Building Briefs – January 29th

• First homes at Maidenhill unveiled

Maidenhill will see 834 new homes created in the affluent town of Newton Mearns, as well as a new primary school, surrounded by plenty of green space for families to enjoy.

Hazeldene Lea, the first phase of development by CALA Homes (West), offers 79 three, four and five bedrooms homes from its new Light and Space range.

Three newly-launched CALA showhomes are now available to be followed closely by the Taylor Wimpey showhomes in the coming weeks.

Taylor Wimpey West Scotland has released 106 new homes in its first phase at Westfield Gardens – a mix of three, four and five bedrooms homes located just off Ayr Road.

• MSP visits New College Lanarkshire’s Motherwell Campus

Graham Simpson MSP visited the New College Lanarkshire, Motherwell Campus, to hear about the Electrical Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship Electrician courses available.

New College Lanarkshire offers a pre-apprenticeship model which links in to the full Electrical Modern Apprenticeship. This model provides invaluable experience and is an efficient use of taxpayer’s money. The college liaises with the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) and employers to ensure the course is designed to support their requirements. 

Graham Simpson said: “I was delighted to visit the New College Lanarkshire, Motherwell Campus to learn more about their pre-apprenticeship course model. Students get a real taste and experience before starting a Modern Apprenticeship as an Electrician. They gain a better understanding if an apprenticeship is right for them.

“I was delighted to learn that there are no barriers to the pre-apprenticeship course – with no entry requirements to the course.

“Employers want young people who are ready and prepared to start work. This pre-apprenticeship course provides employers with greater certainty that successful candidates will finish their Electrical apprenticeship.   There are 15 centres around Scotland running Electrical pre-apprenticeship courses, with over 800 active employers across Scotland employing Electrical apprentices and adult trainees. Eight out of the last ten Apprentices of the Year came out of the pre-apprenticeship course.

“Pre-apprenticeships provide an excellent grounding for young people to develop their skills. We need to make vocational training part of the mainstream delivery of the school curriculum. The Scottish Conservatives have recently called for the SNP to ensure that foundation apprenticeships are a part of every single Scottish secondary school’s offer by 2020. There is considerable evidence that softening the divide between academic and work-based learning is key to a well performing modern economy. It is therefore extremely important for our economy and our students that all local authorities offer this real-world work experience.”

• Pacific completes Glasgow restaurant refurb

Pacific Building Ltd has completed a major refurbishment of Springcroft, a hugely popular restaurant and bar in Ballieston.

Restaurant operators Mitchells & Butlers entrusted the job to Pacific, having established a longstanding relationship with the company.

An 11-day project timescale was pencilled in for a refurbishment programme that involved: Bar alterations; New fonts; Stripping out of all furniture; Extensive toilet refurbishments; Electrical works; Floor and wall tiles; Alarm system; CCTV installation; New kitchen fit-out; Refinishing of existing timber flooring; New screens and partitions; Carpeting; Cladding; New entrance door and vestibule; Bric-a-brac; New furniture; Replace external furniture; Exterior building work; Landscaping; New signage; Refurbishment of kiddies’ play area.

Pacific drew on all its experience and expertise to complete the project in just nine days.

• Fife Council invests in road network

Fife Council has announced an investment of £130,000 into improving the road network in Lochgelly.

Throughout February, the council will be carrying out carriageway resurfacing on Lumphinnans Road, Lochgelly from Saturday 02 February to Sunday 17 February 2019.

• Work kicks off on East Dunbartonshire football facilities

Work is taking place to upgrade five-a-side football courts in Kirkintilloch and Bishopbriggs.

A programme of improvements will see two courts at Kirkintilloch Leisure Centre and two at the Leisuredrome in Bishopbriggs revamped with new 3G synthetic surfacing with ‘shock pads’ underneath and all-over fencing/netting to ensure the ball remains within the court.

Works kicked off in Kirkintilloch this week, with the Leisuredrome football court improvements starting next week.

• William Wallace Statue Restoration Underway

Vital restoration work on the 132-year-old William Wallace statue - which towers over the entrance to the world-famous monument honouring the Scottish hero - is underway.

The bronze 14ft figure of Wallace will be carefully dismantled in sections and removed from the iconic landmark in Stirling for the first time since it was unveiled in 1887.

It will then undergo specialist restoration off site before being returning to take pride of place on the popular attraction ahead of its 150th anniversary celebrations in September.

The cost of this challenging project is estimated to be £260,000 and will be completed over the next 10 weeks.

The painstaking, expert work forms part of the overall restoration project at the National Wallace Monument, which is being funded by Stirling Council and is expected to total £515,000. 

Designed by Glasgow architect John Thomas Rochead, it was constructed between 1861 and 1869 at a cost of £18,000.

• Further A9 dualling ground investigations

Two adjoining sections of the A9 dualling programme totalling over 17 miles are the location for further ground investigations starting on February 4.

The work will take place on the Pitlochry to Killiecrankie and Killiecrankie to Glen Garry stretches of the A9 and is expected to last around three months.

Some traffic management measures will be required when necessary to allow work on or near the carriageway to be carried out safely. This will include alternate single file traffic sections controlled by temporary traffic signals or at times stop/go boards as required.

The contractor will continue to monitor traffic and take steps when necessary to ensure delays are kept to a minimum.