Building Briefs - June 15th

The Lochee area of Dundee received a much-needed injection of affordable housing when 18 new homes were handed over to tenants last week.

The social rental properties at St Ann Lane, constructed by George Martin Builders, are the latest homes to be delivered by Hillcrest Housing Association as part of ongoing regeneration across the city.

Hillcrest’s director of property and new business, David Zwirlein said: “This £1.8m investment in Lochee delivers much-needed good quality, affordable housing to the community.

“Offering a mix of flats for a range of housing needs, including a property adapted for a wheelchair user, this development goes some way to address the shortage of affordable rented housing in area.”

The delivery of the homes at St Ann Lane marks the latest development success for Hillcrest, who is set to deliver hundreds of affordable homes across the city in partnership with Dundee City Council between now and the end of 2019.

Earlier this year Kevin Stewart MSP Minister for Local Government and Housing visited the site of Derby Street in Dundee where Hillcrest and the Council plan to deliver 126 affordable homes in 2019.

Thenue Housing welcomes completion of £6.4m development in Glasgow’s east end

A multi-million housing boost for Bridgeton in Glasgow’s east end was unveiled this week by Thenue Housing.

And it marked a welcome return to the east end for Housing Minister Kevin Stewart who got the building work under way just over a year ago.

Around half the families have now moved into the impressive £6.43 million development as Thenue Housing continues its drive to create much-needed new homes. More will receive their keys in the next few weeks.

The 45 new properties have been created in Rumford Street and Reid Street and consist of two, three and four bedroom homes.

The work would not have been possible without funding from the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council which totalled £3.9 million. The remainder of the £6.43 million was made up of borrowing by Thenue which is common practice when a housing association builds new homes.

Gordon Lee, partnering & procurement director of Cruden Building, who built the homes, said: “We are pleased to continue our strong working relationship with Thenue Housing Association to deliver this landmark development of 45 high quality houses which will make a huge difference to people’s lives. These modern and spacious homes have larger rooms, allowing families to interact more and with many energy efficient features they will be warmer and cheaper to run. The contract has been able to provide jobs to local people and boost the economy.”

The architects for the project were Mast Architects of Glasgow.

£100,000 makeover to transform Aberdeenshire ruin

A 15th Century ruin in Aberdeenshire is in line for a £100,000 makeover with Aberdeenshire Council launching a hunt for a contractor for the work

Tullick Kirk, near Ballater, along with its circular churchyard and symbol stone collection, is a scheduled monument.

During the winter of 2013-14 the condition of the kirk deteriorated significantly, with bulges in two walls becoming much more pronounced and parts of another falling to the ground.

A structural engineer was appointed by the council to carry out an emergency survey of the kirk.

They immediately recommended fencing off the ruin to protect the public and the installation of timber bracing and clamping to support the areas of bulging stonework and prevent collapse.

LDN Architects delivered a report in January 2017 and the green light has now been given for work to begin in early July, with it hoped to be completed by the end of October.

The work will be covered by Leader funding, further a European Union initiative to support rural development projects.

Tullich is known as the birthplace of St Nathalan and is the site of some noted Pictish stones.

The plan is to create an exhibition of a small selection of the stones at Ballater Station at a future date.

£7.5m reconstruction project starts at Montrose Port

Work has started on a £7.5 million of two berths at Montrose Port in Angus.

Civil engineering firm Farrans will renovate berths seven and eight at the port last month.

The project is due to be completed next autumn.

Farrans has a long-standing relationship with Montrose Port Authority, having carried out more than £13m worth of marine work in the past seven years.

In 2011 the company completed the £8m Montrose Deep Water Berth project – a technically challenging job involving the removal of an old, collapsed berth.

In 2013-14, they carried out the berth six renewal project.

The latest project includes the design and construction of a new quay wall, approximately 180 metres in length, including a 30m wide concrete hardstanding area. Works also include utilities, with service ducting and quayside furniture installation.

Brian McCool, Farrans’ contracts manager, said his team was looking forward to getting started on the exciting new project.

“Having worked with Montrose Port Authority for some years, we are looking forward to engaging with them once again and working closely with the local supply chain in order to deliver a quality service,” he said.

“Farrans is proud to have a strong portfolio of experience across the UK marine sector and we will bring this breadth of technical knowledge and know-how to the job through our talented personnel.”

Young people centre stage at GWSF regeneration conference

Rapper and best-selling author Darren McGarvey (aka Loki) is among those who will tell Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) Regeneration Conference in Glasgow today about their experiences of growing up in Scotland.

The GWSF Regeneration Conference has been organised to coincide with, and celebrate, Scotland’s Year of Young People.

It will discuss the challenges young people face and also highlight the many innovative projects they are involved in, often through community based housing associations.

Around 120 delegates at Cadder Community Centre will hear from a number of young people about the community work they carry out as both employees of, and volunteers with, local housing associations. They will also outline the many creative projects they are involved with.

Keynote speaker Ashley Duffy, Young Scot Volunteer and Housing Trainee at Fife Council, said: “In the 2018 Year of Young People, it’s fantastic to see GWSF and its members firmly placing young people at the centre of their work.

“Many local housing associations are champions of young people as service users, change agents and active citizens of society and empower us with a stronger voice on local community issues.”

GWSF Chair Helen Moore said: “It’s probably fair to say that some housing associations haven’t had a long history of working with younger people, but this conference shows that things have been changing more recently.

“The more we can engage with younger people, the greater our chances of providing responsive services, and we can also hope that, in some cases, it’ll lead to younger people being willing to be involved in governance. Traditionally our members haven’t found it easy to get younger people on to management committees and we know we have to approach this in innovative ways.

“Crucially, it’s also about giving young people in our communities opportunities to show off their talents and help them reach their full potential – whether that’s via training, employment, or creative pathways.”