Building Briefs – June 23rd

Mactaggart & Mickel celebrates four Pride in the Job awards

Housebuilder Mactaggart & Mickel Homes is celebrating after four of its site managers have been awarded prestigious NHBC Pride in the Job Quality Awards, selected from thousands of site managers across the UK after a rigorous 12-month judging process.

The winners are Stuart Gillespie (Greenan Views, Ayr); Garry Henderson (Braemore Wood, Troon); Paddy Malone (Polnoon, Eaglesham) and Mike Loughran (Millerhill at Shawfair, Midlothian).

The announcement follows a year-long assessment process in which NHBC inspectors perform spot checks on sites all over the country, and will now be followed by further assessments as each of the four site managers goes forward to the Scottish regional awards. Winners of this next stage, the Seal of Excellence, will be announced at an awards ceremony in Glasgow in October.

The NHBC regional events take place in October 2017, with the winners of the UK Supreme Awards due to be announced at a gala final in London in January 2018.

£4m plan to improve access at Eurocentral

A major project to open up job opportunities by improving access, parking and public transport at Eurocentral has been approved by the Glasgow City Regional City Deal Cabinet.

The outline business case for the proposed Holytown Link Road and Eurocentral Park, Ride and Share projects was approved and an additional £4 million of City Deal funding released to support the development of the projects.

This project is part of North Lanarkshire Council’s wider programme of support to improve access and connectivity in the A8/M8 corridor area between Baillieston and Newhouse.

Eurocentral is one of Scotland’s main commercial sites and is key to attracting more business to North Lanarkshire. The site has capacity for significant expansion in the future however an additional access road would be required to support the increased traffic that would result from more businesses locating at Eurocentral or the Maxim Business Park.

A planning application for the project will now be submitted.

Details for widened carriageway be outlined at A82 summit

Businesses and road users travelling on the A82 between Tarbet and Inverarnan are set for a boost with confirmation the design of the preferred option for the scheme will be taken forward by Transport Scotland as a 7.3m wide carriageway.

The intention will be confirmed by transport minister Humza Yousaf at the A82 Summit in Crianlarich later today where the extent of design and other work taking place on the route will be highlighted.

The Scottish Government has invested £11 million in last year in the management and maintenance of the A82 and will continue to invest this financial year with a further £11m of schemes planned.

Stirling Council confirms plans to refurbish Strathyre Primary School

Stirling Council has confirmed plans to invest £1.864 million to refurbish and improve Strathyre Primary School.

The project is due to be completed by summer 2018 and will provide additional teaching space, and a sport, dining, and community area. It will remove existing modular accommodation and the need to transport pupils off site for physical education.

The refurbishment of Strathyre Primary School was initially confirmed in 2015 following a review of the school estate.

In addition to improving the educational environment, the refurbishment will allow for better energy efficiency and reduced operating costs in the future.

Construction is due to begin in September 2017 and will run for 11 months.

Aberdeen property recognised as Best New Development outside Central London

Commercial property developer Knight Property Group celebrated The Capitol’s ongoing success this week after bringing home the building’s fourth award.

Since reaching completion in April last year, the £35 million project has been awarded a number of high calibre awards, with the most recent being Business Council for Offices regional Commercial Workplace of the Year and OAS Awards Best New Build outside Central London.

In addition to the building itself, Knight Property Group have also been recognised by Scottish Property Awards for City Centre Regeneration Project of the Year which celebrated the positive impact that the redevelopment of The Capitol had on Aberdeen City.

AWPR - new section of B977 at Goval set to open

A new section of the B977 Echt to Balmedie Road is expected to open on Monday as part of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty project (AWPR/B-T).

To allow the contractor to tie the new section of the B977 with the new Goval roundabout, it will be necessary to close the existing B977 at Goval from the new East Goval roundabout to its junction with the A947 Newmachar Road from 8pm on Friday 23 June until 6am on Monday 26 June.

It is envisaged that these works will enable the new 1.38km section of the B977 to open to traffic on Monday 26 June.

However, some additional surfacing works will be required and the new road is expected to close from 8pm on Friday 7 July to 6am Monday 10 July for these works to be undertaken.

Work on Argyll And Bute bridge strengthening work complete

Work on a bridge strengthening scheme in Argyll and Bute is now complete.

The project at Knock Bridge on Mill was carried out due to the condition of the B-listed structure and the deterioration of the bridge’s load-carrying capacity.

The bridge is also able to carry vehicles up to the previous 33 tonnes Maximum Gross Weight (MGW).

The scheme was completed in partnership with Argyll and Bute Council’s Roads and Amenity Services, Albion Drilling and MacLeod scaffolding services.

Scaffolding will remain in place for a further two weeks while minor pointing work is done to the outside of the bridge. During this time, the verges will also be reinstated.

Macdonald Hotels unveils £3.5m Aberfoyle revamp

The Macdonald Forest Hills Hotel & Spa in Aberfoyle has unveiled the results of its £3.5 million renovation.

The four-star venue, owned by Bathgate-based Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, said all 50 bedrooms have been revamped along with its cocktail bar, piano lounge, reception and restaurant.

The refurbishment, which has seen all guest rooms equipped with flat-screen TVs and free wifi, comes after an extension of the Perthshire hotel’s spa facilities in 2007.

Council to champion the success of town centres across Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire Council is to become the first local authority in Scotland to launch a Town Centre First Framework.

This will make town centres a key consideration in all council business. The framework includes a Town Centre Impact Assessment which officers across the council will consider ahead of submitting any report to committee.

Impact assessments will enable council workers to gauge the impact budget cuts, road closures and the removal of assets and/or services have on our town centres in a more joined up way.

David Wilson Homes donates to Renfrewshire primary’s arts fund

David Wilson Homes has donated a sum of £1,000 to Kilbarchan Primary School, with the aim of helping the school with arts project.

The donation gives the school a major helping hand towards meeting its overall fundraising target of £6,000 by 2018.

The fundraising drive is being led by the school’s new head teacher Fiona MacKenzie, with the money to be used to purchase equipment to facilitate arts projects.

A number of performances, concerts and exhibitions take place at the moment and with professional quality AV equipment, they will be elevated to a much higher standard.