Building Briefs – May 10th

Ryden appointed letting agent for Dundee Central Waterfront

Ryden has been appointed letting agent for Dundee Central Waterfront, a development of 155,824 sq m of floorspace across nine sites.

The development plan includes 89,282 sq m of commercial property, 42,155 sq m of residential property and 4,095 sq m of hotels, with other areas allocated to a variety of uses such as retail and licensed & leisure.

The first commercial space will be available in early 2018 and includes a 120-bed Sleeperz Hotel, café bar, retail units and office/leisure space within a new £18m railway station with views over the River Tay and the new V&A Museum of Design Dundee. The available space is predicted to attract national attention from potential occupiers.

Ryden development agency partner Bill Marley will be working closely with Dundee City Council to market the range of opportunities, supported by office and mixed-use development senior surveyor Matthew Moggach who is based in the city. Matthew joins the existing Ryden team which offers agency, valuation, planning, lease consultancy and project management services for Dundee properties and developments.

More than £750 million of private and public sector investment has been committed to the transformation of Dundee Waterfront, which is a joint venture between Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise.

Stirling High launches exciting new partnership with Turner & Townsend

Stirling High School has launched an exciting new initiative with global construction company Turner & Townsend so pupils can experience the world of work through the curriculum as they learn important knowledge and skills.

The two year partnership to deliver Design Engineer Construct!® (DEC) is aimed at giving 20 S5 and S6 pupil an opportunity to gain valuable insight into careers such as surveying, architecture, engineering, construction management, sustainability management, and many more.

DEC is an SQA accredited learning programme for secondary-school age students and has been expertly developed to create and inspire the next generation of Built Environment professionals.

Through a project-based approach, DEC applies academic subjects to the latest construction industry practices resulting in giving young people real-world practical experience and employability skills.

Campbeltown regeneration project underway

Regeneration work on one of Campbeltown’s prominent buildings – safeguarding 16 jobs as well as the future of two homes and bringing an empty dwelling house back into use - is underway.

The work to repair the tenement building at 9-15 Longrow South, constructed in 1908/09, represents the next phase of the Campbeltown Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), which has already successfully breathed new life into the Kintyre town’s centre.

The £221,000 investment project will see repairs to the building’s roof, leadwork, chimneys, stonework, cast iron rainwater goods, timber and rot works. The cost will be met from grants made available by Argylll & Bute Council, Historic Environment Scotland as well as significant contributions from the owners.

The contract for the work will be carried out by a local contractor, McKinven and Colville Limited, and is due to be completed by September this year.

Letham residents get first glimpse of plans for new Community Hub

Letham residents will have the chance to see proposed designs for their new £2.85 million Community Hub this month.

Work is progressing on the proposed refurbishment of the Letham Recreation Centre, and a design team has now been appointed to come up with ideas on how the new facility will look.

The successful bidder for the design contract was McLaren Murdoch and Hamilton, an architectural firm with offices in Perth and Edinburgh. They have been working on ideas put forward by local people at workshops and community engagement events held in February and March this year.

The architects are now ready to display some initial sketches they have developed and get some feedback from local people.

To allow as many people see these and give their opinions the design sketches will be on display in the reception area of the Recreation Centre through May. There will also be a number of drop-in sessions for the community to give feedback. These will be held in the mini Community Hub based in the building.

The dates and time of the workshops are:

A full community consultation on the final plans will be held throughout June/July 2017, with dates being announced in the near future.

Glasgow carpenter wins award at Young Tradesperson of the Year event

Jewson has named Jack Allen, a carpenter from Glasgow, as a winner in its 2017 Young Tradesperson of the Year competition.

Jack, who is currently working as a trainee site manager with CALA Homes, was crowned the Best Young Tradesperson 18–24 after impressing the judges with his commitment and positive attitude towards the trade.

Jewson named six winners within the competition. Ollie Allen, a carpenter from Sheffield, scooped the top prize of International festival tickets, a holiday abroad, VIP gig tickets and up to £750 worth of building materials after taking the overall crown of Young Tradesperson of the Year.

Each of the five category winners were awarded VIP gig tickets and £250 Jewson branch credit.

The winners were announced and awarded their prizes at an exclusive event at the Custard Factory, Birmingham, on April 28.

Orkney Islands roadworks programme begins

Work has started on a road maintenance programme in the Orkney Islands.

Line removal works are now underway on the Old Finstown Road. Speed limits, convoys, traffic lights and lane closures may be in place at times.

The scheme is part of the council’s planned maintenance season, which will run up until Friday, 01 September 2017.

Orkney Islands Council said drivers are reminded to observe any traffic management for the safety of workers and fellow motorists.

Work continues on A71 West Calder Bridge rebuild

Network Rail is continuing work to rebuild the A71 West Calder Bridge in West Lothian.

The company is nearing the end of its 16-week programme to demolish and rebuild the structure over the railway in preparation for the electrification of the line.

To allow final resurfacing works to take place, the A71 is to close for a four-day period from Thursday, 12 May until Monday, 15 May. The route will re-open fully to two-way traffic overnight Monday into Tuesday.

Highland Council invites residents to submit views on WestPlan

The Highland Council has invited residents to submit their views over the West Highland and Islands Proposed Local Development (WestPlan).

The document will set out how and where the area should grow in the future, replacing existing local plans for the area.

WestPlan focuses on the growth of larger settlements in the area, along with strengthening smaller communities and supporting sustainable rural growth.

Economic development opportunities have also been identified, including support for ongoing investments at the Fort William Smelter and Kishorn Yard.

The council has now published a proposed 20-year template for growth for the West Highland and Islands area, which includes Wester Ross, Lochalsh, Skye and Lochaber. A public consultation on the proposals will run until 30 June.

To view the Plan and make comments, visit here.

A77 resurfacing project begins

Work has started on a £210,000 resurfacing project in South Ayrshire.

Nearly 900 metres of the A77 from Raith Burn to Shawhill Farm near Dutch House Roundabout will undergo work to address existing issues of potholes and structural cracking.

Work is scheduled to take place each night between 8pm – 6am from Monday, 15 May to Thursday, 18 May. Single lane closures will also be in place from 6am – 8pm from Tuesday, 16 May to Friday, 19 May.

Robertson Partnership Homes brings world class cycling to Motherwell

Affordable house builder Robertson Partnership Homes is working with North Lanarkshire Council to bring world class cycling to Motherwell.

The company is sponsoring rounds 7 of The Tour Series and the Matrix Fitness Women’s Grand Prix, which take place on Tuesday 23 May.

Some of the top cyclists in Britain, including world and Olympic champion Katie Archibald, will compete in the team events, racing around a tight town centre circuit.

Robertson Partnership Homes is currently building two new council homes projects in Coltness and Tannochside, and will start work later this year on another six sites. This is part of our NL Homes programme which will see 2,150 new homes built over the next decade.

Katie Archibald recently visited Motherwell to talk to local school pupils about her cycling career and the cycling events coming to Motherwell. The day before her visit, Katie won gold in the women’s omnium event at the UCI World Track Cycling World Championships 2017 in Hong Kong.

The Tour Series and Matrix Fitness Grand Prix in Motherwell are hosted by the council, sponsored by Robertson Partnership Homes, NL Leisure, Amey, Mears and Clyde 1, and supported by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.

Ahead of the two professional races, school children will be able to cycle around the circuit and there will be a number of amateur races organised by Scottish Cycling.

The whole event is free for spectators.