Building Briefs - July 9th

Seven bids have been received from those wanting to take over the historic Bon Accord Baths site.

A spokesman for Aberdeen City Council said the sealed proposals were in the hands of council officials.

Interested parties had until Tuesday to lodge their plans for the Grade II-listed building in Justice Mill Lane.

Among them was a plan by Bon Accord Heritage which wants to reopen it to the public.

John Law, head of facilities and fundraising at the charity, said it would cost around £10million to bring the baths back to life.

He said the group wanted to lease the building for five years to give it a chance to raise public funds for the restoration project.

Bon Accord Baths, which closed in 2008, includes a 14-bay swimming pool, Turkish baths, two saunas and two steam rooms.

Plans to knock down landmark Glasgow building

Plans have been submitted to knock down a prominent Glasgow city centre building to build student flats.

Salmon Harvester Properties, a joint venture between Salmon Developments and NFU Mutual, wants to knock down the listed building at the junction of Argyle Street and Miller Street in Glasgow and the unlisted, single-storey Cairns pub in Miller Street.

In their place, a nine-storey building would be constructed with shops at ground and basement level and about 130 student flats on upper floors.

Over the years, the developer has considered many plans for the site including retaining the facade and using the building for offices, housing and a hotel.

A design document says: “The existing eight-storey building was, until recently, in multiple ownership, which resulted in the building falling into a state of disrepair.

“Further to an intrusive investigation and subsequent studies, it has been concluded by the design team that the building has come to the end of its useful life, is incapable of repair short of complete dismantle and reconstruction and should therefore be demolished.”

The design brief says it is envisaged the new building will contribute to the evolution of the Merchant City.

But opponents have described the move as “destruction of our architectural legacy” and called on the council to reject the application.

Plans submitted for Gorbals Health Centre

Plans have been submitted for the erection of a new health and care centre in the New Gorbals district of Glasgow by JM Architects.

Situated on Crown Street Gorbals Health Centre will re-establish a perimeter block and house NHS services, GP surgeries, social services, community space and treatment rooms finished with precast concrete, textured brick and Western Red Cedar window openings.

In their design statement the architects noted: “The building parapet level is designed to line-through with Page\Park’s housing association offices and the building lines are aligned with both this and the immediately adjoining housing blocks.”

Big boost for city student’s housing firm

One of the UK’s leading student housing providers has had its nation-wide property portfolio valued at more than £2.5 billion, according to a quarterly audit.

Unite Group plc’s Chief Financial Officer Joe Lister said that “demand for high quality, well-located student accommodation, together with rental growth” had seen values rise by between 8.5 per cent and 12.5 per cent.

The firm runs 90 sites across the UK, including three in Edinburgh, with more than 30,000 beds. Occupancy is 86 per cent.

Oyne’s prominent Archaeolink site up for sale

Aberdeenshire Council has appointed Ryden to market the former Archaeolink Prehistory Park in Oyne.

The prominent 2.22 hectares (5.5 acres) site has been divided into two separate lots, which are available separately or together. A purchase price has not been disclosed.

Lot 1 extends to 0.97 hectares (2.4 acres) and has been identified in the Proposed 2016 Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan (LDP) as “suitable for 10 housing units, including a minimum of 2 affordable houses”. The former 1,161 sq m (12,500 sq ft) Archaeolink visitor centre with 40 car parking spaces comprises lot 2 and the building has been “safeguarded for employment purposes” within the same LDP.

Andrew Smith, associate at Ryden handling the sale, said: “Since the tourist attraction closed in 2011 the site has been vacant, therefore we look forward to identifying the right purchaser/s to bring it back into use. Various employment and leisure uses have been discussed and our client is keen to explore all appropriate avenues. To the front of the site there is capacity to accommodate up to 35 units, although lot 1 is only being sold in part for the creation of 10 units in this phase. Oyne is in close proximity to Inverurie and Inch which are ever expanding. We expect both lots to be met well.”

Chairman of the Garioch Area Committee, Fergus Hood, added: “Having considered a range of options since its closure, we are pleased to see this site on the open market and look forward to receiving a report in due course outlining any bids received.

“Offering the site for sale was considered to be the best way forward for the Council and I hope a buyer can be found who will make the best of the opportunities afforded by it.”