Building Briefs – May 20th

New council housing opens in Ullapool

Residents were welcomed into their new homes at Lochside Court in Ullapool last week by Highland Councillors Isabelle Campbell and Graham MacKenzie.

The 14 new one and two-bed flats on Garve Road are built on the site of the former Four Seasons Hotel. They are grouped around a landscaped courtyard with separate parking and private gardens. The properties are highly energy efficient, and have exceptional views across Loch Broom.

Ten of the properties are for rent through The Highland Council and the first tenants have already taken possession of their new homes. The remaining four properties have been made available for purchase through the Scottish Government’s LIFT shared equity scheme.

The LIFT scheme is a Scottish Government initiative which is aimed to help people on low to moderate incomes own their first home. Applicants are normally expected to pay between 60 and 80 per cent of the asking price, with the remaining share held by the Scottish Government.

The fourteen flats cost £1.8 million to build, with £720,000 in grant monies from the Scottish Government and £100,000 grant monies from the council’s Landbank Fund.

Demolition work under way at old Dundee shopping centre

Demolition work has started on a Dundee shopping centre.

The run-down site at Longhaugh Neighbourhood Centre, on Pitkerro Road, is being knocked down to make way for four new shops and 22 houses.

The shops will be built where the current centre stands, with the houses built to its rear.

Although the plans were only submitted to the council last week, initial work has begun on the site.

Its owner, Queensberry Properties, had originally submitted plans to improve the site back in 2011.

According to the most recent plans, the existing Iceland supermarket will find a home within the new shop units.

Findhorn beach huts plan approved by Moray Council

Plans to build a row of 30 colourful beach huts on a stretch of shoreline at Findhorn have been approved.

Moray Council planning officers had recommended refusal, warning the huts could harm the beach’s character. There were also 175 letters of objection, mainly from local residents.

However, council development officers said the huts would significantly enhance the area’s tourism appeal.

The plans were approved by eight votes to six.

House prices rise at highest rate in eight years

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that house prices in Scotland have seen their highest annual increase since 2007.

Average prices climbed by 14.6 per cent over the year to March, to stand at £207,000.

That compared with a rise of 9.4 per cent in England, 7.5 per cent in Northern Ireland and 5.7 per cent in Wales.

The average house price across the UK as a whole was £273,000 in March of this year.

The ONS house price index found the number of mortgages for house sales in Scotland increased by about 50 per cent between February and March this year.

It said that homes costing more than £500,000 accounted for a “significant proportion” of the increase in sales.

The report added: “These factors, along with a relatively small annual increase in Scotland prices of 0.8 per cent in March 2014, have led to the price index for Scotland increasing by 14.6 per cent when compared to a year earlier.

“It should also be noted that the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax replaced UK stamp duty land tax in Scotland from 1 April 2015, which may have had an impact on the increase in prices.”

New homes for disabled veterans in North Lanarkshire

Work has begun on a £1.2 million project to provide essential affordable housing for disabled veterans in two new sites in North Lanarkshire.

A partnership between Mactaggart & Mickel Contracts and Graham + Sibbald will deliver a total of ten bespoke residential units built in both Motherwell and Wishaw for Houses for Heroes Scotland.

The rented bungalows are being built on land which has been made available through North Lanarkshire Council who are signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Houses for Heroes Scotland is the appeal name of the Scottish Veterans Garden City Association, a registered charity founded in 1915, which is committed to providing reasonably priced rental housing for disabled veterans in Scotland. They have 614 homes in 74 locations throughout Scotland housing those who have served in the British Armed Forces, Merchant Navy, Police or Fire Brigade and have been partially or totally disabled.

Affordable housing plan for Alloa town centre

Clackmannanshire Council is in the early stages of a plan to further regenerate Alloa town centre by building affordable housing on a derelict site.

Working in partnership with the Scottish Government, the council has acquired a significant piece of land at Primrose Street, Alloa, adjacent to the Speirs Centre. It is anticipated that the acquisition will be fully funded by the Scottish Government’s affordable housing supply budget allocation for Clackmannanshire.

The site of the former Co-operative Building, the Primrose Street site was bought by Alloa Development Company Ltd in 2012. The building was demolished in 2013 and planning permission granted for a mixed development of retail units and 60 flats.

In recent years the council has invested over £12 million towards the regeneration of Alloa town centre. This has included the Imagine Alloa streetscape improvements and public art, relocating the council’s headquarters to Kilncraigs, and renovating the grade A listed Speirs Centre. The investment in the Primrose Street site will compliment these improvement works.

It is likely that the council will work in partnership with a housing association to build affordable housing on the site. It has been estimated that the Alloa area needs around 75 new affordable houses per year. A further new build housing development with Kingdom Housing Association is also planned at nearby Primrose Place, which will further enhance the area whilst providing badly needed homes for rent.

Work begins on new Stirling roundabout

Work has begun on a new roundabout to the west of Fallin, at the junction of the A905 and Bannockburn Station Rd, giving access to the tip at Lower Polmaise. The roundabout will replace the crossroads which is currently there.

Daily traffic includes a large number of HGVs and the roundabout will improve road safety for drivers coming in and out of Lower Polmaise. It will also help control vehicle speeds on the A905.

The project is due to finish in mid October. The main road and access to Lower Polmaise will remain open and Stirling Council has programmed the work to minimise delays and disruption, but temporary traffic lights will be in operation most days between 9:30am and 3:30pm.

Drop-in event for M8 M73 M74 improvements project

The contractor delivering the £500 million M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project, is extending an open invitation to the residents of Bothwell, Uddingston and Hamilton to learn about the major construction works currently underway on the M74 and at Raith Junction.

Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP) is offering local residents the opportunity to meet with them and hear first-hand how this significant infrastructure project will bring major benefits to the surrounding communities.

An informal drop-in day event will take place from 12 noon to 8pm at the Holiday Inn Express, Strathclyde Country Park on Thursday, 21st May, providing residents with the opportunity to view SRP’s plans of the new road layout and provide an overview of the construction works scheduled for the months ahead.

The improvements at Raith Junction will require complex traffic management including speed restrictions, temporary lane closures and diversions, to allow excavation works to start on the construction of the A725 underpass below the existing roundabout.

The new underpass will link the Bellshill Bypass and the East Kilbride Expressway (A725) and create a new route for traffic, cutting out the heavily congested Raith Junction.

New recycling centre opens in Kelso

A new Community Recycling Centre has opened in the Scottish Borders region.

The facility is located at Pinnacle Industrial Estate in Kelso and cost over £800,000 to develop.

Scottish Borders Council’s in-house design teams, contracts and a number of local companies were involved in the design and construction of the facility.

An adjacent £324,000 factory unit has also been built, creating a new depot for the council’s neighbourhood services department.

Stonehaven flood protection proposals to be revealed

Proposals outlining the latest flood protection plans for Stonehaven are to go on display to the public this week.

Residents will be able to view Aberdeenshire Council’s latest plans and speak to officers about the scheme ahead of a formal consultation.

Proposals for the Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme include building flood defence walls along the banks of the River Carron, improvements to culverts and raising local bridges.

The project is expected to cost £15 million.

Members of the council’s infrastructure services committee agreed officers should begin the process to formally promote the scheme.

The public exhibition will be held at Stonehaven Recreation Grounds from 1pm on 21 May lasting one week.