Building Briefs – July 17th

Two site managers from CALA Homes (North) have scooped a prestigious award in recognition of their commitment to the highest standards in housebuilding.

Commended for their work at CALA’s Oldfold Village development in Milltimber and The Links at Dubford in Bridge of Don respectively, Rob Swanson and Fred Anderson have both landed the ‘Pride in the Job’ award 2017.

Receiving more than 16,000 applicants, the Pride in the Job accolade was awarded to the top 450 site managers across the UK.

Organised by NHBC, the UK’s leading new home warranty insurance provider, ‘Pride in the Job’ is the most highly regarded competition in the house building industry, dedicated to recognising site managers and their construction teams who achieve the highest standards in house building. It has been instrumental in driving up the quality of new homes for 37 years.

The NHBC accolade follows CALA Homes’ recent Scottish Home Awards (SHA) ‘Customer Service Excellence Award’ win, calling for a double celebration within the team.

Moray Council removes ‘unsightly’ illegal development

An unauthorised development next to a local nature reserve has been removed by council officers in Moray.

The ‘unsightly’ development was a large fenced-off yard with a rubble hardstanding alongside the Findhorn to Kinloss road. It was being used by Seaview Caravan Park to store building materials, machinery and various storage containers.

However, it had been created without planning consent, as previous proposals submitted in November 2015 were refused on the grounds that the site is located within the Findhorn Bay Coastal Protection Zone, and on road safety issues.

The decision to reject the plans was appealed by Seaview Caravan Park, but the refusal was upheld by the council’s own Local Review Body at a hearing in May.

An enforcement notice was served and appealed by the owners to the Scottish Government’s Planning & Appeals Division (DPEA). This was also dismissed in December 2016.

Following a failure in negotiations with the applicants to remove the compound and adhere to the refusal decision, staff from the planning enforcement team and Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) arrived on site to remove the development. A JCB was required to dig up the hard standing and rubble base to return the site to its original condition.

Hotel sector investment tops 2016 totals in just six months

Around £118 million has been invested into Scotland’s hotels sector in the first half of 2017, already in line with total transaction volumes reached in 2016 (£119.7m), according to real estate advisor Savills.

Edinburgh continues to be the key market, says Savills, accounting for 75% (£88.9m) of year to date volumes. Key deals include the forward funding acquisition of the Marriott Courtyard Edinburgh for £23.2m by M&G Real Estate in April along with the ground lease sale & leaseback of Safestay Hostel Edinburgh at a net initial yield of 2.46%.

Overseas investors have been particularly active in Scotland, says Savills, spending £46m across six deals - almost six times higher than that seen in 2016 (£7.8m). In Edinburgh these include PGIM’s (US) acquisition of Safestay Hostel, International Hotel Properties Limited (British Virgin Islands) buying Holiday Inn Express and a US investor purchasing The Bonham hotel.

Elsewhere, Chinese group Creation Gem International Ltd has acquired The Isle of Eriska Hotel and Spa while 7 Hospitality (Singapore) has bought Dundee’s DoubleTree Hilton. Savills also points out both the Newton Hotel in Nairn and the Highland Heritage portfolio have been purchased by Indian investors this year.

The firm says this reflects a wider national trend which sees investment by international buyers in 2017 total £1.2 billion, up 13.7% on full year 2016 levels, and in comparison to the £822m transacted by domestic investors.

Barratt redesigns its homes for 2017

National housebuilder Barratt Homes Scotland has launched its 2017 range of homes to make them more efficient.

The new 2017 range of homes features improved storage throughout to give customers more usable space for bags and boxes. The floorplans have also been designed to ensure furniture fits more comfortably and that customers can move more easily around their homes.

With space for growing families and friends so important, the new 2017 range of homes now have an excellent balance between accommodation and living space, so that the whole family can watch TV or fit around a dining table at the same time. The bedrooms too have all been designed with plenty of space for wardrobes and bedside tables.