Building Briefs – March 9th

Scottish construction, property and energy businesses give £1.2m boost to culture projects

A total of 66 cultural projects have benefited from a collective investment of more than £1.2 million by partnering with businesses operating in Scotland’s construction, property and energy sectors in what is being hailed as a decade of success for a pioneering programme that promotes collaboration between arts and business.

Funded by the Scottish Government via Creative Scotland and run by Arts and Business Scotland, the New Arts Sponsorship Grants programme has been running since 2006.

The programme is open to Scottish businesses interested in sponsoring an arts or heritage project for the first time as well as those businesses that have not sponsored such a project for at least three years.

Cultural organisations having identified a business sponsor for their project can apply to the programme, which provides pound for pound match funding of business sponsorship valued anywhere between £1,000 and £40,000.

In total, the New Arts Sponsorship Grants programme has invested over £7.5 million across more than 500 individual arts and heritage projects. By providing match funding for business sponsorship of cultural projects, it has not only helped a wide variety of arts and heritage projects across Scotland get off the ground but has doubled the benefit to participating businesses. The programme is open to projects, businesses and cultural organisations of all sizes – be they large and nationwide or small and locally focused.

One construction business to have benefited from taking part in the programme is East Kilbride scaffolding company Check-it Scaffold Services, who provided sponsorship of a new version of Swan Lake performed by Scottish Ballet at venues throughout the UK.

Another business to take part in the programme was major contractor BAM Construction who partnered with the Dundee Institute of Architects to sponsor the construction of a large scale ‘People’s Tower’ out of cardboard with the aim of stimulating local community interest in architecture and design.

Applications for project funding must be made by the arts or heritage partner and submitted at least three months before the cultural activity begins. The project receiving funding must be completed no more than nine months after the date of submitting a funding application. Only businesses that have not sponsored an arts or heritage project in the last three financial years are eligible to take part – as well as those businesses that are completely new to cultural sponsorship.

29 community regeneration project to share £25m grants

Local areas across Scotland are set to benefit from a share of £25 million to help regenerate their communities.

A total of 29 projects will be awarded funding in 2017/18 as part of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF), which supports projects in disadvantaged areas that engage and involve local communities.

The joint Scottish Government and COSLA investment will inject new life and opportunity into disadvantaged and fragile rural areas, helping support or create more than 2,300 jobs, support some 50 community facilities and services and refurbish or bring back into use around 25 local buildings.

Projects being funded include:

Borders councillors agree detailed £40m project funding proposals

Projects ranging from replacing windows in schools to flood protection works will be undertaken across the area following the allocation of £40 million by Scottish Borders Council’s (SBC) executive committee earlier this week.

The committee agreed the detailed allocation of capital funds for individual projects and programmes for the next three financial years. These allocations are from specific block programmes within the wider capital budget approved on 9 February.

Over £6.7m will be spent on roads and bridges in 2017/18, with a total spend of almost £19m over the three years. Over £11m will also be spent on the council’s school estate through a variety of projects.

Further block allocations will come forward for approval in due course.

Overnight road closures AWPR work

Road closures for the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road and U90C Tulloch Road are planned to be in place over the next week to enable the contractor for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project to link the new bridge to both roads.

The C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road will close from 8pm on Friday 10 March until 5am on Monday 13 March and the U90C Tulloch Road will close from 5am on Monday 13 March until 10pm on Tuesday 14 March.

A diversion will be in place while the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road is closed. Road users intending to head south from the U90C onto the C89C should continue east along the U90C Forrit Brae, turning right into the U90C Hopetoun Grange and then onto A96 Inverurie Road. They should then follow the C88C Inverurie Road, the C88C Kepplehills Roads and C88C Newhills Road before continuing their journey south on the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road. The reverse journey should be followed for those travelling north.

A diversion will also be in place while the U90C Tulloch Road is closed. Road users driving north on the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road should travel via the U90C at Forrit Brae, the A96 Aberdeen-Inverness trunk road and the B979 at Tyrebagger. They should then join the C93C Borrowstone Road where they can either rejoin the U90C Tulloch Road or continue south to the A944 Skene Road (Westhill to Aberdeen road). Drivers heading west along the U90C on Tulloch Road should join the C93C Borrowstone Road and then use the A944 to head south or use the B979 to head north.

Inveraray town centre regeneration reaches visible milestone

The regeneration of Inveraray has reached a major milestone – with the scaffolding that has covered a number of priority buildings in the town for the last year being removed.

The location of these important buildings adds to the visual impact and appeal of the landmark Argyll and Bute town, which sits on the shores of Loch Fyne, for visitors arriving via the A83.

Four of the five priority buildings - The Town House, Chamberlain’s House, The Old Temperance Hotel and Relief Land – have been given a new lease of life as part of the Inverarary Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) by being painstakingly restored to their former glory.

Work on the fifth priority building in the town – Arkland – will be completed by the summer.

The conservation of the distinctive and important buildings was made possible by the council’s contribution of £350,000 and the CARS funding (£970,000) awarded by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). The total budget, which included contributions from the owners, Argyll Community Housing Association and private sector housing grant, is over £2 million.

Allied Surveyors Scotland appoints first female director

Allied Surveyors Scotland has today announced the appointment of a new director of land and development, in response to the growing demand in the Scottish property market.

Catherine Clarke joins the company as the first female director and will play a key role in growing the specialist land division across the central belt of Scotland, focusing on providing development and funding advice to the for-sale and rent, private and social housing market.

With more than 18 years’ experience in the international surveying industry, Catherine has extensive knowledge of the industry on a global scale.

She will work with the existing team on residential land and development valuations, red book valuations, investment valuations, pricing study reports and market commentary, across a wide market of developers, private landowners and local authorities (including housing associations).

Prior to moving to Allied Surveyors Scotland, Catherine worked for Colliers International in Dubai where she led a team of 12 and was responsible for the launch of the Colliers International House Price Index (HPI). She has a BSc (Hons) in Estate Management from Napier University, and is a qualified APC Assessor and APC Chairperson.

Oliver Chapman Architects appointed to deliver Kincardine Charrette

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has appointed Oliver Chapman Architects and its team of experts to deliver a £40,000 Charrette which will shape the future of Kincardine, following the devastating loss of the local power station.

A Charrette is an intensive way of working that brings together local people, organisations and businesses to discuss how they would like their area to look and develop into a better place to live work and visit.

Local people will have their first chance to become involved at a public meeting to officially launch the Charrette in the town’s Community Centre at 6.30pm on Tuesday March 21.

The Scottish Government will meet £20,000 of the costs, with the CRT and Fife Council each contributing £10,000.

Oliver Chapman and his team of planners, designers and artists, will spend next couple of months on research and laying the groundwork for the Charrette, which is scheduled for early June.

The process is expected to identify both short and long term projects with any infrastructure proposals, such as traffic or road realignments potentially taking up to ten or fifteen years.

Central Scotland Women in Property Dinner raises thousands for Maggies

The annual Central Scotland Women in Property (WiP) Dinner, held on the 24th Feb in the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow, has raised £5634 for the cancer support charity Maggies.

Over 280 guests attended the Great Gatsby themed dinner which is in its 12th year and is one of the highlights of the Scottish property industry calendar.

Guests were able to raise money for Maggies by taking part in the group’s annual “Diamond Drop” competition to win a diamond necklace and by buying tickets for the raffle.