Building Briefs – March 29th

Business minister sees regeneration success at Clyde Gateway

Minister for business, innovation and energy, Paul Wheelhouse MSP, has paid a visit to Clyde Gateway to see first-hand why so many businesses are relocating to the highly successful regeneration area.

Clyde Gateway was established in 2008 to carry out the regeneration of 840 hectares across the east end of Glasgow and South Lanarkshire. Working in partnership with Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government, Clyde Gateway is driving forward £1.5 billion of private sector investment to establish this area as a hub of business activity.

The success to date has been remarkable – of the 800,000 square feet of Grade A office and industrial space that Clyde Gateway has already developed, over 85% has been let or sold.

Business minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “The economic and social regeneration of disadvantaged communities is a key priority for the Scottish Government, and we are committed to the Clyde Gateway project which is continuing to deliver positive outcomes on behalf of its communities, which it has done with Scottish Government financial support since 2007.

“I have been very much impressed by the exciting work being done by Clyde Gateway to bring derelict land back into use, enable quality new build premises and homes to be constructed, and to bring businesses to the area and encourage local businesses to grow. Clyde Gateway are doing a great job in creating new, sustainable employment opportunities for local people and delivering on inclusive growth across the area and I wish them even further success in the future.”

Inpatient Unit refurbishment is underway by Clark Contracts

The ACCORD Hospice in Paisley has appointed Clark Contracts to deliver the refurbishment of its In-Patient Unit.

The refurbishment will create an environment that sees the inside of the building meeting the outside to ensure patients have access to both with ease and comfort.

When complete, the unit will have 8 single rooms with en-suite wet rooms, specialist equipment within each room and a private patio area with access to the gardens. A sense of homeliness, modernisation and safety will be felt throughout with fresh, vibrant décor and a centralised nurse reception area that will enhance the safety and accessibility to our patients.

Local contractor Clark Contracts was awarded the project following a competitive tender process.

The project will be registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme and will be continually audited by an approved assessor.

City Building donates almost £30,000 to charity

City Building built upon its charitable reputation last year by donating £29,701 to a total of 18 organisations.

Employees at the Glasgow-based construction firm and its manufacturing arm RSBi ran, baked and jumped their way through 2017 to raise over £8,000 for 13 worthy causes including Cancer Research, Macmillan Cancer Care Scotland and Scottish SPCA. Staff, who also organised a range of events from sports days to coffee mornings, even took the plunge and abseiled down Glasgow’s famous Titan Crane.

The company’s charity partners for 2017, Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland and Cash For Kids, benefited from corporate donations of £10,000 and £8,000 respectively following various fundraising activities. The funding will help to provide thousands of children and families with the vital and personalised care they need.

A further £3,310 in corporate donations was provided to an array of local charities and organisations such as Hampden Primary School, the Kiltwalk and the Les Hoey Dream Maker Foundation which received £1,250 to arrange once-in-a-lifetime experiences for children with life-threatening illnesses.

New primary school to be built in Midlothian

A new primary school with community facilities is to be built in Shawfair, Midlothian.

The new Danderhall Primary School will be developed on the site of the existing school within the planned Shawfair town centre.

At a recent Midlothian Council meeting, it was agreed to increase funding for the project to over £17.1 million, as well as approving an outline building schedule, which could see work start on site in mid-2019.

In addition to the new school, other key facilities will include a café, sports halls, library, meeting space and activity space for children.

The agreement comes following consultations with residents in December and January. Further consultations will be held with local people in the coming months on the education facilities and catchment as well as planning considerations.

Work on first phase of £1.7m Buckie industrial development complete

Chap Group has completed work on the first phase of a £1.7 million industrial development in Buckie, Moray.

The scheme at Rathven Industrial Estate, which aims to exploit the growing offshore wind energy market, has been designed to support businesses in East Moray as well as the regeneration of Buckie harbour and the servicing of the planned offshore windfarms in the Moray Firth.

The first phase required the construction of roads and service infrastructure to service the 27 acres of commercial sites for sale and lease, and the building of the first industrial unit. A further 22 acres, acquired as part of the overall site, is earmarked for more industrial space in the future.

Argyll Community Housing Association reveals 2018/19 investment plans

Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) has announced plans to invest £24.5 million in its existing stock and its new build programme during 2018/19.

The budget approved by ACHA’s Board will invest £16.2m in the Association’s existing 5,150 homes and £8.2m in building new homes.

The investment in ACHA’s existing homes will cover capital investment of £10.5m, day to day repairs at £3.8m, planned maintenance of £1.6m and aids and adaptations work of £315,000. In terms of capital investment, the Association will prioritise energy efficiency investment in existing homes and a continuing programme of heating and rewire and window and door installation.

The Association’s new build programme will continue to provide homes in Oban, Connel, North Connel, Islay and Helensburgh with plans in place to also build in Inveraray and Garelochhead. The 2018/19 new build programme is part of the Association’s ongoing partnership with Argyll and Bute Council and the Scottish Government to build 250 new homes in Argyll and Bute by 2021.

The Association will also invest £350k in information technology to improve service provision to the Association’s tenants.

Tenant priorities top list in Scottish Borders Housing Association budget

The Board of Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) has announced details of its spending plans for the coming year.

This coming year, as part of a six-year neighbourhood improvement programme, tenants living in Selkirk and Hawick will benefit from a £4.7m investment in new kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, doors and windows where works are due. SBHA said it remains committed to its six-year planned maintenance programme which concentrates on two areas at a time and will cover every town in six years. This new way of operating delivers the work in the least unsettling and disruptive way and it is hoped it proves to be an extremely popular change to working practices.

SBHA will also commit to ensure all its homes will meet the Scottish Government’s energy efficiency target for social housing December 2020 by investing over £7.4m in improved heating and energy efficiency works.

With a focus on local employment, the Association announced the creation of four new trades apprenticeships in 2018-19 and one office traineeship. In addition, the new grounds maintenance contractor idverde will be employing local people and using local firms where possible, as well as providing work placements and a further Apprenticeship opportunity.

Finally the Board announced the continued expansion and growth of the Association, with plans to build 35 homes over the next few years. A new development at Rose Court in Galashiels is currently on site and will provide 10 new family homes.

Record year for renewables generation

New figures demonstrate renewable electricity generation in Scotland in 2017 increased by 26% on last year, and 14% on the previous record year in 2015, making 2017 a record year for renewable electricity generation and for the first time ever Scotland has more than 10GW of installed renewable capacity.

The latest figures show that in 2017, it is estimated that the equivalent of 68.1% of gross electricity consumption came from renewable sources, up 14.1 percentage points from 54% in 2016. This is 45 percentage points more than the equivalent figure for the rest of the UK.

The latest figures, published today also show:

Midlothian Council offices to be transformed into homeless accommodation

Plans have been unveiled to transform former council office accommodation in Dalkeith into emergency temporary accommodation for the homeless.

Midlothian Council is proposing to develop 20 individual rooms with shared facilities at Jarnac Court in the town, consisting of single person households with a small number available for couples and housing support staff on site.

The scheme is part of the council’s aim to reduce the spend on bed and breakfast accommodation and provide a more supportive environment for homeless people.

By converting existing council owned buildings that are vacant into temporary housing, the local authority has so far managed to reduce the use of bed and breakfast accommodation from 80 households in 2016 to 45 households in December 2017.

Subject to obtaining the necessary consents and approvals, this accommodation could be open by next year.

Funding approval for Penicuik improvements

Funding has been approved for street improvements in Penicuik as part of the planned town centre regeneration project, due to begin this August.

Midlothian Council has agreed to allocate £460,000 over the next two years for improvements to the junction between High Street, West Street and Bridge Street, widening the pavement and reducing the width of the road. The aim is to improve sight lines, making the area safer for drivers and pedestrians, while improving traffic flow and enhancing the overall appearance of the town centre. The funding will come from developer contributions collected for this purpose from construction projects in the Penicuik area.

The full regeneration project is aimed at making significant improvements to the environment and economy of Penicuik by developing a more vibrant town centre. Planned to run for five years, the project will also include improving key historic buildings and public spaces.

Local community groups, Penicuik Community Development Trust and Penicuik First, have worked with Midlothian Council on producing funding submissions for the project. Applications to both the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland were approved in principle last year and a final decision on funding for the regeneration project is expected this summer. If the bid is successful, £1.6 million will be secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with a further £980,000 coming from Historic Environment Scotland.

As part of the improvement plans, a major public consultation and town centre audit took place in Penicuik in the latter half of 2017, and included public surveys, discussions with property owners, exhibitions, workshops and drop-in sessions.

New plan unveiled for Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage Site

A new plan has been launched for Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns World Heritage Site.

It includes commitments to improve the quality of new development, better manage tourism growth, and deepen residents’ awareness and understanding of the site among other actions.

The historic area, which was inscribed by UNESCO in 1995, covers most of the City Centre from Quartermile to Dean Village and from the West End to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The new plan, which runs for five years, is intended to protect and manage the ‘outstanding universal value’ of the site. After an extensive public consultation exercise during the summer of 2017 the plan was written by the partners responsible for the management of the site: City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland.

Among the 39 actions is creating ‘place briefs’ for redevelopment sites to set out the city’s expectations in terms of quality and ‘fitting in’ with the historical context, as well as improving local community engagement and plans to better explain and engage residents and schoolchildren with what is special about the site. Recent research has revealed that public understanding is generally low – for example, only 8% of 16-24-year olds in Scotland are aware that Edinburgh’s New Town is part of a World Heritage Site. The council recently granted the lease for the Tron Kirk on the High Street to Edinburgh World Heritage for use as a World Heritage Centre to help address this issue.

The plan also commits the city to better manage tourism growth and covers areas such as the profusion of short-term holiday lets, issues over street cleanliness, especially during peak tourism periods, and the need for a broader tourism plan which builds on sustainable best-practice from other historic cities.