Building Briefs – May 4th

Apprentices show dignitaries progress of new East Renfrewshire amenity housing

Construction apprentices showed a group of dignitaries progress on the site of a new £1.6 million amenity housing development in East Renfrewshire and told them more about their role in the construction to date.

Hanover Scotland’s new development at Waterford Court, Giffnock, will feature 12 fully insulated and energy efficient flats for rent with landscaped gardens and is expected to be completed in November. The development is being built by Ashleigh (Scotland) who have a number of apprentices involved in the project.

The Waterford Court site had previously contained 13 sheltered housing units for rent to frail older people and opened in 1997. However, the association, working in close partnership with both East Renfrewshire Council and the Scottish Government, identified that amenity housing for rent as being more suitable for the area.

Demolition of the previous development started in January 2016, with the new flats expected to be available to new residents in November 2016.

Dignitaries, including Cllr. Jim Fletcher, leader of East Renfrewshire Council, viewed progress on the site to date and heard how apprentices from Ashleigh (Scotland) have been involved, as well as learning from Hanover Scotland about how the site will contribute to the future housing needs of the area.

The new 12-flat development will be made up of three, two-storey blocks, with every flat:

The development is based in a courtyard setting and will also feature landscaped gardens.

Belleisle golf clubhouse opens for business

Golfers from across Scotland are expected to descend on South Ayrshire following the opening of the new Belleisle Clubhouse in Ayr.

Staff welcomed the first golfers to the new £1.5 million facility on Friday 29th April, with the clubhouse set to become an important fixture for the local sporting economy.

The Belleisle championship course, designed by James Braid in 1927, is one of the most popular golf courses in Scotland, viewed by many as one of the best public inland courses in the country.

Facilities include: modern changing accommodation, a new professional golf shop, new starter facilities, club rooms, lounge area, and a golf simulator room. The clubhouse will operate as a family-orientated licenced premise with capacity for 180 people. A full-range of services including bar meals, receptions, televised sports, as well as outdoor events, will all be catered for.

3B Construction Ltd completed the project on behalf of South Ayrshire Council.

Campaign aiming to raise cancer awareness among construction workers

A campaign has been launched to raise awareness of cancer among male construction workers, after a survey found many may be ignoring symptoms of the disease.

Don’t Let Cancer Ruin Your Foundations has been set up by Macmillan Cancer Support in partnership with some of the UK’s biggest building firms.

It follows a poll of 600 men working in the sector carried out for the charity which revealed that 43 per cent would not want to talk about symptoms such as a lump or a suspicious mole, in case it was thought they were “making a fuss”.

In addition, the results show that 23 per cent of those who took part in the survey admitted they would feel discouraged from seeking help because they were too embarrassed.

The new campaign is being run in conjunction with firms including Travis Perkins, Benchmarx Kitchens & Joinery, Kier Group, Costain, Selco Builders Warehouse and Wolseley UK.

It will see the companies work together to raise awareness of cancer and the work of Macmillan, as well as encouraging men to seek medical advice where it is needed.

Petition against Murray sports centre

A petition of more than 1,000 signatures against a proposed sports and housing development near Dunblane has been submitted to Holyrood.

High-profile backers of the £37.5m Park of Keir scheme include Judy Murray and golfer Colin Montgomerie.

The plan for tennis and golfing facilities, and luxury homes, was turned down by Stirling Council which received more than 1,000 objections.

The developers lodged an appeal with the Scottish Government in March.

The plans, which include a four-star hotel, visitor centre, museum, parkland and luxury housing, were supported by Andy and Jamie Murray as well as football legend Sir Alex Ferguson.

The petition, called “Save Park of Keir, don’t let it be another Trump fiasco” has been forwarded to first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

It claims there is “overwhelming public opposition” to the proposed development and there is “no evidence that this sporting complex should be at this particular Greenbelt location”.

A Scottish Government reporter is expected to issue a decision at a later date following a site inspection.

Work begins on £120m Scottish Water investment project

Work is underway on the first phase of Scottish Water’s £120 million drinking water investment programme in East Renfrewshire and Ayrshire.

Pipe installation works are being carried out for a 13 mile-long strategic water main from near Newton Mearns to the Fenwick/Waterside area.

The scheme follows 18 months of preparatory work, including the creation of a strip for the water main to be installed, and involved close liaison with landowners and statutory bodies as well as detailed ecological studies.

Scottish Water contractors are now setting up welding areas and excavating five metre-deep trenches before using a crane to lower 12 metre-long sections of pipe into place.

It is expected the water mains construction will take around four years and will create a ‘larger, more robust’ connected supply.

Other sections of new mains include a section of about 13 miles from the Fenwick Waterside area to Dundonald in South Ayrshire and a section of about six miles from the Pollok area to a reservoir storage tank in the south of Glasgow.

Scotland sees 9 per cent fall in new home registrations

The number of new homes registered in Scotland fell during the first three months of this year, according to latest new home registration statistics from the National House Building Council (NHBC).

A total of 2,910 new homes were registered north of the Border in the first quarter of 2016, down 9 per cent on the same period last year.

The fall mirrored a 9 per cent decline seen for the UK, with 36,566 homes registered across the country as a whole.

Most UK regions saw a decrease in home registrations in the first quarter of 2016 compared with a year earlier, with the exception of Wales, where registrations were flat, and the north-west of England and Merseyside, where they jumped by 17 per cent.

London saw a 15 per cent fall in registrations, although those behind the report said building activity was still bustling in the capital, particularly in the outer suburbs.

The NHBC cautioned against placing too much significance in the recent drop-off in the quarterly figures compared with a year earlier, adding that March 2015 had been an exceptionally high month for registrations.

This year’s early Easter, when many people were away on holiday, would also have affected the figures for the first quarter of 2016, it said.

Some 152,329 new homes were registered in 2015-16, slightly up on the 152,262 figure for the previous year.

Council serves urgent works notice to owners of Perth church

An urgent works notice has been served to the owners of St Paul’s Church in Perth.

Following a structural inspection by engineers, a draft schedule of works was sent to Arengate Ltd in November 2015.

However, despite assurances that works would be carried out immediately, no repair work has taken place.

The new document now informs the building’s owners that the council intends to step in and carry out emergency works to prevent further deterioration on or after Wednesday, 01 June.

The projects total cost is estimated at £400,000.

Once completed, the council will then seek to recover the costs incurred through the works, which involve decontaminating the former church as well as making it safe, secure, wind and watertight.