberdeenshire Council.

Members of the Kincardine and Mearns area committee approved the masterplan last year.

As well as the housing, 66 acres of employment land will be created on the site, which is opposite the new Mearns Academy community campus.

The homes will be developed in six phases.

Fife approves new children and young people’s house

Councillors have agreed plans to go ahead with a new Children’s House at Raith Gates, Kirkcaldy.

Fife Council is replacing a small, community based house for children and young people who cannot live at home with their families with a newly built, high-quality facility as the current house in Glenrothes is no longer fit for purpose.

The former Raith Gates Care Home site in Kirkcaldy was chosen for the new build after considering a number of locations in central Fife.

Latest phase of Stonehaven housing plan in place

The latest phase of a multimillion development which will bring a derelict north-east mansion back to life as a boutique hotel could be approved next week.

FM Ury already has planning consent to build 230 homes as an enabling development to fund the restoration of B- listed Ury House, near Stonehaven.

The firm will today seek full planning permission for 84 homes at East Lodge, the last phase of the enabling development. The site will eventually have 179 homes, which will be a “refreshing” mix of three, four and five-bedroom houses and bungalows.

Despite the layout for the site falling outwith the area already approved for the scheme, planning bosses are recommending the proposals are approved by the Kincardine and Mearns area committee.

Although the planning service supports the plans, Aberdeenshire Council’s children’s services (education) department is concerned about the impact it would have on Stonehaven’s schools, with Dunnottar Primary already full and Mackie Academy predicted to be over capacity next year.

Pupils would also need transport, due to the “significant walking distance” from the site to any of the area’s schools.

But Mr Archer believes the finished £40 million development will offer improved access and links to the town centre from the estate, and says that at present there is good public transport provision within a “reasonable distance” from the site which will be further enhanced when the works at East Lodge, and elsewhere on the estate, are completed.

The masterplan for the Ury Estate also includes an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.

The firm had also hoped to build a supermarket, petrol station and budget 50-bedroom hotel, but the proposals were thrown out last month.

If approved, the plans will be referred to the infrastructure services committee for a final decision.

Highland Council pushes ahead with Inverness Castle plan

Highland Council has said that it will submit a planning application for a viewing platform and shops for part of Inverness Castle before Christmas.

The local authority owns the North Tower and is leading a study into how it could be made available to tourists.

Built in stages in the 1800s on the site of previous historic castles, the sprawling Inverness Castle was first used as a county hall and later a jail.

In more recent times it has served as Inverness Sheriff Court.

But because the tower is owned by the local authority it could be opened up to visitors sooner than other parts of the site.

The viewing platform, which would give views of Inverness and the surrounding landscape, could be opened to the public next year or early 2016.

Highland Council joined the Scottish Government in setting up a working group earlier this year in a broader project looking at the castle’s future tourism potential.

Plans for Bearsden Community Hub

Emerging plans for the development of the Bearsden Community Hub are set to be taken out to the public at a community information session next week.

The network of community hubs, including Bearsden, is a key aspect of East Dunbartonshire Council’s programme to continue to deliver customer services locally.

In September 2013 the council agreed a preferred option for the development of the Bearsden Hub at the Burgh Hall site on Drymen Road. Council officers worked with hub West Scotland to consider a number of options for the new facility.

Work is now underway to progress the option for the redevelopment of the site that was approved by council in November.

Westpoint Homes submits Edinburgh planning application

Westpoint Homes have submitted a planning application to build 60 flats on Annandale Street, Edinburgh.

The flats, of which a quarter will be affordable, will be created on the site of an existing office block.

Westpoint Homes has said the office building on the site has been vacant since early 2013 and has an overall footprint of 1,848 sq m. It is bound by residential developments on Annandale Street, Hopetoun Street and Hopetoun Crescent.

Plans for the site would see the existing office premises demolished, with 60 mainstream residential units constructed in its place. Fifteen of these would be affordable housing. The properties will consist of one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

Elsewhere, 50 car parking spaces are proposed for the rear of the site; of these, 45 spaces will be for the mainstream units, three for disabled persons’ vehicles, three to serve the affordable units and two on-site visitor spaces.

An additional five on-street visitor parking spaces will be provided if necessary. Landscaping and planting is also included in the designs, as well as a shared amenity space to the rear of the site.

East Ayrshire learning and enterprise campus proposed

East Ayrshire Council is developing ambitious and innovative plans for a unique learning and enterprise campus which will provide state of the art learning facilities for thousands of children and young people for communities around Cumnock and Auchinleck, transforming education provision in the area for generations to come.

If the plan reaches fruition it will see the council making a significant investment in the future of the Cumnock and Auchinleck area and its young people.

Initial proposals for a new campus development in the Broomfield area of Cumnock, provisionally labelled the Knockroon Learning and Enterprise Campus, would include a merged primary school, incorporating Greenmill Primary School and Early Childhood Centre and Barshare Primary School, Supported Learning Centre and Early Childhood Centre; Hillside School, and a merged Auchinleck Academy and Cumnock Academy and Supported Learning Centre.

The plans also include further education and business enterprise facilities. The campus design will be sympathetic to the architecture of Cumnock, continuing the theme at the neighbouring Knockroon development, and will also include excellent sports and recreation facilities accessible by the community. Parents, staff, children and young people will be given a role in developing the design for the campus.

Proposals will be presented to Cabinet this week for consideration. Ideas are still at an early stage of development, and if approved, will be subject to a full statutory consultation that is required before they can be taken to the next stage.

The cost of the project will be in the region of £62.5m, and subject to completion of all necessary consultations and procurement procedures, it is intended that construction will begin in 2017, with primary and special schools opening towards the end of 2018, with the secondary school scheduled for opening in 2019.