Building Briefs – May 11th

A new resource has been launched in Edinburgh to enable not only the elderly, but everyone in the capital, to find trusted tradespeople.

Care and Repair Edinburgh has launched a website to link up reputable tradespeople with the wider Edinburgh public. The charity has been recommending reliable tradespeople to Edinburgh’s over 60’s for years, but the service has now become available for everyone to access.

The Care and Repair Edinburgh reputable trades database covers many services including plumbing, electrical, joinery, painting and decorating and cleaning.

Care and Repair Edinburgh is also keen to hear from contractors who are interested in gaining accreditation with the charity and being included on the list.

Email reception@careandrepairedinburgh.org.uk to find out more.

CCG begins Glasgow window replacement contract

CCG are now on site for Whiteinch and Scotstoun Housing Association for a large-scale window replacement contract.

Located to the North of Glasgow city centre, CCG Asset Management will install CCG manufactured windows to 450 homes.

The contract has been delivered through the newly launched Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA). Backed by procurement organisation LHC, the framework was created for organisations that buy products and services for the construction, refurbishment and maintenance of social housing and public buildings across Scotland.

The Whiteinch and Scotstoun contract marks the second contract to be undertaken in as many months that has been delivered through the SPA Framework. The AM Team are currently on site for a windows, doors and void works contract for East Lothian Council which also comprises the installation of the Fully Reversible window style.

CCG Asset Management expect to deliver the Whiteinch and Scotstoun contract by early-2017.

Turf cutting ceremony marks start of Inverness West Link Stage 1

A turf cutting ceremony was held yesterday to mark the start of Stage 1 of the West Link road in Inverness which will provide the link between the southern distributor and the A82, including the Canal Parks Enhancement works.

Contractors Wills Bros said Stage 1 of the project is due for completion in late 2017.

The initial works on Stage 1 will commence on the A82 Glenurquhart Road at its junction with Bught Drive. The new River Ness Bridge construction involving works in the river will take place on two occasions during the periods July 2016 to October 2016 and July 2017 to October 2017, with completion in late 2017.

The scheme will provide construction jobs and will enable further housing development and the revenue this will bring to the region. Developer contributions of £3.75 million are anticipated to be received following the development of land for housing.

The West Link aims to reduce traffic congestion in the city centre, improve journey times and support active travel through new cycling and walking routes.

Former Keith council office building to be marketed

A landmark building which formerly served as the local council offices in Keith has officially been declared surplus to requirements.

The Institute in Mid Street will now be actively marketed in the hope that a new purpose can be found for it.

Moray councillors were told that the building no longer had any strategic operational use by the council and there had been no community interest in taking it over.

Plans to spend £166,000 on repairs to make it a more attractive proposition for potential future use have now been abandoned.

The Institute – which had housed council offices for many years – was closed in 2012 because of its deteriorating condition.

Efforts were made along with the Keith and Strathisla Regeneration Partnership to find a use for the building and last year the possibility emerged of £90,000 of funding being made available from the Keith conservation area regeneration scheme, with Moray Council meeting the balance of £76,000.

However, the offer of £90,000 was withdrawn when the proposal was referred to Historic Environment Scotland which concluded that the investment could not be justified in view of the fact that no long-term use had been identified for the building.

A report to today’s meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee said the £76,000 of council money earmarked for repairs was insufficient to make a significant difference to the building.

It was agreed that any repairs would only be undertaken to keep the building safe and wind and water tight and that it would be actively marketed and that the council would consider all potential options for its future.

Bid to build Scotland’s first community-owned distillery

Scotland’s first community-owned craft whisky distillery could be created near Dingwall in Ross-shire.

GlenWyvis Distillery Community Benefit Society is working with Community Shares Scotland to raise more than £1.5 million in investment.

So far the effort has received more than £517,000 in pledges to take shares in the venture.

The distillery would be built on farmland and be fully community-owned and powered by renewable energy.

Construction could start in June this year with the first run of whisky planned for Burns Night on 25 January 2017.

RJ McLeod secures £22m Bhlaraidh wind farm contract

Highland contractor RJ McLeod has secured a £22 million contract to deliver civil engineering works at SSE’s Bhlaraidh wind farm.

The 32-turbine project is located on Glenmoriston estate and gained planning consent in 2014.

Works include building the tracks through the site and the spur roads out to each of the turbine locations.

Construction of the turbine bases will get underway this summer, along with work to build the crane hardstanding areas, which will be used to erect the turbines.

Previously, RJ McLeod began enabling works in autumn last year. Works included the construction of the on-site substation platform and the main access track to prepare the site ahead of the main construction, which is due to begin this year.

The project is set to become fully operational by the end of 2017.

Network Rail completes £1m bridge refurb project

Network Rail has completed a £1 million bridge renovation project in East Renfrewshire.

The three-month programme involved replacing steelwork on the rail bridge at Barrhead station on Paisley Road.

Works included engineers grit-blasting old paint and rust off the steelwork to expose the metal below before repairing and strengthening the metalwork and repainting the entire structure.

Major road resurfacing works to begin in Inverclyde

Resurfacing works are due to begin on a major road in Inverclyde.

Workers are set to start repairing the A770 Albert Road in Gourock on 21 May.

The project is scheduled to be completed by Friday, 03 June.

£90,000 MUGA sports facility complete in Fife

Work has been completed on a new multi-use games area (MUGA) in Fife.

The £90,000 sports facility was built on the site of a former skate park at the top end of the Lochgelly Public Park.

It was funded by Fife Council’s Cowdenbeath area local community planning budget.

Closed East Dunbartonshire road due to reopen next month

Buses and cars will be able to drive from Townhead to Cowgate again from next month following essential gas maintenance and improvement works.

SGN has been working in the Townhead and Cowgate area, close to the Catherine Street junction, for around six weeks and is due to be finished in the area by the end of this week.

The work was considerably more extensive than first anticipated by the utility company, causing an unavoidable delay with the first phase of the Cowgate public realm project.

However, partnership working between East Dunbartonshire Council, its contractor Rainton Construction and SGN has minimised the disruption by sharing the closure, and vehicles will be able to use the closed stretch of road from 20 June.

Rainton is currently forging ahead with new high-quality road and paving in the area between Townhead Bridge and Catherine Street.

Tenants get keys to new affordable homes at Pennywell

City of Edinburgh Council housing convener, Councillor Cammy Day met with tenants yesterday for a tour of the newest completed homes at the Pennywell site.

The new tenants were viewing the block and meeting their neighbours for the first time.

The new block in North Edinburgh, which has 11 flats (a mixture of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms), was built in response to the high demand for affordable homes in the city. The council and its development partner, Urban Union, have committed around £80m to providing around 700 new homes for sale and rent within this area.

The 21st Century Homes development at Pennywell is one of Scotland’s largest housing-led regeneration projects and is set to provide 356 affordable homes, along with 363 new properties for private sale. The extensive site, which is being built with partners Urban Union, is a result of a major investment of £42 million by the City of Edinburgh Council and includes £7.9m grant funding from the Scottish Government.

The award winning development has already received RICS and Scottish Property Awards this year and is shortlisted as a finalist in three categories for the Scottish Home Awards on June 2.

These state of the art homes are built to a high standard of energy efficiency and, by using a fabric first approach with high levels of insulation and air tightness, heat losses are minimised- helping to reduce living costs for tenants.

Scottish home repossession rate ‘to remain low during 2016’

The number of houses repossessed across Scotland during 2016 will be low if interest rate rises are further postponed as anticipated, a mortgage service company has predicted.

In its annual forecast, HML said that it expects a total of 830 repossessions – or 0.08 per cent of all residential mortgages – to take place across Scotland during 2016.

HML has also predicted a second consecutive year of low repossession rates in 2016 for the UK as a whole (10,326 or 0.09 per cent).

However, it also said that the threat to the UK steel industry could mean more repossessions in South Wales and other regions where jobs are at risk.