Building Briefs – May 23rd

A £1 million expansion at a sand mine that re-opened in 2012 has created nine new jobs in rural Lochaber.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has invested £100,000 in the development by Lochaline Quartz Sand Ltd on the Morvern peninsula.

It will strengthen the company’s market position and develop further niche markets for its full range of sand as well as its highest grade sand.

The sand being mined underground at the west of Scotland site is typically used in glass products from crystal and ceramics to sanitary ware and photo voltaic panels.

A major part of the expansion is an innovative product diversification. This will enable new processes and markets to be developed for the firm’s lower grade sand which has to date been a waste product of the mining operation.

HIE’s £100,000 approval towards the purchase of plant equipment, machines and the installation of buildings will help Lochaline Quartz Sand to achieve its growth potential. The new jobs will create economic and social benefits for a fragile part of Lochaber and take the total number employed at the mine to 20.

Machine operator crushed to death at quarry

A man has been crushed to death while working at a quarry in the Highlands.

Pawel Kocik, a machine operator, suffered fatal injuries at Leiths’ Kishorn Quarry in Wester Ross.

The 34-year-old succumbed to chest injuries in the incident at the quarry in Wester Ross on Wednesday.

An investigation is under way involving the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Police Scotland.

A crowdfunding page has been launched to raise money to go towards funeral costs in a bid to help Mr Kocik’s wife, Karolina, and five-year-old daughter Julia.

The campaign has so far raised £678 of the targeted £5000.

Consultation on £36m Moray high school proposals

Consultation events are to be held early next month on plans for a new Lossiemouth High School.

The £36 million project will see a new campus – complete with swimming pool and community facilities – built on the site of the existing school.

A drop-in session will take place at the school on Thursday, June 1 from 2pm to 8pm when officers from Moray Council will be on hand to answer questions along with representatives from the design team.

And from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 16 an exhibition of the proposals will be staged at the Lossiemouth Sports and Community Centre.

Anyone wishing to comment on the proposals can do so at the events or by writing to jmarchitects, 64 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 4NA by July 7.

Work continues on £120m Ayrshire water infrastructure upgrade

Work is continuing on Scottish Water’s £120 million water infrastructure upgrade project in Ayrshire.

The multi-million pound investment will see the quality of drinking water improved for more than 200,000 people and businesses across Ayrshire and parts of East Renfrewshire, connecting 30 miles of new water mains with the Greater Glasgow area’s network.

Work on the first phase of the scheme is being carried out by aBV and will be completed this summer. Features involved the construction of a 13 mile-long strategic water main, from near Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire to the Fenwick/Waterside area in East Ayrshire, and a pumping station at Darnley.

The second phase will involve building another stretch of strategic water main about 13 miles long from the Amlaird Water Treatment Works in the Fenwick/Waterside area to Highlees Pumping Station near Dundonald in South Ayrshire.

The work, which will include the construction of a pumping station near the Grassyards interchange at Ralstonhill east of Kilmarnock, is expected to be finished in around 20 months. The scheme will be delivered by Caledonia Water Alliance (CWA).

Once finished, the investment will enable Scottish Water to transfer water from Glasgow to Ayrshire, and vice-versa. Overall, it will create a larger, more robust and connected supply zone to benefit customers in areas such as Ayr, Prestwick, Kilmarnock, Troon, Irvine, Fenwick, Galston, Stewarton, Hurlford, Maybole, Eaglesham and Newton Mearns.

BAM kits out new school sports teams

BAM Construction has presented new sports kits to pupils at the recently opened Waid Community Campus in Anstruther.

The sports tops, which have the BAM logo sitting alongside the school badge, will be worn by girls competing in the netball, football and touch rugby teams.

Martin Cooper, the construction director for BAM in the East of Scotland, presented the strips to Head Teacher, Iain Hughes and said: “Both the netball and football teams compete in the Fife League and the school was keen to have a new look in keeping with this fantastic new facility. We were delighted to help. We also like the positive message of having the girls’ teams sponsored by a construction company given our push to get more girls interested in joining the industry as a future career.”

BAM delivered the new community campus for Fife Council on budget and ahead of programme as part of Building Fife’s Future Programme in partnership with hub East Central Scotland. Featuring a striking design, inspired by the area’s traditional agricultural buildings, the £22 million school provides accommodation for over 800 pupils and staff as well as an integrated community education facility for enterprise and life-long learning in the town.

Overnight closures for B979 at Stonehaven

The B979 will close between New Mains of Ury and Glenury Road in Stonehaven for three nights over this weekend, as part of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project.

The road will close each night, Friday 26 May, Saturday 27 May and Sunday 28 May, at 8pm and reopen the following morning at 6am.

The road closure will allow the contractor to install telecommunication ducting across the B979 and undertake reinstatement surfacing works.