Building Briefs - July 29th

• Thenue supports community bid to transform derelict land

Blaeloch Community Land Ltd – supported by Thenue Housing - has been established in the Netherholm area of Castlemilk.

The new company is endeavouring to purchase a piece of land where shops and homes once stood thanks to legislation from the Scottish Parliament which empowers communities to purchase land, provided it has community backing. The final decision, however, remains with Scottish Ministers.

If the plans come to pass, the land – opposite the community’s popular Netherholm Hall – will see a community shop, growing space and play area created.

The plans have firmly caught the public mood with 245 local people now signed up to the drive – reflecting the thriving community spirit which exists in Netherholm.

The company has just held its second AGM and those involved remain hopeful that the plans will become a reality.

Frank Soutar, chairman of Blaeloch Community Land Ltd and a Thenue tenant, said: “There is significant community support for what we are doing and there is no doubt that it has the overwhelming goodwill of the community judging by the fact that almost 250 people are backing what we are doing. We are hopeful we will succeed.”

The issue of a community shop is seen as vital to the plans – addressing the fact that none has existed since the 1990s when the shops and flats which once occupied the land were demolished.

The plans are seen as the ideal addition to the Netherholm Hall – another community triumph which the local Netherholm Area Association fought to establish over a staggering 20 years – again with support from Thenue.

• Robertson receives three RoSPA Awards

Robertson Group has been recognised across its Facilities Management and Construction businesses in the internationally renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards.

Robertson Facilities Management (RFM), Robertson Construction South and Robertson Construction North, have all been recognised for health & safety performance during the period of January 01, 2020, to December 31, 2020.  In a year that saw all operations directly impacted by the pandemic and when new Covid Safe Operating Procedures were introduced, the awards demonstrate the team’s commitment to retain the highest of standards, and the importance placed on employee, customer, supply chain and local community health and safety.

Organisations receiving a RoSPA Award are recognised as being world leaders in health and safety practice. Every year, nearly 2,000 entrants vie to achieve accolades in the UK’s longest running Health & Safety industry awards.

RFM received the President’s Award (11th consecutive Gold), while Construction North and Construction South received Gold and Silver respectively.

• National commendation for Dunoon Primary refurbishment

Dunoon Primary school’s transformation has received a commendation in the prestigious Scottish Design Awards.

Argyll and Bute Council’s £10.7 million investment in the school, including £5.08m from the Scottish Government, involved refurbishing, partially demolishing and extending the building to transform it into a school fit for the 21st century, while carefully preserving its Victorian B listed building status.

Additional benefits included the creation of a new family centre, gym hall, library, early learning and childcare centre and staff accommodation. A new feature staircase was also installed linking the refurbished west wing to the new east wing of the building

The school now has capacity for up to 300 pupils and 30 early learning and childcare places.

The design for the school’s transformation was produced by Ryder Architecture.

 

• Scottish National Investment Bank invests £2 million in Forev

The Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) has invested £2 million in Forev – the electric vehicle charging network owner and operator – to help tackle the lack of charging infrastructure in Scotland.

The equity investment will support Forev in its ambition to create a network of over 1,700 electric vehicle charging points at public sites across Scotland. The company will focus, in particular, on much needed public ‘destination’ charging points that will allow drivers to charge their vehicles away from home.

The decarbonisation of transport is one of the most significant – and challenging – factors in the transition to net zero. While incentives are in place to encourage consumers to swap to electric vehicles and purchasing costs are falling, access to charging points, both at home and while on the move, remains a barrier to the widespread adoption required to have a significant impact on emissions.

The bank’s investment will allow Forev to continue with phase one of its roll out which will see the company begin to scale its charging network, with a robust pipeline of locations already in place. Aligning with The Bank’s mission to support Scotland’s progress to net zero, the investment also seeks to create more equitable access to the benefits of electric vehicles across Scottish communities.

 

• Smart Training Accreditation for Energy Assets

Energy Assets has been accredited by the National Skills Academy for Power (NSAP) as an approved Training Centre and Training Provider for electricity smart metering.

The NSAP certification enables the company, which is a leading metering, data, utility construction and network ownership business, to train engineers to install single phase, multi-rate, single phase-off multi-phase and multi-phase smart metering technology.

All smart meter installers are required to complete a rigorous training programme covering safety, quality of work and customer service mapped against the industry approved NSAP National Assessment Specification.

To achieve both NSAP Training Centre and Training Provider accreditation, Energy Assets underwent a rigorous assessment process, taking account of facilities, equipment, resources, training materials and industry experience and qualifications.

The NSAP programme is supported by major energy suppliers and industry stakeholders.

• NHBC celebrates first year of NHBC Accepts

NHBC is marking the first anniversary of its service for innovative products and systems – NHBC Accepts. 

Launched last July, the service has now accepted a range of products and systems, which over the course of the year have helped in the delivery of more than 5,000 innovative high quality new homes across the UK. 

NHBC Accepts – endorsed by the UK Government’s Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Champion, Mark Farmer and recognised by Homes England and UK Finance - enables quicker assessment of a home for warranty and reduces the risk to the builder of delays in their project. 

Any product or system with the NHBC Accepts logo will have been rigorously assessed to ensure it can meet NHBC’s robust standards, giving confidence to developers, investors, lenders and homeowners.

Even once accepted, NHBC’s Innovation team continue to review quality through factory and site inspections and seek feedback from those working with the product on site. We share this knowledge with the system owners to help continually improve their product.

• Property trading academy launched to help young entrepreneurs

Glasgow property investor Reece Devlin has set up a trading academy to help budding young entrepreneurs build an exciting future for themselves.

Under his guidance, successful applicants will be given the tools to take the first steps into the property investment market, whether that is ‘buy-to-lets’ or ‘buy-to-flips’.

During the course, participants will learn everything from investor strategies to opportunity marketing and sales and negotiation tactics.

Mr Devlin, 23, has established himself as one of Scotland’s most progressive property investors after turning his back on a career as a door-to-door salesman four years ago.

He personally delivers the modules and said: “I have a real passion for property and that’s why I made the change a few years ago. My dream is to help young people change their lives the way I managed to change mine.

“People have to take their dream and work hard to turn it into a reality and that’s where I can help.

“Building a foundation of knowledge is essential for success. As long as someone has the drive and passion to learn, the Property Trading Academy can help them by teaching them everything they need to know when it comes to getting ahead of the curve in property trading.”