Building Briefs – January 22nd

• Housing minister praises Link’s Dunbeg development

The event marked the start of construction on Phase Three of Link’s ‘Dunbeg Development Corridor Masterplan’ of 600 new homes, which was approved by Argyll and Bute Council in May 2017.

Kevin Stewart MSP said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to perform the sod cutting for these new homes in Dunbeg.

“The Scottish Government has agreed to support this project with £35.5 million from the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to allow the development of 300 affordable homes.

“We want rural communities to thrive and meet the needs of all of their residents, businesses and visitors.

“I know that this investment will make a real difference, not just by providing more homes, but also supporting the economic regeneration of the area.”

Link, in partnership with its subsidiary West Highland Housing Association, has already completed the first 75 affordable homes on the site, including 50 intermediate rent-to-buy properties and 25 social rent homes.

In addition to Dunbeg, Mr Stewart also visited Link and West Highland’s new development of eight affordable homes at Albany Street and the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) funded works at Kirk Road – without which the Dunbeg development would not have been possible.

• 2018 sees record take up of Glasgow office space

 Glasgow city centre office space take-up in 2018 totalled 970,845 sq ft, up 52% on the on the 2017 figure of 635,015 sq ft and the highest level since 2006, research from CBRE Scotland has shown.

City centre take-up for Q4 2018 was recorded at 236,002 sq ft, down 29% on the same period for the previous year, although there were 37 deals compared to 34 in Q4 2017.

The increase in total take-up comes as 2018 saw more deals over 10,000 sq ft (20) than in the previous 12 months (10), with Q4 2018 witnessing 6 deals over 10,000 sq ft. CBRE acted on a number of key deals for the quarter, including the acquisition of 57,473 sq ft at Princes House by Barclays, the letting of 30,571 sq ft at 123 St Vincent Street to KPMG, and the letting of 17,686 sq ft at 4 Atlantic Quay to the Scottish Ministers. Other significant transactions saw Chivas Brothers secure 27,558 sq ft at 2/4 Blythswood Square and Macmillan Cancer Support take 17,595 sq ft at Atrium Court.

Business Services was the most dominant sector taking space during 2018, accounting for 34% of all take-up, followed by Consumer & Leisure with 15.7%. Glasgow city centre office stock is sitting at 13.7 million sq ft, 1.3 million sq ft of which is available for occupation. Grade A supply remains critically low at just 32,910 sq ft. The development pipeline remains particularly tight, and there is little evidence of space returning to the market through tenant distress.

Although Glasgow’s city centre market performance was exceptionally strong, the demand for space on the periphery of the city centre was also evidenced by a number of significant deals, including the Buchanan Wharf/Barclays commitment to purchase 470,000 sq ft on the edge of the central business district.

• Dundee’s library set for £700,000 upgrade

One of Dundee’s most historic libraries is set for a £700,000 upgrade.

The facility at Coldside could be in for alterations and an extension that would include a new external lift and shaft, accessible toilets, upgraded lighting, new floor coverings and redecoration to the entire library inside and out.

The project will take one of the city’s iconic 20th century Carnegie libraries and give it a new lease of life.

As part of the upgrading work to Coldside a new meeting room which will provide a private space for health, social care and employability partners is also planned and the reception desk will be replaced with a new, lower unit.

If the city development committee, which meets on Monday agrees the tender work on the £716,000 project will start in spring and is expected to be completed by autumn.

• Doors open at Dunbar Grammar extension

Dunbar Grammar school is holding a ‘Doors Open Day’ to celebrate the completion of a £10.38 million extension to the school.

Past and present pupils and staff and members of the community are invited to come along on January 26 (10am-1pm) to see the transformation brought about by the new spaces.

Pupils will give tours of the full school and musical performances will be taking place throughout the day. S5/S6 pupils are running coffee shop from the new social space to raise funds for their World Challenge trip to Morocco. Meanwhile the new all-weather astroturf pitch will be put to good use with hockey matches between Senior, S1, S2 and S3 teams competing against Preston Lodge teams.

The L-shaped extension includes a Home Economics department with a training kitchen, a new learning resource centre, classrooms, pupil support suite and offices, as well as a full-sized all weather sports pitch outside. At its heart is a bright and modern social hub with a grab and go snack bar and ‘bleacher’ style seating, which gives pupils a place to meet, eat and socialise at break times.

The home economics rooms run alongside this area with a servery hatch so that pupils can hone their catering skills on their peers and, the school hopes in future, invited community groups. Alterations were also made in the existing building to provide new science labs, drama studios, technologies rooms and modern languages classrooms.

Construction was undertaken in phases starting in October 2017. The project team and contractors worked closely with the schools’ management and staff to minimise disruption on the curriculum and ensure a safe environment. The extension was procured via the existing PPP contract with Innovate East Lothian and constructed by FES Support Services.

• Shapinsay slip works to begin

Orkney Islands Council has announced that work to improve the marshalling and parking areas next to the Shapinsay Slip in Kirkwall is due to start next week.

While the resurfacing work is underway, passenger and vehicle access to and from the Shapinsay ferry will be maintained.

However, the parking area will be unavailable for vehicles to use once the work begins on January 23.

The work will result in a much improved road surface for the marshalling and parking areas. It is planned to be completed by the end of the first week in February.

• Broughty Ferry flood protection scheme continues

Work on two key parts of the coastal protection measures in Broughty Ferry could move a step closer next week.

Councillors will be asked to approve the first stage in a tendering process for the stretch from Grassy Beach to Broughty Ferry Castle and to accept a tender for natural protection measures using reshaped dunes fronting the Esplanade.

Councillors will be asked to approve just over £245,000 of minor shaping of the dunes fronting the Esplanade along with measures to help the natural process of making them higher and wider. A management plan to help continue that process will also be put in place.

In a separate report they will also consider approving appointing contractors McLaughlin and Harvey Building and Civil Engineers under the SCAPE framework.

Pre contract design and project development is expected to cost around £350,000, with the full tender price to be brought back for a committee decision in due course.

According to the report outline design, buildability and costing works were carried out with a number of contractors on SCAPE frameworks and after detailed feasibility reports from each, the best value proposals came from McLaughlin and Harvey.

The Scape Framework procurement route offers the council a number of advantages including competitive tender prices, using a contractor’s expertise from an early stage and maximising the local supply chain’s opportunity to be involved with local authority projects.

If approved it is currently anticipated that the works between Grassy Beach and Broughty Ferry Castle will start in summer and take around 18 months to complete, while activity at dunes on the esplanade is expected to get underway next month and finish in early summer.

The city development committee meets on January 28.

• Water infrastructure works in Kilmarnock

Scottish Water has advised residents in Kilmarnock that it will be carrying out work to improve the existing water infrastructure in the area.

On January 29, a rolling programme of work to upgrade approximately 1.9 miles of pipework begins on Glasgow Road, before moving to Assloss Road, Burns Avenue and Landsbrough Drive, and will finish in Dean Street.

The work is being undertaken by Scottish Water’s alliance partners