Building Briefs – February 8th

Awarding body to launch new construction industry qualification

Scotland’s newest awarding body Qualifications for Industry (QFI) is set to launch on March 10 and is already building its portfolio of qualifications for those who work or aspire to work in sectors that include construction.

The event takes place at the Stirling Court Hotel, University of Stirling – 9am to 1pm. Those looking at attending can book a place.

Guest speakers at the event include Scottish businessman and founder/chairman and CEO of Clyde Blowers - Jim McColl OBE, Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills - Jenny Gilruth MSP and Chairman of Scottish Water International - Geoff Aitkenhead.

The event will be chaired by business commentator and former executive editor of The Scotsman - Bill Jamieson. This will be followed by lunch, compliments of QFI.

French Consulate’s plan for registrars venue approved

Plans to convert a listed registrars building into the new home of the French Consulate have been approved.

A long-term lease for Lothian Chambers on George IV Bridge, just off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, will be drawn up for the French Embassy.

The plans feature a 100-seat auditorium, library, art gallery and photography centre, and a French and European language school.

Members of the council’s economy committee agreed to the proposal on Tuesday in a move which will save £173,000 a year in running costs.

An “extensive programme” of theatre, music, dance and artists residencies is being drawn up for the venue.

It is hoped the French Consulate could move to Lothian Chambers from its current base in Randolph Crescent by August.

This would tie in with the 70th anniversaries of the French Consulate in the capital and the Edinburgh International Festival.

The B-listed building is among those on a list of council properties it no longer needs.

Services based at the site will be relocated elsewhere, and officials have pledged to honour all current wedding bookings.

The venue will still be available for couples who wish to get married there.

CBRE hires new head of capital markets in Scotland

Real estate advisor CBRE has appointed Steven Newlands to head up its capital markets business in Scotland.

Steven, who will also join the Scotland senior management board, joins from Cushman and Wakefield, where he has spent more than 17 years working as an investment agent across the UK.

He is currently an international partner, leading Cushman and Wakefield’s Scottish Capital Markets activity as well as a member of their Scottish Leadership Team and Scottish Chair of the Investment Property Forum. He has been involved in some of the largest investment transactions across Scotland and has unrivalled knowledge of the Scottish commercial real estate market.

Steven will be responsible for expanding CBRE’s capital markets capabilities across Scotland and growing the existing mandates, as the market continues to gather momentum following the referendum.

Councillors discuss new Midlothian school plans

A new school and community hub is one of two options being considered by Midlothian Council to replace Danderhall Primary School.

At a full council meeting yesterday, councillors agreed that if a town centre site is secured for the planned Shawfair secondary school then Danderhall should be replaced with a new three stream school with a community hub.

If, however, the Shawfair secondary school is to be located at Woolmet, then building a new three stream primary school to replace Danderhall is the best option.

Both options would need to be completed by August 2020 to accommodate pupil numbers.

Councillors agreed to include £15,317,000 of capital costs within the capital plan to progress the plan for a school with community hub. This figure would drop to £12,742,000 if it is decided to build a new school at Danderhall with no community facilities.

Councillors were asked to note that £6,491,000 is expected to be recovered from developers and money will come from the future sale of Danderhall Leisure and Danderhall Library, once integrated into a new community hub.

Meanwhile, St Mary’s RC Primary School is to move to a new joint campus on the site of the former Hopefield Primary School.

The Bonnyrigg campus will also provide extra capacity for Burnbrae Primary School.

Councillors agreed to proceed with the building work and to start a formal consultation on relocating St Mary’s to the new site.

Ayrshire takes Growth Deal campaign to Westminster

The campaign to deliver the Ayrshire Growth Deal – the exciting initiative to build on Ayrshire’s potential to boost business, jobs and prosperity – will take a significant step forward at a special event at Westminster today.

The four Ayrshire MPs – Alan Brown, Patricia Gibson, Philippa Whitford and Corri Wilson – supported by East, North and South Ayrshire Councils and industry partners, will host the Ayrshire Business Showcase.

The event will feature representation from some of Ayrshire’s most prestigious companies within key industry sectors including aerospace and space, life sciences, manufacturing, tourism and coastal (ports and harbours). It will provide an opportunity for MPs and invited business guests to learn about the Ayrshire Growth Deal and these key industries and find out more on the Growth Deal’s potential to strengthen the Ayrshire, Scottish and UK economies.

A key aim of the event will be to secure a commitment to the Ayrshire Growth Deal from the UK government – similar to the support for the ambitious proposals which has already been given by the Scottish Government.

A total of £360 million is being sought to deliver the Growth Deal.

Glasgow firm does its bit to help save the planet

To coincide with the relaunch of GAP Hire Solutions Green Action Plan, the firm donated £1,000 to environmental charity World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Scotland, which is working to make a difference by tackling the issues facing the planet today.

The WWF Scotland panda and head of communications Lexi Parfitt visited GAP’s head office in Glasgow to receive the generous donation from head of GAP one Shaneen Waddell.