Building Briefs – February 23rd

A new bridge which will give access to walkers and tourists, including those with restricted mobility, to one of the most famous mountains in Scotland has been constructed and installed by a Moray-based engineering and construction company.

The 139 foot long bow arced pedestrian bridge fabricated by AJ Engineering of Forres was installed last week over the River Nevis giving access to Ben Nevis.

The bridge was so big that it had to be driven down to Fort William from the Forres depot in several sections and was bolted together on site.

In 2015, AJ Engineering which employs around 70 people at its Forres premises expanded its business operation after buying Fort William-based Northern Engineering & Welding Co (NEWCo).

Weir Group profit slump salved by currency devaluation

Glasgow-based engineering equipment giant Weir Group has reported that it suffered a 21 per cent drop in pre-tax profits last year.

Profits were £170 million last year, which was better than had many of the firm’s operations not been in US dollars.

Without the weaker pound, the constant currency decline would have been 31 per cent.

Revenue dropped 2 per cent to £1845m, though that was an 11 per cent drop without the help of currency fluctuation.

The company, which reported a two per cent fall in total revenue to £1.86 billion, said it generated £293m of cash from all operations during the year.

Weir said the downturn in the oil, gas and commodities markets was the worst it had seen in more than 30 years.

Its report cited the drop in capital spending by mining companies of 50 per cent since 2012.

The number of rigs used for fracking in onshore US oil and gas fields had fallen 80 per cent in only two years.

However, it said commodity prices rose during last year, and trading conditions improved towards the end of 2016.

Weir’s results come just a day after Wood Group reported a 62 per cent slump in profits.

Graham Construction returns to school to teach kids about construction careers

A former pupil of All Saints Secondary School in Glasgow returned to give pupils an insight into the career options within the construction industry.

Graham Construction procurement manager, Stephen Chisholm, revisited his old school alongside colleague, STEM ambassador and project planner, Vincent Martin, for a carousel-style career day to demonstrate to 2nd year pupils the opportunities available to them within the construction industry.

The career event was attended by around 20 different well-known employers in the city.

Graham Construction showcased its values while presenting all of the options available to young people and the paths they can take within the industry.

The event was one of four engagement afternoons attended by the company this week; further sessions were set up with St Rochs Secondary School, the University of Glasgow and Abercorn Secondary School, including career events and site visits.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Ambassadors volunteer their time and support to promote STEM subjects in new and exciting ways.

The company has also established the Graham Academy to tackle a potential skills shortage in the industry. This is an entry level programme for young people to pursue a career in construction - through internships, apprenticeships and graduate schemes.

Scottish office market buoyant

Despite a year of uncertainty, the Scottish office market remains buoyant, according to Savills latest office Market Watch, with 2.3 million sq ft (213,670 sq m) of office lettings in 2016 across Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, 10% above the long term average.

Total office investment in the three cities in 2016 reached £565 million.

Public services, education and health was the most active business sector in Scotland during 2016, accounting for 21% of all office take-up.

Key deals included the University of the West of Scotland pre-letting 225,000 sq ft (20,902 sq m) at the EcoCampus, Hamilton and Napier University taking 107,514 sq ft (9,988 sq m) at South Gyle Business Park, Edinburgh. Savills notes the TMT sector also had another strong year and was the most active business sector for deals below 10,000 sq ft (929 sq m).

Focusing on availability, Savills says in Edinburgh the sale of Kintore House in the final quarter of 2016, a 35,000 sq ft (3,251 sq m) former office building, for conversion into hotel use, added further pressure on the city’s office stock, leaving less than two years of supply remaining in the city centre.

However, despite total supply falling in Edinburgh and Glasgow in the twelve months to the end of 2016, total availability in Scotland increased by 19% due to Aberdeen’s available office stock increasing 51% over the course of the year to 2.65 million sq ft (246,185 sq m). The firm reports that at the end 2016, the top rents remained at £33.50 per sq ft in Edinburgh, £30 per sq ft in Glasgow and £32 per sq ft in Aberdeen.

Savills says Scotland continues to see investment into its office stock and despite the total year end figure for 2016 being 9.5% down on the 10-year average, the firm reports prime yields held steady during the final quarter of 2016, with Glasgow and Edinburgh both at 5.5% and Aberdeen at 7.25%.

Focusing on the year ahead, with lower volatility in returns for the Scottish office market, compared to the rest of the UK, Savills suggests a shift towards income driven deals could result in Scotland outperforming other regional markets during 2017.

New Greenock primary school opens after £7m rebuild

The latest new building in Inverclyde Council’s £270 million school estate investment has officially opened.

The £7m St Patrick’s Primary in Greenock features 12 classrooms, an open plan library, assembly/gym hall and a soft play area.

The original St Patrick’s building was initially earmarked for refurbishment however the council recognised the cost of building a new school at the same site could be around £100,000 less than a refurbishment because of the greater amount of government funding that would become available.

The new £7m St Patrick’s Primary in Greenock has been completed along with the £4.4m refurbishment of Kilmacolm Primary.

Inverclyde Council is pressing ahead with its plans to build a new £9m building for St Ninian’s on the former blaes gravel pitches at the current school site.

Other projects under development include the £5.1m refurbishment of Moorfoot Primary in Gourock and the £3.8m refurbishment of Lady Alice Primary in Greenock.

A new £2.5m early years facility to replace the existing Kelly Street Children’s Centre and Nursery in Greenock is also in the pipeline.

Residents invited to view new South Ayrshire primary school

Local residents are being invited to view a new £3.8 million primary school in Dailly.

South Ayrshire Council will host an open doors event at the facility between 3.30pm – 4.30pm on March 2.

The project was delivered by Morrison Construction and hub South West Scotland. The new building has replaced three existing buildings with a single facility, capable of supporting 100 pupils. In addition, 30 children can be accommodated in an integrated nursery.

External areas have also been developed to create an environment that encourages social interaction and the delivery of outdoor learning.

M74 resurfacing project to begin

Scotland TranServ is to begin a £117,000 resurfacing project on the M74 Motorway.

The company will carry out improvements to around 400 metres of the route between Junction 8 and Junction 10 of the M74 southbound, including a lane of the motorway’s southbound carriageway.

To carry out the scheme, the slip road and inside lane of the motorway will be closed from 8pm on February 24 until 6am on February 26. Diversions will be in place.

Views sought on proposed South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan

South Lanarkshire Council is inviting residents to submit their views on its proposed new Local Development Plan (SLLDP2) next month.

The strategy will form the basis of the council’s decisions relating to new development proposals throughout the area.

The current LDP and associated statutory supplementary guidance was adopted in 2015. It sits alongside the Minerals Local Development Plan, which councillors agreed last year should be amalgamated with SLLDP2 during the current process.

Local communities are now being invited to comment and view the Main Issues Report (MIR), the first published document in the process of preparing the new plan, between March and May.

The council is also seeking views on key minerals policy matters alongside the MIR.

It is anticipated the final draft plan will be ready for approval and formal adoption by 2019.

£18.8m Renfrewshire school on schedule to open in August

The new £18.8 million Riverbrae School in Linwood is on schedule to open in August, Renfrewshire Council has confirmed.

The purpose-built facility will replace Clippens and Kersland Schools as well as Hollybush Pre-Five Centre. It will offer accessibility for pupils with physical or sensory difficulties, along with better access to sports facilities and IT equipment.

The project has been jointly funded by the council (£10.1m) and the Scottish Futures Trust (£8.7m).

Trainee electrician named Apprentice of the Year

A trainee electrician has been named Apprentice of the Year at a prestigious UK awards ceremony.

Apprentice electrician Pamela Duffy won the First Year Trade Apprentice of the Year title at the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) 2017 Awards.

The 20-year-old from Alexandria is in the second year of her apprenticeship with West Dunbartonshire Council and received the honour at the awards ceremony in Dunblane in recognition of her achievements in her first year in the job.

The APSE Scotland Building and Housing Apprentice of the Year Awards are specific to front line service areas and support excellence in training standards within local authorities and their partner organisations.

Pamela has been working on site in Dumbarton as part of the council’s ongoing renovation of its housing stock.