Building Briefs - March 12th

• Plans for new activity centre on banks of Clydebank canal are progressing

It is anticipated that its creation will allow residents and visitors to take advantage of a range of activities at the centre, with the potential to offer bike hire and repair; kayaking and canoeing hire and tuition; a meeting place for clubs and classes, as well as a small kitchen for healthy snacks.

Located next to the Canal, it will give residents direct access to the Canal and also include outdoor storage.

The project came about following feedback from the Clydebank charettes which requested more activity brought to the town centre and projects which could make better use of the Canal.

The project has attracted £747,000 from the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.

West Dunbartonshire Council is working with a range of groups to deliver the Centre including Scottish Canals, Community Links Scotland, Ysortit, Awestruck Academy, Clydebank Housing Association and Centre 81.

The Centre will also be designed to improve links between the town centre, as well as encouraging more community uses across Three Queens Square and the Bandstand.

• Construction work set to commence at Drummers Corner in Peterhead

Aberdeenshire Council has confirmed a construction start date for the public realm project at Drummers Corner in Peterhead.

Site set-up and groundworks are due to start on March 22 with project completion in July.

The decision to upgrade Drummers Corner was identified as a priority project as part of the Choose Peterhead initiative which more than 4,000 residents engaged with. 

That process created and delivered a community vision and action plan for Peterhead town centre which seeks to re-establish the area as a destination for social and leisure activities and become the recognised hub of community activity within the town.

Choose Peterhead identified that Drummers Corner should be re-landscaped to create a bustling, exciting public space in the heart of the town centre which would serve as a gathering place to host public performances and accommodate a programme of events. 

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Peterhead bucked the trend in 2020 with an increase in new openings and lettings with several new businesses opening and others relocating to the town centre. 

The combined efforts of local people, community groups, business owners, Aberdeenshire Council, Rediscover Peterhead and the recently launched Invest in Peterhead initiative have created a buzz for the town and raised the town’s profile, enhanced its reputation and cemented its position as the vibrant economic heart of Buchan.

• Lismore advises Lothian Pension Fund on £14.326m acquisition of Titan

Lismore Real Estate Advisors (Lismore) has advised Lothian Pension Fund on the acquisition of a prime logistics warehouse at Eurocentral in North Lanarkshire from Windward Titan Limited.

“Titan” is a prime distribution facility and, at 123,850 sq.ft is one of the largest modern industrial buildings in Scotland. The sale price of £14,326,000 reflects a net initial yield of 5.01% and capital value of £116 per sq ft.

The asset occupies a prominent position within Centralpoint at Eurocentral, Scotland’s premier logistics park. Located within the heart of Scotland’s central belt, Eurocentral provides unrivalled connectivity via the national motorway network and the rail freight terminal. It is home to occupiers such as LIDL, Amazon, Morrison’s, Fedex and Eddie Stobart.

Titan is currently let to The Scottish Ministers (NHS) until 31st January 2031, at a rent of £766,094 per annum reflecting £6.19 per sq.ft.

The industrial and distribution market in Scotland remains remarkably robust, reflecting occupiers demand for larger “big box” properties, such as Titan.

The development pipeline is limited across the central belt of Scotland and further rental growth is anticipated, as supply remains tight.

Lismore Real Estate Advisors advised Lothian Pension Fund whilst MWM Consultants acted on behalf of Windward Titan Limited.

• Number of West Lothian affordable homes is increasing

The number of new affordable homes available for rent in West Lothian has increased over recent years.

However, West Lothian Council said it hopes that more investment in local housing services will further increase the supply of affordable homes locally and also reduce the numbers of people living in temporary accommodation.

Earlier this month, the council announced that it will invest over £80 million over the next two years with significant resources invested in the creation of new homes and a strong focus on the maintenance of quality standards across the housing stock.

Over recent years, the numbers of affordable homes available has increased in West Lothian with registered social landlords (RSLs)/housing associations, private landlords and the council are all working together in an effort to increase the supply of affordable homes for local people.

The number of people on the waiting list for a new home has remained high, although numbers have decreased over recent years. The number of people presenting themselves as homeless also decreased last year, as did the numbers of families staying in temporary accommodation.

West Lothian Council is one of Scotland’s top councils in terms of building new council homes and the proposed two-year programme will see over £50 million invested to increase the social housing supply in West Lothian.

A total of 281 additional homes are expected to be complete by the year 2023 across a range of sites.

Despite increasing the local affordable housing portfolio by over 900 homes over the past five years, the number of people on the West Lothian common housing register for a new social rented house is approximately 9,000. This number has remained broadly the same over the past decade.

Demand for affordable housing continues to outweigh oversupply in West Lothian and that is a similar position across many areas of Scotland.

The number of new applications for homes this year was over 2,445 with just over half of those applications involving children. The number of applications has decreased over recent years with the number of applications down 8% in 2020/21 (data up to 1 March) compared to the previous year. The number of applications involving children has seen a steep decrease of almost 25%. 

With the council working in conjunction with RSL’s and partners, over 2,000 affordable homes have been delivered since the beginning of 2012.

• New 5G facility brings limitless potential

Pupils in North Lanarkshire can now experience what it’s like to be in outer space, under the ocean, on a World War 1 battlefield or even on top of Everest thanks to a new learning initiative which is the first of its kind in the UK.

The project has become a reality after North Lanarkshire Council teamed up with BT to bring the first 5G-enabled immersive classroom to Scotland.

The new immersive classroom has been developed within the Muirfield Community Centre in Cumbernauld where a room has been transformed into an exciting and engaging learning environment.

The 360-degree room creates a digital projection which uses all four classroom walls and the ceiling to bring the real-world into an immersive experience for students.

BT is making this immersive experience possible through its EE 5G network which brings ultrafast speeds and enhanced reliability for classrooms of the future.

Carbrain Primary pupils were the first to dive into the new experience with an underwater lesson about the ocean.

The concept aims to push beyond traditional methods of teaching to create an inclusive digital experience that helps explain abstract and challenging concepts through a 3D model.

It will also have the potential to support students with learning difficulties in developing imagination, creative and critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• ‘Fixing Fife’ priority for council as its sets budget for year ahead

Fife Council has set its budget for the year ahead, with a pledge that “fixing Fife is the priority” for spending.

Following the council’s recently agreed approach to recovery and reform, yesterday’s budget has allocated investment to the three priority areas of supporting local economic recovery, tackling poverty and addressing climate change.

The council will also invest in young people and schools, recognising in particular the need to ensure that as many young people as possible have access to remote technology to help their learning.

And a massive £9.9 million funding has been announced to repair and improve the Kingdom’s roads over the next two years, with nearly £1m extra into managing the local environment.

Overall proposals amount to a significant investment in services, facilities and support for Fife’s communities and businesses, including £5.4 to mitigate the impact of flooding; £7.5m into tourism and community facilities and almost £1m into local environmental management.

• New council homes completed in Cambuslang

A woman who has lived in Cambuslang for 50 years is one of the first residents to move into new council homes in the area.

The new development, which has transformed East Whitlawburn, brings 311 new homes to the area as a result of a strategic housing partnership between South Lanarkshire Council, West Whitlawburn Housing Co-operative, CCG (Scotland) Ltd and hub South West. 

A total of 230 socially rented homes will be created alongside 81 homes that will be sold for sale by CCG Homes, the private housing arm of the CCG Group.

Gail McCowan, 91, first moved to Arkle Terrace in the early 1970s. And moving into her new, modern amenity flat in Rona Terrace means she can continue to stay in the community, close to her family and friends.

The first properties completed, with people moving in at the beginning of February, were the 24 accessible amenity flats suitable for elderly residents such as Gail, and the next 24 mainstream flats will be ready for occupation at the end of this month. 

Phase One of the project is due to be completed by August of this year, with 140 properties available for rent. 

The regeneration of the Whitlawburn area is a £42 million project and forms part of a wider ambitious programme that will see 1,000 additional homes delivered by the council by 2022.

As a direct result of CCG’s involvement in the delivery of the project, a number of significant benefits to the wider Cambuslang community will also be created with the provision of jobs, training opportunities and localised investment.

 

• Stirling Council unveils capital spending plan as 2021/22 budget is agreed

Spending plans worth £255 million (revenue & capital) for the financial year ahead were agreed at a special meeting as Stirling Council backed a budget motion to help transform and improve the council’s core services in the coming years.

The council also announced a £422,000 funding allocation for digital investment in education and a combined £675,000 investment to allow vulnerable and elderly people to remain independent and continue to be supported within their own community.

The establishment of a Covid-19 member-officer group to oversee a COVID-19 recovery plan for the entire council and a dedicated focus on implementing the council’s new ten-year Strategy to set balanced budgets in future.

The biggest single capital programme spending will be £4.6m on improving roads and pathways.

 

• Glasgow City Council targets green COVID-19 recovery in 2021/22 budget

Glasgow City Council has agreed a budget that included resources to establish an improvement fund for local parks and green spaces, along with capital investment in repairs; back courts and lanes; outdoor play for children, and £1m of work at Whitehill pool.

The pool is one of more than 90 Glasgow Life venues being readied to reopen after lockdown, thanks to a £100m income guarantee backed by the council.

Measures approved in the budget also include action on empty homes and greater neighbourhood involvement in designing waste services.

 

• Funding still available for Highland residents to install solar panels

E.ON is working with the Highland Council and the Scottish Government to offer eligible residents in the Highlands up to 100% funding towards the cost of installing a solar PV and battery storage system on their property.

By installing solar panels on their homes, residents will be able to generate their own clean energy, helping them to save money on their annual electricity bill and helping them become more sustainable and independent from the grid.

The battery stores any excess electricity that has been generated but not used during the day, allowing homeowners to use it as and when they need it during the night.

To benefit from the full funding available, residents must currently heat their homes using electricity and meet the eligibility criteria. They do not need to be an E.ON energy customer to apply.

As part of the current scheme in the Highlands, eligible residents could also benefit from up to 100% funding towards the cost of installing a first-time central heating system delivered through the installation of an air source heat pump to their property, as well as free cavity wall and loft insulation, and funding towards external wall insulation.

 

• Highland Council to add current year housing underspend to 2021/22 budget

Highland Council’s housing and property committee has agreed for the projected year-end Housing Revenue Account (HRA) surplus to be added back to the budget for housing repairs and maintenance for financial year 2021/22.

Committee members recognised that a reduced level of council house repairs and other maintenance work had been undertaken within the estate during the 2020/21 financial year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Reduced ability to carry out day-to-day housing repairs under the circumstances has therefore produced an underspend in the budget and a backlog of maintenance work.

Members acknowledged the volume of outstanding maintenance work still to be carried out, along with the need to ensure funds earmarked for this purpose within the current year’s budget be carried forward and utilised to increase the 2021/22 HRA Revenue budget for repairs and maintenance.

Members were also informed that progress against the mainstream HRA programme continues to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with capital works in council housing currently suspended in line with government guidelines.

However, the council said it remains committed to carrying out the agreed programme when government guidelines permit.

The council is to also invest £480,000 from its revenue budget as part of its commitment to tackling climate change.

Some of the investment will be the introduction of three new posts which will focus on bringing in external funding to support low carbon and cost saving projects (principally around fleet decarbonisation, community food growing initiatives as well as the council’s approach to hydrogen and low carbon heat opportunities).

The remaining balance will be used to put the council on a firm footing from which to explore other funding opportunities to expedite its decarbonisation efforts.

The investment is part of Highland Council’s overarching ‘Ambitious Highland – Health and Prosperity Strategy for 2021/22’ and sits within the Recovery, Improvement and Transformation Fund strand.