Building Briefs – February 19th

Work starts on 58 new council homes in South Ayrshire

A total of 58 modern, bright and energy efficient homes for South Ayrshire Council tenants are being created at Lochside in Ayr.

Set in carefully landscaped areas, the Lochside homes costing £6 million will be the council’s fifth new affordable housing development and is supported by Scottish Government funding.

This marks the start of a £15m investment in new affordable housing across South Ayrshire over the next two years where the council will work in partnership with the Scottish Government.

The new housing development comprises a mixture of flats, bungalows and cottages to meet the needs of different tenants. All the homes will be built to ‘Housing for Varying Needs’ standard and will be adaptable to accommodate the changing needs of tenants over the course of their lifetime. All the units will be modern and of a high quality and all will be highly energy efficient, making them affordable for tenants to heat and maintain.

The new development will be set within a bright and spacious streetscape with newly landscaped areas and connecting roads, which will improve the appearance of the area for local residents.

£2.2m energy efficiency investment for Fife homes

Fife Housing Group (FHG) has unveiled plans to invest £2.2million in improving the quality and energy efficiency of its homes in 2015/16.

The money has been earmarked for a range of projects across Fife including:

FHG will continue with its development of 28 new energy-efficient one and two bedroomed flats and five houses at a site at Islay Road, Abbeyview. It is also in the process of drawing up plans for more homes at a site in Crombie.

Firms eye solar farm sites

Renewable energy firms are looking to Fife to harness solar power.

In recent weeks tentative inquiries have been made with Fife Council about several potential locations for solar farms. Among them are sites near Crail, Cameron, Tayport and Wormit.

At both Crail and Cameron, early plans show that solar farms could be created with up 22,000 panels — each farm capable of powering 1,650 homes.

The firms have yet to submit planning applications but have made pre-application requests for guidance on environmental assessment.

AAH Planning Consultants, which submitted the Crail and Cameron proposals, states that panels at Sypsies and south of Cameron Reservoir would produce “significant sustainable and economic benefits”.

Green Hedge Renewables is interested in land south of Kilmany Road in Wormit.

Contract Scotland social enterprise secures first placement

Contract Scotland has announced the first placement through its Social Enterprise which was launched last month.

Robert MacMaster, Graduate Civil Engineer, started with Perth based contractor Kilmac on Monday 2nd February. The Social Enterprise works with those candidates with construction qualifications who haven’t been able to secure sustainable employment in the industry to date. Through unpaid part time job shadow placements it aims to help candidates get a start in the industry in which they have trained.

Robert interviewed so well that Kilmac decided to offer Robert a permanent position after interviewing him rather than engage him on a placement only.

All profits generated by the Social Enterprise will be given to charity. The charity for 2015 is Bridges Programmes who work with Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrants.

£750,000 boost for Fair City’s architectural gems

Perth is to receive £750,000 to maintain and restore some of the best architecture in the city.

Historic Scotland is donating the money to the Perth City Heritage Fund to enhance the conservation areas in the centre and Bridgend over the next three years.

The cash will maintain and expand the regeneration work carried out over the past two and a half years, during which time several key buildings benefited from a £650,000 windfall.

Among them was the birthplace of John Buchan at 18 York Place. The property, which for many years sat empty and in need of repair, is now to become offices.

The fund has also supported the continuing significant repairs at 13-17 High Street, the city’s oldest inhabited building.

The elaborate door surround bears the date 1699 and the initials of the original occupants, town clerk Robert Graham and his wife, Elspeth Cunningham.

The old name for the entry to the building was Kings Arms Close, a reference to the public house that was situated behind the house until the end of the 19th Century.

The fund is providing a 75 per cent grant to all the owners of the building for a thorough refurbishment of the external fabric.

This will involve re-roofing and repairs to rainwater goods and windows, and for the stonework to be reharled with a breathable lime render.

Improvements will also be made to the frontage, shop fronts and close entry to ensure the historic building is properly conserved to enhance its prominent location.

Jailhouse rocked as demolition clears way for new Aberdeen homes

Scotland’s social justice secretary Alex Neil was in Aberdeen on Monday to hear about Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association’s plans for 120 new affordable homes targeted at key public sector workers, such as NHS staff.

Sanctuary plans to construct approximately 120 affordable homes on the 1.7 hectare site of the former Craiginches Prison.

The Scottish Government is undertaking a pilot key worker project in Aberdeen – the first of its kind in Scotland – which will provide new and affordable housing for key workers in the north east.

Sanctuary Scotland’s head of development Roddy Macdonald welcomed Mr Neil to Craiginches and briefed him on Sanctuary’s plans.

Hillcrest flats plan submitted for derelict Dundee site

A derelict piece of land in Dundee could be transformed into housing if plans for 18 flats are given the go-ahead.

Hillcrest Housing Association is proposing to build the development on a gap site off Coupar Angus Road, to the south of St Ann Lane.

The proposed site is next to Lochee Health Centre and the site of the former Highgate Shopping Centre, which is now a car park.

Hillcrest said the development will provide much needed quality, energy efficient, affordable housing in Lochee.

Ken Duncan of KDM Architects, which is handling the planning application on behalf of Hillcrest, said the development is “part of the ongoing regeneration of the area”.

Work on the site, which will also feature 18 parking spaces, is scheduled to begin by late summer and it is hoped it will be completed early next year.