Building Briefs – January 23rd

The National Theatre of Scotland has opened its new headquarters.

The new base, beside the Forth and Clyde Canal at Spiers Wharf in Glasgow, has replaced rented facilities.

Designed by Hoskins Architects, the new headquarters includes a community suite, wardrobe, workshop, offices and technical store but will have no performance space as the organisation was founded as a theatre company without a theatre building.

First Minister kick starts work on new GHA homes in Ibrox

Work has started on 150 new GHA homes as part of plans to transform a community in the south of Glasgow.

First Minster Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow Southside, joined leader of Glasgow City Council Frank McAveety and local elected members as well as GHA tenants and staff to mark the start of work on the site in Hinshelwood Drive in Ibrox.

The mixed tenure development will be made up of 152 flats, including 116 for social rent and 36 for mid-market rent.

The East Govan/Ibrox area has been earmarked as a priority for regeneration by Transforming Communities: Glasgow (TC:G) a strategic partnership between the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and GHA.

The mid-market rent homes, which are a good option for people who may not qualify for social housing but can’t get on the property ladder, will be let and managed by GHA’s sister organisation within Wheatley Group, Lowther Homes.

The new energy-efficient homes at Hinshelwood Drive, which are a mix of one and two-bedroom flats, should be complete by early 2019.

The homes are being built by contractors Cruden Buildings and Renewals Limited.

Council reaches legal agreement to take over dilapidated former Perth church

Perth & Kinross Council has concluded missives for the purchase of St Paul’s Church in Perth, allowing the council to take ownership from January 31.

The city centre B-listed former Church, which has fallen into a state of disrepair in recent years, has been on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland for a number of years while in private ownership.

In December, the local authority unveiled proposals which would see the shell and spire of the building retained but the roof removed — at a cost of around £2m.

This would create an outdoor public performance space and help support the council’s bid for the 2021 City of Culture title.

£4.8m sheltered housing complex opens in North Ayrshire

A state-of-the-art housing development which is expected to have a major positive impact on the lives of older people has been officially opened in North Ayrshire.

The £4.8 million development at Montgomery Court, Kilbirnie, has been designed to specifically meet the needs of the older population in the region.

Featuring 16 one-bedroom homes within a new sheltered housing complex and an additional 8 two-bedroom amenity bungalows, the development illustrates North Ayrshire Council’s commitment to provide high quality, affordable accommodation that meets current and future requirements.

The entire development has been designed using dementia-friendly design principles, such as clear signage and contrasting colours. This ensures that the home environment is tailored to actively support independent living for those suffering with dementia.

Independent living is further supported throughout the development with level access, wet floor shower rooms, pull down and pull-out kitchen units, accessible sockets and switches and the provision for future ceiling hoists to be installed.

The sheltered housing complex also includes a community hub, developed in partnership with North Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership. It is anticipated that this hub facility will offer a range of clubs, classes and activities not only for residents but for the wider older population.

This £4.8m project was supported by a grant of over £1m from the Scottish Government and was completed in phases, with the first phase completed at the beginning of last year. This allowed residents of the former Montgomery Court sheltered housing complex to move into their new homes in early 2016.

The conclusion of the second phase marks the completion of this innovative housing development.

Glasgow leisure centre up for £1.5m refurb

Plans for the refurbishment of a Glasgow leisure centre, costing up to £1.5 million, have given the seal of approval by the city council.

Councillors on the executive committee made the decision to award the contract for the works to City Building Glasgow Ltd.

Siting the substantial amount of people who use the centre, the urgent need to modernise the facilities and the need to respond to health issues regarding the health suite, the plans were passed through the committee without argument.

The approval comes after £35,000 was allocated by the council last year to develop designs for the centre.

Brodies expands infrastructure expertise with new partner appointment

Brodies LLP has appointed three new partners, recognised leaders in the fields of infrastructure projects, real estate finance and corporate and personal tax.

Drysdale Graham is a highly-experienced lawyer, specialising in social and economic infrastructure projects. During his career spanning more than 30 years, he has worked closely with leading sponsors, investors and funders on some of the highest-profile PFI, PPP and NPD-funded projects in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, most recently the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and Aberdeen Harbour Expansion projects.

Drysdale joins Brodies on 1 May, having established and grown the Scottish projects practice of a London-headquartered firm. He previously worked in the corporate finance department of City of London law firm Freshfields. Drysdale joins Brodies’ energy & infrastructure team and will be based primarily in its Edinburgh office.

Chris Dun specialises in investment and development property finance, property investment trusts, social housing finance, education finance and securitisation and bond issues. Chris is ranked as a leading individual in banking & finance by The Legal 500 and is also ranked for his work on social housing in Scotland.

The independent legal directory Chambers & Partners commends him as “a trusted adviser to an impressive roster of banking clients” who “regularly bridges the gap between lender-side work and social housing law”. Chris joins Brodies in the summer, and will be based in the firm’s Glasgow office.

Trust and tax specialist Heather Thompson joins Brodies on 3 April and will be based in the Edinburgh office, working across the firm’s top tier-ranked corporate and personal tax teams.

CCG begins Waverley bathroom renewals and Edinburgh housing upgrade

CCG (Scotland) Ltd has commenced works on a new bathroom renewal contract for Waverley Housing Association and a housing upgrade project in Edinburgh.

Located in Hawick, the contract for Waverley will cover the removal of the existing and installation of new bathrooms to approximately 100 properties.

The contract was procured through the Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA) KB3 Framework covering the installation of kitchens, bathrooms and associated services.

CCG Asset Management expects to be on site for a 10-12 week duration.

Meanwhile the contractor’s Specialist Building Services (SBS) division will carry out improvements to three homes on Sunbury Street.

The scheme, which is being delivered on behalf of Zurich Insurance, involves installing a liquid membrane to the roof to make it water tight; new roof lighting and extensive fabric renewal. In addition, workers will remove, restore and re-install stone cladding to install new damp proof membranes around windows and doors.

The project is expected to last 44 weeks.