Building Briefs – March 1st

Dundee based interior fit out contractor Caledonia Contracts Ltd has recently completed the first equity store drive-thru in Scotland for coffee giants Starbucks.

The store in Altens, Aberdeen, which opened in February this year, is in addition to the first ever ‘franchised’ drive-thru, carried out previously in Linwood, for franchisee OCO Westend.

Caledonia Contracts has worked successfully with Starbucks for 13 years, completing over 100 projects and this latest new store has created much excitement amongst the team, knowing it’s the double, for both the first franchised and equity drive-thru’s for Scotland.

David Sole appointed non-executive chairman of AM Bid Services

David Sole OBE has been appointed non-executive chairman of AM Bid Services.

The Lothians based company, established in October 2014, assists local, regional and national organisations with delivering business growth by creating winning bids and proposals.

Managing director Andrew Morrison said: “The UK public sector is required to put most goods and service needs out to competitive tender. The private sector is also frequently requiring proposal documents. Therefore, producing high quality winning bids has become a specialist task.

“We have built a strong reputation for helping our clients win and the business has grown exponentially over the past 18 months. The time is right therefore to appoint a non-executive chairman who can provide the support and direction we need to take AM Bid Services to the next level. We are delighted to welcome David to our board. He will undoubtedly challenge the team while offering advice based on unrivalled experience.”

hub South West holds Supplier Showcase with Clyde Gateway

Lanarkshire suppliers have a forum to show off their potential and develop lucrative contacts and procurement opportunities as part of Lanarkshire Business Week 2017.

Hosted by public-private project developers hub South West together with Scotland’s largest and most ambitious regeneration project Clyde Gateway the Supplier Showcase will be held this Friday, 3 March, from 9.30am to 1.30pm at Rutherglen Town Hall in Main Street.

hub South West aims to secure at least 65% of major infrastructure contracts for local businesses, thereby creating the opportunity for local suppliers, supply chains, and contractors to expand their companies.

It is currently in the process of developing a £300 million programme of regeneration and new building throughout Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway. An accredited Living Wage Employer, hub South West is committed to positive engagement with local supply chains and encouraging SMEs to participate in its extensive building programme.

Clyde Gateway is a partnership between South Lanarkshire and Glasgow Councils and Scottish Enterprise, with strong backing from the Scottish Government.

There will be 36 exhibitors in total, half of which will be local or main contractors. They include CITB, South Lanarkshire Council, British Thornton, SSE Enterprise, Platinum Property Maintenance, Competence Matters, Multivista, Constructionline, CMS Enviro Systems, Zero Waste Scotland and HBS Scotland.

hub South West’s Tier 1 Contractor partners: Morrison, Kier Construction, Morgan Sindall and Graham will also occupy stands.

The event is free to attend and walk-ins are welcome.

Views sought on Largs promenade design proposals

Local residents and businesses are being encouraged to have their say on proposals for Largs Public Realm which includes Gallowgate Square, Aubrey Park and the North Promenade in the town.

Two public consultation events have been planned to give members of the public the opportunity to come along and share their views on the design proposals.

The first event will take place on Tuesday 7 March 2017 from 1pm – 6.30pm and the second session will be held on Wednesday 8 March 2017 from 12.30pm – 4.30pm.

Both events will take place at the Session Room, St Columba’s Parish Church, Gallowgate Street, Largs, KA30 8LX.

The Largs Masterplan was commissioned by North Ayrshire Council and was completed in September 2015 following extensive community engagement and can be found on its website.

First public consultation for Galashiels masterplan

The first public consultation on a new masterplan for Galashiels will be held on Wednesday 8 March.

As part of the Borders Railway Blueprint programme, masterplans for Galashiels and Tweedbank will be created, setting out a medium to long term strategy for both communities through the allocation of spaces for commercial, retail, residential and community facilities, as well as roads and utilities.

This will allow the Local Development Plan to be updated and encourage investors to understand the opportunities available in both communities.

A team of architects and urban designers will be available at Galashiels Transport Interchange from 2pm to 8pm on 8 March for the public to discuss local needs and opportunities as well as what in the existing townscape should be protected.

There will also be some information available to identify the scope of the study.

More information on the Blueprint is available here.

Dundee FC managing director hints club could move from Dens Park

Dundee FC’s managing director has revealed the club’s intention to move from Dens Park to a new custom-built facility in the city.

John Nelms business partner Tim Keyes recently bought 29 acres of land near the ice rink at Camperdown Park.

He said a land-use application would be submitted “shortly”.

Mr Nelms told the club’s DeeTV: “We’re quite excited by it, it’s early doors.

“We’ve got a lot of hoops to jump through and a lot of politics to get through.

“But I can tell you we’ve been working on this for the last year, even before we purchased the property.

“We have been trying to future-proof as much as possible any facility we put on that site and work 24 hours a day, seven days a week and be a jewel for the City of Discovery and Dundee.

“Moving forward, we think we’re going to have exciting times ahead where we’re potentially playing games overseas, we’re playing games potentially in a new facility, training in potentially a new facility.

“That’s where we’re headed.”

Town centre regeneration plan to be considered by Borders councillors

A Town Centre Regeneration Action Plan for towns across the Scottish Borders will be discussed by members of Scottish Borders Council’s executive committee next Tuesday.

In October 2016, the council agreed to establish the rolling three-year plan, which targets resources, actions and key projects in a selection of priority towns, identified through the council’s Town Centre Index, which draws together a wide range of statistics.

The proposed 2017/18 plan looks to focus on Hawick, Jedburgh, Eyemouth, Galashiels and Selkirk. The plan will be agreed on an annual basis.

Proposed actions include:

Hawick

Jedburgh

Eyemouth

Galashiels

Selkirk