Building Briefs – June 7th

M&G Real Estate buys stake in Fort Kinnaird retail centre

M&G Real Estate has acquired The Crown Estate’s 50% stake in Fort Kinnaird retail centre in Edinburgh.

The investment into the £334.5 million asset has created a new joint venture with Hercules Unit Trust (HUT). British Land owns 78% of HUT and is the property advisor of the 560,000 sq ft asset.

Fort Kinnaird is a retail and leisure destination on the outskirts of Edinburgh with a catchment of more than 800,000 people and an estimated annual footfall of 14 million.

The centre is anchored by M&S, Primark, Next and Odeon cinema. Over 85,000 sq ft of store openings and lettings have been achieved recently at Fort Kinnaird including JD Sports, Office, Swarovski, Skechers, Pure Gym and Wagamama.

New GHA homes mark next stage of Drumchapel transformation

Work has started on 134 new homes which will transform the heart of a Glasgow community.

The development, at Linkwood Drive, Drumchapel, is a partnership between GHA and Cernach Housing Association, with 98 of the homes for GHA and 36 for Cernach.

The homes are being built on the site of former tenements, close to Drumchapel High School.

The £18 million development will be a mix of flats and houses, with 16 of the homes adapted for wheelchair users.

Each home will have energy-efficient features including solar panels to cut heating costs.

The development, which includes £6m grant funding from the Scottish Government, should be finished by early 2020.

GHA is currently undertaking its biggest-ever new build programme, with more than 850 new homes being built across the city.

Councillor Kenny McLean, Glasgow City Council convener for neighbourhoods, housing and public realm, joined GHA chair Bernadette Hewitt, tenants and staff from GHA, Cernach Housing Association and Wheatley Group - GHA’s parent company – as well as local elected members and representatives from the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and the contractor, McTaggart Construction, to mark the start of work on the homes.

As part of its contract with GHA, contractors McTaggart Construction will be providing jobs and training opportunities for local people.

CALA hands 14 sets of keys to Melville Housing Association

CALA Homes (East) has constructed 14 new high quality affordable homes which have been seamlessly incorporated into a popular Midlothian housing development.

The housebuilder has worked closely with Melville Housing Association to deliver the homes in Bonnyrigg, adjacent to Broomieknowe Golf Club.

Now the site has reached a key milestone with the handover of keys to the locally-based affordable homes provider with the first occupants due to move in over the coming days.

The affordable homes comprise six terraced units and eight cottage flats, with private gardens, openspace and car parking.

The handover marks the next step at a site which has demonstrated a long-term commitment by the developer, which has already seen Broomieknowe Golf Club receive a crucial injection of funds, with the money reinvested into the club as part of a wider strategy to improve the course and clubhouse.

The new homes have enjoyed strong support from locals as well as backing from the Scottish Government, with building work starting in August last year.

McTaggart Group announced as finalists in seven categories of Scottish Home Awards 2018

Affordable housing builder McTaggart Group has been announced as finalists across seven categories of the Scottish Homes Awards 2018 including ‘Housebuilder of the Year (more than 100 units)’ where it is the only finalist who delivers mainly affordable housing.

The awards are Scotland’s largest independent awards initiative for the housing industry and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. This national recognition comes as the event organiser revealed a record number of entries this year.

Last year, the group’s Sustainable Communities Programme delivered over 300 work placements and reported a 40% progression rate into employment within McTaggart Group of businesses.

The categories where McTaggart Group is a finalist are:

Laurel Homes, the private home building brand within the group, has also been shortlisted for ‘Show Home of the Year’. Laurel Homes is currently working alongside Link Group on Riverside Dalmarnock, an initiative to create tenure neutral designed development of 562 new flats and houses for social rent, mid-market rent, new supply shared equity (NSSE) plus private sale.

The winners will be announced at an awards dinner which takes place on June 14 at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange.

CABE formalises New Zealand Chapter

The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) has formally signed the application to establish the New Zealand Chapter.

With the Association increasing its membership year on year through international development, CABE’s fully functional New Zealand Chapter is testament to the growing role the association has with building engineering across the globe.

The application was signed by President David Taylor and CEO Dr Gavin Dunn and builds on the hard work being done by the New Zealand committee led by Chapter chairman Kevin Emsley and secretary Patrick Jarvis.

Association Chapters deliver services at a local level and provide a networking hub for members to share knowledge and expertise.

Establishment of the New Zealand Chapter has provided opportunity for members in New Zealand to participate in local activities. It is hoped that the formation of the Chapter will encourage membership growth and recognition of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers and raise the profile of the Building Engineering profession.

Work to start on £3.2m Glasgow waste water infrastructure upgrade

Contractor George Leslie is to begin work on a new £3.2 million waste water infrastructure investment project in Glasgow.

Work to upgrade a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) system in Langside Drive will get underway on Monday, 18 June.

The five-month scheme involves improving the CSO with better screening and new pipework to reduce the frequency and volume of waste water spillages in storm conditions, and so help improve the water quality in the White Cart Water.

For the duration of the project, Langside Drive will be closed between its junction with Riverside Road and Tantallon Road. From 02 July, a further four-month road closure will be in place on Riverside Road between Langside Drive and 44 Riverside Road. Tantallon Road will also be closed westbound for approximately one week from Monday, 02 July.

The investment forms part of Scottish Water’s £250m, five-year programme of work, launched in 2013, to improve river water quality and the natural environment and tackle flooding across the Greater Glasgow area.

£1m Ayr Viaduct refurb complete

Network Rail has completed work on a £1 million refurbishment project on the Ayr Viaduct.

The scheme was carried out in partnership with specialist contractor Taziker Industrial to address issues with both the masonry and the metal work on the walkway of the 110-metre-long Grade C listed structure.

Work included clearing away vegetation from the four-span structure and carrying out spot repairs to the sandstone masonry at over 70 points on the bridge. In addition, the metal work on the pedestrian walkway was repaired and strengthened where required, while the whole floor of the walkway was completely replaced. The bridge was then cleaned and repainted in a project which has lasted six months.

To deliver the work safely, a bespoke scaffold system was put in place which was then ‘encapsulated’ in special plastic sheeting to provide the right working environment in the exposed location as well as to stop any contaminants from leaking into the air and river below. It moved span by span across the structure as work progressed.

Overall, the refurbishment ensures that the structure will not need any maintenance for more than a decade.

ABP Perth secures £4m funding boost for new factory buildings

Meat processor ABP Perth has secured a £4 million funding boost from the Scottish Government.

The Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC) grant scheme will help contribute to a long-term investment into the company’s infrastructure, which includes the construction and equipping of several new factory buildings, transforming the site into a world-class facility, and creating 80 new jobs.

Speaking during a visit to the site, rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said the government aims to double the food and drink industry to £30 billion in the next 12 years.

Opening date confirmed for fourth phase of Bishopbriggs Relief Road

Morrison Construction is continuing work on the multi-million pound Bishopbriggs Relief Road project in East Dunbartonshire.

With the project having faced a number of challenges due to the construction of a new bridge over the Edinburgh-Glasgow rail line, the council has confirmed the £6.5m fourth phase of the scheme will open to traffic by 12 June.

Overall, the project includes: