Building Briefs – January 26th

UK Space science and technology firms QinetiQ and Telespazio VEGA UK have agreed Memorandum’s of Understanding (MoU) to work with Discover Space UK on investigating the potential for a horizontal launch spaceport at the Campbeltown site on the West Coast of Scotland.

The agreements follow discussions and site visits arranged by Discover Space UK to promote the former RAF airbase’s suitability for potential space plane launches.

Under the terms of the MOU, partners have agreed to investigate the launch capability at the Campbeltown Spaceport, develop feasibility and business cases as well as engaging with government and other stakeholders to advance the UK space industry.

Laurel Homes begins Newton Mearns project

McTaggart Construction housebuilding division Laurel Homes has started work on its new development at Ayr Road, Newton Mearns, next to Whitecraigs Station.

Fitzalan Court consists of twelve high specification properties – ten apartments with two bedrooms including master en-suite, and two three bedroom duplexes set over two levels.

First completions at the development are expected to be by early Summer 2017.

Improvements to Clarkston town centre set to begin

Work to improve Clarkston town centre, including upgrading the pedestrian access around the entrance to the train station, and to the library and Clarkston Halls, is set to start soon, East Renfrewshire Council has said.

These enhancements will be followed in Spring with a new trial street layout on Busby Road to create more public space and a ‘café culture’ with wider footpaths in some sections which will create places for meeting and sitting out.

Priorities for improvements to the town, including trying to address the traffic congestion along Busby Road and making the centre more pedestrian friendly, were suggested by residents, businesses and community groups as part of the Clarkston: Your Town initiative.

The first works to start will see a new clear pedestrian route across the entrance to the railway station and roof car park, and the creation of a safe walking route across the Goods Yard car park to both the library and Clarkston Hall.

The new street layout on Busby Road - which will take the road to one lane in each direction - will be assessed on an ongoing basis before any decision is made on whether to make the changes permanent.

Esh apprentices target greener construction future with new Carbon Coach initiative

Apprentices from Esh Border Construction, part of Esh Group, have embarked on a journey to become the environmentally-driven industry workforce of tomorrow.

Ten apprentices have started the Esh Group Carbon Coach Course – a programme designed to equip tomorrow’s construction workforce with the skills to achieve industry and government carbon reduction targets.

Across Esh’s operations – including Livingston-based Esh Border Construction – the first cohort of apprentices has started the online learning programme that follows four modules.

Through the intensive online programme and on-site experience the apprentices learn about climate change, energy usage and low carbon design, and also identify energy-saving opportunities in their own projects.

Esh Group’s Carbon Coach Course has been funded by the Construction Industry Training Board, and is geared towards the Government’s 2025 objective of “driving carbon out of the built environment.”

Along with the theory behind climate change, apprentices will be introduced to practical skills including ISO50001 energy management systems implementation systems, and ‘designing out’ carbon on sites.

The online course has been developed in-house by Esh and will train up apprentices alongside their core discipline.

Around 50 apprentices in total will take the course over its initial lifespan, but Esh expects to expand its reach following the pilot stage.

Moray development briefs go out to consultation

A six-week consultation is to be carried out on draft development briefs which have been prepared for five sites allocated for housing in the 2015 Moray Local Development Plan.

The sites are: R4 Clarkly Hill, Burghead; R1 + LONG at Manse Road, Hopeman; R2 + LONG at Braes of Allachie, Aberlour; R13 at Hamilton Drive, Elgin and R11 at Pilmuir Road West, Forres.

The consultation will begin on January 30 and continue until March 10.

Fife Council to press ahead with Lochore Meadows visitor centre

A new £1.8 million visitor centre and pavilion for Lochore Meadows Country Park will go ahead as planned after Fife Council voted to award the contract for the development.

An appeal was made to councillors to stop the visitor centre element of the project, amid strong local opposition against the plans in their current form.

However, the local authority is to press on with both buildings after a report to the committee warned that delays could increase the costs of the project by more than £300,000, including the loss of an £83,000 grant from sportscotland for the clubhouse.

Council leader David Ross conceded that the consultation carried out “could have been better” but urged the committee to approve the blueprint.

Power station masterplan for public review

A masterplan for the former Cockenzie Power Station site is now up for public review.

Officials at East Lothian Council said consultations held in November produced a good response.

The ideas and comments from the public have now been used to help draw up possible plan options.

Project aims to bring empty homes back to life in Angus

Angus Council and the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership are aiming to encourage owners of long-term empty properties to transform them into homes that people would want to live in.

There are an estimated 34,000 long term empty properties in Scotland, around 1000 of which are located in Angus where demand is high for affordable housing.

In an effort to tackle this, a £120,000 Empty Homes Loan Fund is being launched to help empty homes owners bring unoccupied properties back into residential use.

Those with an empty property that has lain empty for at least six months could benefit from the fund.

The fund offers low interest loans to help make necessary improvements to bring properties up to standard and fit for occupation and picks up from a successful scheme made possible by a £120,000 Scottish Government allocation.

Seven previously unoccupied properties have been made fit to live in and then let at an affordable rate.

Community reaps benefits of West Lothian homes scheme

West Lothian Council is celebrating the significant community benefits being delivered through its programme to build 775 new council homes in partnership with housing developer Lovell.

In total, the local authority is building 1,000 new council homes in all nine council ward areas.

Construction work is now under way by Lovell on more than 300 homes through a £67 million programme which will ultimately create 775 new homes across 17 sites. Lovell is currently on site at ten developments including at Blackburn, Livingston, Fauldhouse, East Calder and Linlithgow.

A wide range of community benefits for the area have been provided alongside the new homes.

The scheme has so far also delivered: 17 new apprenticeships sponsored by Lovell and its subcontractor partners; training for 27 existing apprentices; 31 site jobs; six graduate jobs and 29 work experience placements. An estimated 80 per cent of the subcontractors working on the scheme come from within 40km of the project area.

Local schools and colleges have also benefited thanks to careers activities and events linked to the project. This included Lovell teaming up with its supply chain partners and subcontractors to present a donation of over £8,500 to students from Inveralmond Community High School in West Lothian, enabling them to compete in the global finals of the F1 in Schools competition in America in October 2016.

New appointment as Marley Alutec grows again

Aluminium rainwater systems provider Marley Alutec has appointed Drummond McKenzie, as its first dedicated sales manager for Scotland.

Over the last 12 months the company has launched its most durable coping range, unveiled a newly updated website that includes access to industry-leading BIM files and supplied products for the UK’s largest roofing project in Sheffield, along with bespoke technical guidance.

Drummond McKenzie will bring with him an arsenal of skills and valuable experience that he has garnered from nearly a decade of work within the industry. Experienced within a sales environment, Drummond has previously worked as an area sales manager for a roofing contractor and, more recently, he worked as a business development manager at a rainwater system manufacturer.

In his new role Drummond will oversee achieving Marley Alutec’s sales objectives in Scotland by developing sales through specification, networking with local contractors and growing positive relationships with both national and independent merchants.

Drummond will also work closely with the Marley Plumbing and Drainage team in Scotland.

City Building takes swift action over bird conservation

City Building is putting its construction skills to a new use by helping to build Glasgow’s swift population.

The building contractor is installing swift nest boxes as part of roofing and rendering works being carried out on Glasgow Housing Association properties in the Partick area of the city. Four have already been fitted, with a further three due to be installed as the contract progresses.

City Building embarked on the project after tenants raised concern that the roofing works would have an adverse impact on nesting birds.

Swifts are summer visitors to Scotland, arriving from Africa in May and leaving in August.

Across the country, there has been a 60% decline in the number of swifts as renovation and modern construction techniques eliminate the cavities in which urban birds traditionally nest. In Glasgow, swifts nest mainly in older sandstone properties and in peripheral housing estates built in the 1930s to 1950s.

Residents were supported by conservation body Concern for Swifts (Scotland).

City Building is set to enter a 50/50 joint venture worth £3.7 billion with Wheatley Group, the parent company of Glasgow Housing Association. The partnership will see City Building undertaking all repair work for GHA and Wheatley’s other social landlords in the west of Scotland in a move that will secure thousands of jobs over the next 30 years.

West Dunbartonshire Council opens Clydebank town centre office

West Dunbartonshire Council has officially opened a new office in the heart of Clydebank.

The new facility is housed in the town’s B-listed Co-op building and replaces the former office at Rosebery Place.

Located on the ground floor of the Co-op building on Sylvania Way South, the office is another development for the area, with the nearby Queens Quay project gathering pace.

The council’s new Aurora House building is situated at Queen’s Quay along with the West College Scotland building and the new Clydebank Sports Centre, which will open in the coming months.