Building Briefs – July 21st

• Broughty Ferry flood protection moves to piling phase

Alan Ross, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, said: “Flood protection for our coastal communities is crucial, and as well as ensuring effectiveness and value for money, this scheme will be attractive and in keeping with the buildings and streetscape around it.

“A lot of preparation work went into making sure that people and properties are protected in the best possible way with the minimum loss of amenity.

“It will also incorporate active travel works and we have kept the community informed and engaged at every step of the process.”

Preparatory work on the scheme included ground conditions and ground water levels investigations to help inform the design and construction of the final scheme which is designed to reduce the risk of flooding to residential, open space, community and businesses within Broughty Ferry through works along Douglas Terrace, James Place, Fisher Street and Beach Crescent.

Contractor McLaughlin and Harvey arrived on site at the end of May to construct a compound.

To minimise vibration and noise the piling work will be carried out using a rotary bored auger.

The latest phase of work to construct 1.2km of sea and flood protection walls will also include improvements to the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure between Broughty Ferry Castle and the west end of Douglas Terrace.

McLaughlin and Harvey design consultants, who are Wates Construction Ltd’s sub-contractors in Scotland, produced the specification and design of the Broughty Ferry Flood Protection Scheme along with the council’s in-house structural and civil engineering teams.

A number of community benefits are built into the contract including commitments to use local suppliers and offer job opportunities to local people.

The scheme is expected to be completed by summer 2022.

• Progress ongoing at Inverurie Community Campus

The remobilisation of works on the £55 million Inverurie Community Campus project is ongoing. Many contractors are still getting up to speed following the lifting of restrictions put in place due to COVID-19 and in order to make arrangements for the start of the new school term from a position of certainty, it has been decided that Inverurie Academy will operate from its existing building until the October break.

This will ensure systems and infrastructure at the new campus can be fully tested and staff trained effectively in their operation prior to welcoming the schools’ pupils into their new home, and it will also allow pro-longed transition opportunities for pupils and staff to adjust to new arrangements.

The Aberdeenshire Council project is being delivered through hub North Scotland and built by Robertson Construction, with all current works being carried out in line with physical distancing guidelines and Robertson Construction working to an agreed set of safe operating procedures.

These not only incorporate Scottish Government and Construction Scotland measures for a safe return to work, but have been further enhanced by Robertson Construction with additional measures to further protect employees, contractors and sub-contractors and other stakeholders from COVID-19.

St Andrew’s School in Inverurie had already prepared to make its transition into the new facility from the October break. New community and swimming facilities form part of the new campus and planning has commenced on preparing them for public availability. At this stage, a confirmed timescale for public use of campus community and sport facilities is under review due to the ongoing pandemic.

Partners will continue to keep stakeholders updated as dates are finalised.

• Highland Council restarts capital works in homes

Capital investment works for the Highland Council’s current housing stock will be re-starting shortly, the chair of the local authority’s housing and property committee has confirmed.

Contractors have supplied the council with detailed work plans for safe working, encompassing social distancing and following all guidance relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tenants whose homes have been identified for capital works will be contacted in the coming weeks to provide assurance on proposed work plans and to discuss arrangements with them.

Works are likely to take longer than in previous years because of the enhanced safety measures.

Phased starts will begin later this month and will initially be focused on external works such as re-roofing and windows and doors.

It is anticipated that works such as heating replacements and rewiring will be unable to re-start for a number of weeks as a result of the nature of the work involved.

Councillor Ben Thompson, chair of the housing and property committee, said: “Work on tenant’s homes will only restart when tenants and council officers feel it is safe to do so. I would like to thank everyone for their patience and their support in this matter. We will be contacting tenants on our capital programme in the coming weeks to help develop a safe and efficient schedule for the capital programme.”