Building Briefs – February 1st

• Balloch set for major improvements as work begins on village square

The plans will transform the area’s public spaces, create a sense of arrival for visitors and improve connections for pedestrians and cyclists from public transport to attractions.

The initial development will see the construction of a new village square on Balloch Road beside Moss O‘Balloch Park.

Changes include wider paving in certain sections to enhance space and introduce the possibility for a café culture and seating areas.

Narrower roads will lower average speeds of vehicles and discourage illegal parking, with official parking spaces incorporated into the design. Priority will also be given to pedestrians and cyclists, while ensuring a steady flow of traffic.

Other improvements will be seen to street furniture and signage. 

Work commenced on site on January 21 and traffic management measures, including some periods of road closures, will be in place around the area.

The second phase will be focused on Station Square – a public square at Balloch train station.  Other recent and current works in Balloch include extension of the Moss O’Balloch parking, improvements to Balloch Road (West) and resurfacing works.

The project is being delivered in partnership with Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

• Emtec completes care home work for Muir Construction

Emtec Group has completed various works at Muirfield Care Home for its client Muir Construction.

Working alongside consultant KJ Tait and architect Gilberts, the project comprised of the construction of a new 60-bed Nursing Home on a brownfield site.

The work was undertaken in two phases; construction of the main building followed by the demolition of part of the existing nursing home and then the construction of phase two.

• Ibstock appoints group marketing director

Annette Forster has been appointed as group marketing director at Ibstock plc.

Joining the company at the start of the year, Annette is a well-known and widely respected industry figure having served as marketing director at Wienerberger UK.

She will be responsible for the strategic development of marketing, innovation and brand strategy for Ibstock plc and its operating companies.

Her position as group marketing director will see her join Ibstock’s executive leadership team, reporting to chief executive officer Joe Hudson.

Annette brings with her a wealth of international and cross-functional experience. She has previously held high-profile roles at a number of global brands including Victrex plc and Sappi plc. In each role, her customer facing strategic and analytical approach have been the catalyst for commercial growth and elevated brand awareness.

• Local MP launches ACHA’s first Passivhaus housing development

Brendan O’Hara, MP for Argyll and Bute, has cut the first turf on the site of ten new homes in Garelochhead to launch Argyll Community Housing Association’s (ACHA’s) Passivhaus housing development.

The Passivhaus standard builds homes to a very high standard of energy efficiency which reduces the buildings’ ecological footprint, which in turn will provide low energy costs and assist in tackling fuel poverty.

The project is ACHA’s first Passivhaus development and is part of the Association’s ongoing new build programme which hopes to deliver 230 new homes in Argyll and Bute by March 2021.

The contract to build the new homes has been won by Helensburgh-based builder Stewart & Shields with tri-partite funding from the Scottish Government, ACHA and Argyll and Bute Council of £1.8 million.

• Dingwall infrastructure improvements to pave way for 150 new homes

Highland Council has agreed to invest in infrastructure improvements for Dingwall that will unlock the development of 150 additional houses in the town.

The current Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan allocates 470 additional new homes in Dingwall, based on the delivery of the Kinnairdie Link Road (KLR) project.

To date phase 1 (County Building’s Junction) has been completed but there is currently no funding for the main element of KLR in the council’s current five-year capital programme. However in March 2018 the council identified funding for transport improvements in Dingwall to enable some housing development can take place prior to the completion of the KLR.

Following the findings of a transport study and modelling work considering the impact of various levels of development in the town, the improvements will include work at the Bridgend Avenue Junction and Docharty Road Junction and traffic signal works at Mart Road Junction. Proposals for walking and cycling improvements and traffic management measures will also be identified.

The report, presented to members of the Ross and Cromarty committee this week, will become a material consideration for relevant planning applications and pre-application advice in respect of residential development in Dingwall. It will mean that financial contributions can be sought from future developers towards funding the infrastructure improvements.

Further traffic modelling will now be undertaken at the Station Road Junction to investigate alternative solutions which may involve alterations to the road layout associated with re-signalling. Recommendations will be brought to a future committee for members to consider.

• New Scottish projects offer opportunities for North Lanarkshire businesses

Companies in North Lanarkshire are being invited to learn about two major Scottish infrastructure projects and the opportunities for new work.

An event is being held on Thursday 28 February at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall to tell businesses about the High Speed 2 rail initiative and a new rolling stock factory.

From 9.30am to 12.30pm, the focus will be on the UK Government’s plans to invest over £60 billion in improvements to the east and west coast rail corridors to deliver three hour journey times between Scotland and London.

Then from 2.00pm to 3.10pm there will be presentation from Talgo on its announcement that Longannet in Fife is the preferred location for a new rolling stock factory, should the company secure a significant UK contract.