Building Briefs – June 21st

Work starts at Ness Castle site for new affordable homes

Work has started on the first phase of a much-anticipated affordable housing development which is set to bring 51 quality new homes to the Highland capital by April next year.

Nestled in an idyllic Loch Ness location transformed by its developer, the £5.2 million Ness Castle development is being delivered on behalf of Albyn Housing Society and the Highland Council by housebuilder Barratt Homes.

Complete with Highland landscaping features, such as drystone walls and woodland landscaping, it will provide a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes for rent, mid-market rent and sale under Albyn Enterprise’s low-cost home ownership scheme (LIFT).

To support construction costs, Albyn Housing Society was able to secure over £2m in funding from the Scottish Government.

Plans lodged for £40m Jedburgh whisky distillery

Plans for a new £40 million whisky distillery have been lodged near Jedburgh on the Scottish border.

Mossburn Distillers are hoping to open the plant near the former Jedforest Hotel at Camptown, with developers claiming the site will create 50 full-time jobs, producing millions of bottles a year and will include a 200-seat restaurant.

A planning permission form has been submitted to the Scottish Borders Council with a decision expected to be given at some point in the Autumn.

The project is said to be one of a number of schemes aiming to bring a distillery to the Scottish Borders, which at present currently has none. The company behind the scheme are also behind the Torabhaig distillery on the Isle of Skye.

The proposed site will be site on Commercial Road in Hawick.

£1.5m for offshore wind

Companies in the offshore wind sector will benefit from £1.5m of funding to increase innovation, reduce costs and encourage further investment.

The Scottish Government has made the award to the Carbon Trust to support its Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) research and design programme.

Set up in 2008, the OWA has driven forward new technologies in the offshore wind sector – seen by the renewables industry as a key area for growth.

Previous funding rounds have supported research into the floating wind technology market and into the use of concrete foundations for offshore windfarms in deeper waters.

The Carbon Trust will fund projects in the following three areas.

US expert praises work by Dunedin Canmore to restore Victorian homes

A US housing expert saw for himself how Dunedin Canmore is bringing a Victorian building in Edinburgh back to life as part of its drive to make homes warmer and more comfortable.

Jim Stockard, who lectures on affordable housing at Harvard University, is working with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) to prepare a report into current US and Scottish Housing Policy and Practice. He visited Dunedin Canmore, which is part of Wheatley Group, to learn more about the work of housing associations in Scotland.

Mr Stockard, and staff from the SFHA, toured the landlord’s award-winning Westfield development in the west of Edinburgh where over 250 new affordable homes and community business spaces have been delivered.

They also visited Earl Grey Street in the city centre where Dunedin Canmore is carrying out a major project to restore a Victorian tenement, involving 34 homes, as part of a wider strategy. The project will be on site for over 14 months and will cost around £850,000.

The group witnessed first-hand the challenges that restoring Victorian buildings can present, especially issues with structure due to the age of the stone.

Calton Hill observatory project gets £300,000 grant

More than £300,000 has been awarded to a project to restore City Observatory on Calton Hill in Edinburgh.

The City Observatory complex, designed by William Henry Playfair, has fallen into disrepair in recent years.

Conservation watchdog Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH) announced that it was granting £300,000 to visual arts group Collective, which is behind plans to upgrade the buildings.

The grant will help fund a project to open the complex as a gallery space by the end of next year.

Work to begin on water infrastructure upgrade near Glasgow

Scottish Water is due to begin a water infrastructure upgrade project near Glasgow.

Workers will begin carrying out improvement works on Stewarton Road, Newton Mearns at the junction of the B769 and Netherplace Road from Friday, 01 July.

The scheme involves the installation of a new water main from Waulkmill Glen to Amlaird Water Treatment Works near Fenwick.

To deliver the project safely, the section of road will be closed for five days. Diversions will be in place.

Lanarkshire road widening project set to start

Work is to begin on a road widening project in Lanarkshire.

The B756 Bellshill Road in Paddington will be closed from Thursday, 30 June.

The 11-day scheme will widen the M74 motorway bridge over Bellshill Road as part of the M8/M73/M74 Motorway Improvements Project. Diversions will be in place.

Inverclyde £120,000 resurfacing programme

Scotland TranServ is due to begin a £120,000 road maintenance programme in Inverclyde.

Workers will resurface 1,200 metres of road on the A78 in Greenock between Flatterton Road and Spango Valley.

The project will take place from 8pm on Monday, 27 June until 6am on Wednesday, 29 June. Diversions will be in place.

Rainton completes latest stage of Kirkintilloch improvement project

Rainton Construction has completed the latest stage of a £2 million improvement project in Kirkintilloch town centre.

New road/paving between Townhead Bridge and Catherine Street is on schedule to be completed this week.

In addition, sectors of Catherine Street and Kerr Street will be closed from 29 June until 6am on 19 July to allow further upgrade work to begin.

The works are part of the Cowgate public realm project which is due to be completed before summer 2017.

The scheme will remove street clutter, narrow carriageways, widen footways, reduce traffic speeds below 20mph, and install raised tables and courtesy crossings in the Cowgate area.

New controlled crossings and traffic lights will be installed in Catherine Street and Kerr Street.