Building Briefs – February 20th

Plans to construct 12 flats on the site of the former Rialto cinema in Dundee have been approved.

Architects Hiddleston and Feist have released images of how the development will look.

Ian Hiddleston, architect for the project, said preparations were now under way for the start of construction on the flats.

The cinema opened in 1928 with a seating capacity of 1,104, the atmospheric interior design was described as “decorated in the manner of a Chinese Garden”.

The property was given B-listed status in 1993 but later lost many of its original features in a fire in 2007, after which Historic Scotland de-listed it.

After lying vacant for years, bulldozers moved in three months ago to raze it to the ground.

Asda to invest £600m into stores in 2015

Supermarket group Asda has announced plans to invest £600 million into its store investment programme this year.

The expansion plans will see the opening of 17 new stores, 36 petrol stations, over 150 remote click & collect sites and the re-modelling of 62 stores across the UK.

The first temperature controlled Intelligent Pods allowing customers to collect their shopping are due to open on a major commuter belt between Manchester and Liverpool in St Helen’s from the second quarter.

Lanarkshire fit out business enjoys strong start to the year

An expanding Bellshill-based fit out and refurbishment company has won more than £9 million of new contracts since the start of the year.

GHI Contracts said a pick-up in the corporate occupier market is leading to an upturn in work, with landlords now willing to invest in their buildings in order to compete for the increase in tenant activity.

The 60-stong workforce - with 20 office-based and 40 staff on site - is now handling jobs for public and private sector clients in high profile locations across Scotland.

Regulator confident of SHQS progress in North Lanarkshire

North Lanarkshire Council is now firmly on track to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS), according to a report by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR).

The regulator carried out an inquiry report after identifying potential risks in the council’s progress towards meeting the SHQS by the 31 March 2015 deadline.

Its report praised the council for its drive in meeting standards, tackling empty property issues, investment in IT systems to improve stock management and the repairs system - in particular mobile working capability, and for undertaking a complete review of housing stock to identify areas for investment and improvement.

The inquiry concluded that the local authority has an action plan in place to help it meet the SHQS, is committed to carrying out detailed surveys on all of its housing stock and is confident it will meet the SHQS by 31 March 2015. The Regulator now has the assurance it needs in relation to North Lanarkshire Council’s progress towards the SHQS.

North Lanarkshire Council is the largest local authority landlord in Scotland with a current stock of more than 36,000 homes and is currently undertaking a £150 million ‘Building for the Future’ programme to deliver 1,150 new homes across the area.

Councillors get on board with river Tay pontoon plan

Plans to boost tourism by creating a taxi service on the river Tay has taken a step nearer to reality.

Perth and Kinross Council backed the creation of a river pontoon near the Willowgate Cafe, under the Friarton Bridge.

Pontoons at two other locations, Fergusson Gallery in Perth city centre and Elcho Castle further down river, had previously been granted planning permission by the council’s development management committee.

By creating the pontoons at key points on the river, the council hope to make the Tay more of a tourist attraction by allowing people to enjoy a cruise downstream from the city.

While the final design of the pontoon has yet to be confirmed, the pontoon will be extremely simple and modest in scale.

North Lanarkshire Council extends Care & Repair contract with Horizon

Link Group Ltd, in association with its subsidiary Horizon Housing Association, has been awarded a new three-year contract to continue to provide North Lanarkshire Council’s Care & Repair service from April 2015.

Care and Repair North Lanarkshire is funded by North Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire.

The service provides practical help to home owners in North Lanarkshire (who are of pensionable age or are disabled) with small repairs - such as adjusting doors, small plumbing repairs and minor electrical work in the home.

Jedburgh flood protection scheme wins approval

A flood protection scheme for Jedburgh town centre has been approved by councillors.

The £313,000 project has been designed to protect properties from flooding by the Skiprunning Burn.

Dozens of homes, shops and businesses were flooded after a torrential thunderstorm in August 2012.

Members of Scottish Borders Council have been told that work on the scheme is likely to be carried out in the next financial year.

A survey carried out after the 2012 flood found that it was principally caused by debris blocking a culvert inlet trash screen.

The scheme includes improvements to protection measures near the culvert at Larkhall Farm and the introduction of a debris trap and other debris management measures at Wildcat Cleuch.

Argyll and Bute transport improvement projects to progress

Three transport improvement projects are to go ahead in Argyll and Bute after the local authority secured £425,000 of funding.

The funding has been set aside by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and will see the Helensburgh, Lomond and Cardross areas benefit.

The projects include:

Rest And Be Thankful - A new bus-turning circle will be created at the Rest and Be Thankful. £150,000 has been awarded towards this project, in addition to the £250,000 previously secured from the Scottish Government’s Bus Investment Fund (BIF). This will allow bus services from Campbeltown and Oban to Glasgow to set down and pick up passengers at the Rest and Be Thankful.

Cycleways At Helensburgh And Lomond - £175,000 will be provided towards the continued development of a cycleway to link Helensburgh and Dumbarton. The programme will focus on delivering sections of the route around the Cardross area.

Improvements To Bus Infrastructure - Some £100,000 has been secured for a rolling programme of improvements to bus stops within Helensburgh and Lomond. The work will consist of installing raised kerbs, to make it easier for people to get on and off of buses. New bus shelters will also be installed.

Sports facilities completed at Dalgety Bay

A new all-weather synthetic pitch has been installed at Dalgety Bay Sports and Leisure Centre.

The pitch is suitable for a range of field sports, including football and rugby, and for all levels of ability.

It will be made available for community leisure activities.

Doe Sport North Ltd installed the sports surface. The new ‘FieldTurf Vertex’ pitch reproduces a natural surface, but has the additional benefits of durability and lower maintenance overheads.

The pitch also has the distinct one star rating from the world football governing body FIFA, and accreditation from the International Rugby Board (IRB).

Work to begin at Dunfermline Crematorium

Building work to replace a memorial wall at Dunfermline Crematorium is to commence next week, Fife Council has announced.

The project will see plaques removed from a wall in section A of the crematorium’s Garden of Remembrance. The council has stressed that the plaques will, however, still be on display for visitors while repair works are being carried out.

It is anticipated that the work will be completed, and the plaques replaced on the wall, by the end of March.

Exhibition for Perth street enhancements

Plans for a series of public realm enhancements for the Mill Street area of Perth are to go on display next week.

The proposals have been designed to improve amenity as well as enhance the prospects for commercial development and increase pedestrian accessibility within the city. Additional space for events, markets and outdoor eating would also be provided under the initiative.

The enhancements would compliment recent city investments in the Concert Hall, Premier Inn’s new city centre hotel and planned improvements for Perth Theatre, to create a ‘Cultural Quarter’ in the area.

When completed, the works would improve the visual attractiveness of Mill Street potentially increasing development and private sector investment, while functional and aesthetic lighting would help to promote the historic context of Mill Street and its links to High Street.

The exhibition will be held at Perth Concert Hall on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 February, from 12 noon to 7pm.

£115k investment for A835 repairs

Transport Scotland is to invest £115,000 to improve a 1km section of the A835 in the Highlands area.

The project will begin on Monday and is expected to take around one week to complete. The work will involve resurfacing a section of the road, around 3km west of the Braemore Junction at Lael Forest.

Contractors will carry out the work between 7am and 7pm each day, Monday to Friday. Temporary traffic lights and a 10mph convoy system will be in operation throughout the scheme, and removed outside of the above hours in an attempt to keep disruption to a minimum. A speed restriction of 30mph will remain as motorists will be using a temporary surface.