Building Briefs – February 15th

Work has started on a new affordable housing project located in Leith.

A total of 94 new homes will be built by CCG Scotland on the former 18th century Leith Fort site, 62 of which will be owned by Port of Leith Housing Association and available for mid market rent and 32 units will be owned by the City of Edinburgh Council for social rent.

The new properties have been modelled on the Edinburgh colonies concept and are a mix of one, two, three and four bedroom homes as well as providing a communal green space in the heart of the development.

CCG is expected to be on site until May 2017.

Perth and Kinross agrees £6m road improvement fund

Perth & Kinross Council has agreed a final budget for 2016/17 which included an additional investment of £6 million across the next three years to make improvements to roads, structures and greenspaces.

A series of storms over recent months have been managed successfully by the hard work and resilience of the Roads Maintenance Partnership teams and their commitment to responding to the needs of communities and keep the area moving. However, the severe weather has taken a significant toll on the condition of the local roads network.

Career prospects for many Perth and Kinross residents will be improved with a further investment of £100,000 in the Career Ready programme to increase the number of young people who can benefit from the scheme; £44,000 in the coming year to continue funding for a successful pilot to provide training opportunities for vulnerable people, and £131,000 to maintain funding to continue the delivery of the council’s paid graduate job experience initiative.

Recognising that communities will have a range of local solutions to issues in their area, £100,000 will also be invested in creating a fund managed through the five new Local Community Planning Partnerships to support community projects.

A new lighting strategy to enhance the look and feel of the city centre forms part of £350,000 of funding towards events across Perth and Kinross.

£1.5m Ayr golf clubhouse nears completion

A new £1.5 million golf clubhouse is nearing completion in Ayr.

The facility will be located at The Belleisle championship course and is due to be finished at the end of March.

An application to allow the clubhouse to operate as a family-orientated licensed premises was approved by South Ayrshire Council.

Other features of the building include modern changing accommodation, a new golf professional shop, a large modern café/bar, new starter facilities, club rooms, lounge area, golf simulator room.

New £2.5m fund for enterprising community regeneration projects

More than 40 community organisations that are transforming disused properties and setting up enterprises in their areas are to receive a share of a £2.5 million fund.

The Scottish Government will increase its investment in the Strengthening Communities Programme (SCP) in 2016-17 by £500,000 to £2.5m, to help communities lead economic and regeneration work in their areas.

The SCP will provide investment to enterprising community organisations that have the potential to become more self-sustaining and established.

Organisations whose funding will be maintained in 2016-17 include MsMissMrs in Glasgow which uses the profits from the sale of underwear to organise training courses for women, the Happy n Healthy Community Development Trust in South Lanarkshire which is developing a community wind turbine and the Glendale Trust in Skye, which is taking on ownership of the Borrodale School and Meanish Pier.

Community empowerment minister Marco Biagi announced the additional investment on a visit to Burnfoot Community Futures in the Scottish Borders.

Over the next few months community regeneration partners the Scottish Community Development Centre, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Development Trust Association Scotland (DTAS), Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEIS) and Carnegie UK Trust will put forward recommendations on other organisations that could receive a share of the additional £500,000, for approval by the Programme Board.

Thanks to funding of £585,000 through the joint local authority and Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, and a Big Lottery grant, Burnfoot Community Futures was able to purchase a derelict former pub and transform it into a multi-purpose centre. The hub now hosts a nursery offering childcare and training, café, soft play area, garden and growing space and function room with dance studio and events space.

The centre, which opened in October, will receive around £50,000 in 2016-17 from the Strengthening Communities Programme, to continue funding a development manager to support these activities and promote the hub.

Scottish Water completes £1.7m Fife flood prevention scheme

A £1.7 million flood alleviation scheme has been completed in Kincardine.

The Scottish Water project aims to reduce the risk of flooding at Kirk Street.

Works included tank installations in the grassed area to the rear of Tulliallan Primary School to store water during heavy rainfall.

In addition, a new sewer has been installed to carry flows to the tanks and offers relief for the rest of the waste water network in the area.

Scottish Water will invest a further £22m to improve Fife’s drinking water quality and natural environment.

Phil Boswell MP visits Kier Construction

Phil Boswell, SNP MP for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, visited Kier Construction’s Scottish headquarters in Stepps this month.

Phil Boswell said: “I was really pleased to visit Kier Construction for the first time today as the area’s MP and was impressed with what I saw. Kier Construction has a large, national footprint and its commitment to using local knowledge and contacts on every project really helps stimulate the local economy. The construction industry is a key driver for Scottish growth and I am confident that operators like Kier will help support future opportunities and sector expansion, supporting the wider economy as a result.”

Brian McQuade, managing director of Kier Construction’s Scotland and north-east England business, added: “I was delighted to welcome Mr Boswell and have the opportunity to introduce him to some of our 89 employees who are based here at our Scottish head office in Stepps. It is an exciting time for us and we have recently recruited more staff, including graduate trainees and apprentices, to meet growing demand. 2016 will present many opportunities in Scotland and we look forward to continuing our work across a number of sectors, including healthcare and education, to support the current growth of the industry.”

Planning permission granted for Fife Zoo

A new animal attraction in Fife will soon roar into life after it was given the green light by Fife Council.

Planning permission for Fife Zoo has been granted and is it hoped the venue will open in early summer.

Already, owners of the former Fife Animal Park have renovated and launched its café and are revamping its playpark and forming a soft play area.

But the stamp of approval allows contractors to begin remodelling the wider park and enclosures which will become home to animals, including monkeys, zebras and meerkats.

Developer tees up plans for West Linton course

Richmond Wight Estates has extended its Scottish portfolio with the purchase of the 200-acre course at Rutherford Castle, West Linton.

The developer, which runs three residential and holiday parks in Scotland, plans to build luxury lodges with an accompanying restaurant, spa, clubhouse and swimming pool, while also retaining nine holes from the parkland course.

The site has planning permission for a hotel, but proposals for luxury accommodation and conference facilities never came to fruition.