Building Briefs – March 7th

City of Glasgow College’s stunning new Riverside campus has scooped a top design award at this year’s Scottish Property Awards.

The Architectural Excellence Award for a Public Building went to Riverside architects, Michael Laird Architects and Reiach & Hall Architects, for their innovative and creative design of a project.

The joint architectural venture conceived and designed the building through a combination of ideas about the city and the student experience.

Principal and chief executive officer, Paul Little, said: “I am delighted that City of Glasgow College has won this award and our congratulations go to both Michael Laird and Reiach & Hall Architects.

“This accolade underlines what staff, students and visitors to our college already know about Riverside campus, that it is a stunning building which truly has the wow factor. In its design we have created an open, inclusive and up-to-the-minute environment with technology and facilities ahead of current industry standards.

“Riverside is the most future-proofed maritime campus in the world and sets the standard for the UK. It represents a £66m investment in maritime education and STEM subjects and completes phase one of our inspiring twin site supercampus. The building is a centre piece in the renaissance of the River Clyde and Glasgow’s shipping heritage and its unashamed boldness reflects City of Glasgow College’s world-class ambitions.”

25 construction jobs to be created in Inverclyde

A total of 25 construction jobs are to be created to deliver the second stage of regeneration work in Inverclyde.

Urban regeneration firm Riverside Inverclyde has been awarded £852,000 to transform the lower town quarter at Port Glasgow town centre.

Riverside Inverclyde will also invest £1.1 million and Inverclyde Council is providing £0.5m for the project.

The work includes restructuring the town centre layout with two new civic squares and further activities that would secure a new civic quarter, placing focus on the town hall.

A key element to the project is the first phase of works creating a gateway spur from the A8 Trunk Road.

Inverness Justice Centre work to start within months

Work on the new Justice Centre in Inverness is to start before the end of 2016 following confirmation from Scottish Government of funding.

Inverness Justice Centre will accommodate a range of partners working alongside courts and tribunals to provide a unique centre of community justice and support services for witnesses, victims, accused and those convicted in courts.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) intends to build the new centre at Burnett Road, Inverness subject to all the necessary site details and planning requirements. The site is extended by the purchase of additional land from Highland Council.

The move will also free up the iconic Inverness Castle building for other uses.

Plans are to begin construction in late 2016 with the Inverness Justice Centre open for business in summer 2018.

Aberdeenshire Housing Partnership secures £7.5m grant towards affordable homes plan

Aberdeenshire Housing Partnership (AHP) has secured a £7.5 million grant to help address the need for social and affordable houses to ease the crisis facing the region.

The finance deal with Bank of Scotland will help the group build up to 350 new homes across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray before 2021.

The group is made up of housing organisations in all three areas and currently owns or manages 1,500 properties.

Earlier this year, the bank agreed a similar £15m credit arrangement with Clyde Valley Housing Association, which covers parts of Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire.

New bypass diversion route opens in Aberdeen

A new bypass diversion route has opened in Aberdeen.

The temporary road, north of the existing (A93) North Deeside Road, will allow works to begin on building a new bridge as part of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie-Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project.

Traffic will be diverted onto the route for around 16 months.

The structure will carry the new (A93) North Deeside Road over the major infrastructural scheme.

A temporary roundabout will also be located at the (B979) Netherley Road / North Deeside Road (A93) junction.

John Swinney opens new social housing in Balbeggie

Perthshire North MSP and deputy first minister, John Swinney, visited Balbeggie on Friday to officially open the latest new housing development built by Perth & Kinross Council.

The development in Gaskhill Road, Balbeggie, consisting of 16 new units – eight houses and eight flats – will provide much-needed affordable social housing for people in the Strathmore area of Perth and Kinross.

Built by Perthshire-based Hadden Construction, the properties have been were handed over to Perth & Kinross Council last month.

The £2,193,000 development was funded in partnership by Perth & Kinross Council and the Scottish Government, as part of the council’s commitment to increase the supply of high-quality social housing in the area.

The council’s affordable house building programme has delivered around 170 new council homes in the last three years through, with properties constructed in Methven, Scone, Alyth, Inchture, Blairgowrie, Auchterarder and Perth. Many more are in the pipeline.

The Balbeggie development consists of eight one-bedroom flats; four mid terrace two-bedroom houses and four end terrace three-bedroom houses. All the new homes are built with the latest energy saving specifications to help cut the bills of tenants and reduce the carbon footprint of the Perth and Kinross area.

Work to begin on Kirriemuir Town Square improvements

Work to improve Kirriemuir Town Square in Angus is set to get underway on March 8.

The development is being carried out as part of the Kirriemuir Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme.

Contractors T & N Gilmartin will replace damaged paving slabs, install carved granite paving banding, new cycle stands and benches.

In addition, local school children have been involved in the project including creating scenes depicting the town’s past, which were carved onto granite slabs by a stonemason.

The work is scheduled to be completed over three to four weeks.

Fife residents invited to attend housing development drop-in event

Residents are being invited to attend a drop-in event today discussing a new affordable housing development in Fife.

Plans by Persimmon Homes include developing 49 affordable homes at Bute Crescent in Dunfermline.

Proposals involve a mix of amenity bungalows, cottage flats and two-storey houses as part of the council’s wider Affordable Housing Programme.

Members of Fife Council’s Design and Housing teams will attend to answer any questions residents may have about the new development.

The drop-in event will take place 4:30pm and 6:30pm at Woodmill High School.

Additional £1m available for Agricultural Floodbank Repair Scheme

An additional £1 million is to be made available to fund the Agricultural Floodbank Repair Scheme, environment secretary Richard Lochhead has announced.

The move is due to the level of demand from farmers who applied while the scheme was open in February.

Over £1m of grant funding has been paid out to households and businesses directly affected by the flooding in Aberdeenshire since January.

Shepherd appointed to advise Scottish Government’s Help to Adapt scheme

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors has been appointed to advise the Scottish Government’s pilot Help to Adapt scheme following a competitive tender.

Managed by Link Group, the initiative was established to help older people live independently at home for longer and

The scheme encourages homeowners aged 60 or over to be proactive in adapting their homes to enable their long term independence and quality of life. Uniquely, it helps owners pay for the adaptations, by using the equity in their own home, with the Help to Adapt team organising all the work for them.

The Scottish Government has appointed Link Group as managing agent to deliver the scheme in the 12 local authority areas: Argyll and Bute; City of Edinburgh; East Dunbartonshire; East Lothian; East Renfrewshire; Falkirk; Glasgow City; North Lanarkshire; Renfrewshire; Scottish Borders; Stirling and West Lothian.

Refurb work to begin at play park in Melrose

Refurbishment work at Melrose play park in the Scottish Borders is to begin today.

The work at Gibson Park play area is estimated to last between five and six weeks and is expected to cost around £76,000.

Once complete, the wide range of new equipment will cater for children aged two to 14.

New Cowdenbeath development is safe as houses

A new affordable housing development in Cowdenbeath has received a Secured by Design certificate from Police Scotland.

The award was presented to David Leaf, land manager at Bellway and Councillor Judy Hamilton, Fife Council’s executive spokesperson for housing and building services, for the completion of phase one of a development of new homes at Leuchatsbeath.

Leuchatsbeath is a collection of 49 family homes including a mix of one to five bedroom properties including amenity and wheelchair bungalows. Now fully occupied, the development was completed by Bellway in December 2015 on behalf of Fife Council as part of its commitment to build 2,700 new affordable homes by 2017.

Secured by Design is a UK initiative to reduce levels of crime by working with local partners to identify and address any areas of concern to improve security at the design stage of the development. It can lead to a reduction in insurance costs for residents as developments within the initiative are 85 per cent less likely to experience crime.

Work on the development began in November 2014 with the first occupiers moving in in June last year. A second phase of a further 22 family homes is due for completion early next year.

Alloa Skate Park development underway

Construction work on the Alloa skate park has begun.

The new park is being built adjacent to the Bowmar Centre and the construction work is being carried out by specialist skatepark contractor Bendcrete, who worked with local skaters to produce the final design which is suitable for all wheeled sports.

The project has been awarded up to a maximum of £100,000 from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.

Work on the skate park will be finished in June.