Building Briefs – May 7th

GAP Hire Solutions is inviting visitors to try out its new mobile-optimised website.

The website was designed with GAP’s customers in mind to offer them easier access to the key information they need to hire a range of products from the company’s eight divisions – including an extensive catalogue with over 400 product categories, an advanced search facility and an improved ‘Find a depot’ function. The enhanced navigation of the site will make finding information quicker and easier than ever before, especially on mobiles and tablets. A new, refreshed look brings the website up to date with GAP’s recent rebrand to GAP Hire Solutions.

Customers will also be able to find out about GAP’s specialist divisions and access a range of resources including GAP’s award-winning safety toolbox talks and brochures. GAP customers can also access the state-of-the-art extranet system to retrieve live and historical hire report data.

New affordable homes to boost Falkirk Council pension fund

Almost 100 new homes are to be built in the Falkirk area in a move that will also provide an income for the local authority’s pension fund.

Members of Falkirk Council’s executive committee agreed to bring forward an Affordable Housing Grant to help fund new developments.

A total of 62 socially rented properties are to be built in the Bellsdyke area of Larbert and a further 34 affordable homes will be built at Overton Crescent in the Redding area after the Scottish Government agreed to contribute a £4.7 million grant.

Both areas are deemed to be in high demand of social and affordable housing and were chosen from a list of proposed sites because they are suitable for quick development.

The first homes are due to be completed and available for rent at the Bellsdyke site by next summer.

Land transfer agreed for West Lothian school project

The development of a new primary school in Armadale has taken an important step forward after a land transfer contract was signed by developers – allowing West Lothian Council to take ownership of the site.

The £7.5 million project remains on target for the first phase of the school opening in August 2016. Work should commence on site during Summer 2015.

Funding for a new primary school in Armadale has already been agreed by West Lothian Council and a tender for the construction will be completed by the end of this month (May 2015).

The transfer of ownership from the developer to the council is a critical stage in the process to deliver a new primary school for Armadale. In September 2014, West Lothian Council’s Executive Committee approved forward-funding to accelerate the development of the £7.5 million project for a new eight-class primary school in Armadale to enable the school to be available for the 2016/17 academic year.

Kilsyth Health Centre completes

A £7.8m community health centre in Kilsyth has been completed by hub South West, the first of three such facilities being delivered by NHS Lanarkshire.

Designed by Reiach & Hall Architects and delivered by Graham Construction the new centre will offer a range of services including GP and dental surgeries and associated consulting rooms, gaining an Energy Performance Certificate B rating and Very Good BREEAM accreditation in the process.

Facilities in East Kilbride and Wishaw are scheduled to follow later in the year.

UK manufacturers’ property investment intentions increased by 50 per cent in 2014

Proposed investment in land and property from manufacturing companies continues to grow as planning application floor space for factory construction increased by 50 per cent in 2014 and is on track for a further 40 per cent growth in 2015.

The latest report from Barbour ABI shows significant growth for factory planned floorspace from March 2014 to last month, based on a 12 month rolling average.

Total planned floorspace in the manufacturing sector was 2.2 million sq ft in 2014, with a growth of 50 per cent from the previous year. This follows the same upward trajectory in manufacturing output which increased by 2.9 per cent in 2014.

Planning application floorspace in March had a yearly increase of 56 per cent, the largest of any month in the report which dates back January 2011, with 199, 296 sq ft of planned floor space. In the first four months of 2015, planning applications have totalled 1.1 million sq ft which if continued, would mean total planned floor space will be in excess of 3 million sq ft for the full year.

Despite recent signs of a slowdown in manufacturing through both GDP and Markit PMI surveys, investment intentions from manufacturers in property appears to remain strong. Planning applications for factory floor space is an indication of the longer term optimism of manufacturers, both in terms of increasing and improving factors of production.

Port upturn spurs £1m warehouse investment

A shipping firm has revealed details of a £1 million warehousing and office development at Montrose Port.

Rix Shipping, which has operated from the Angus town for almost half a century, is set to tear down old shed buildings at the docks and replace them with new purpose-built facilities.

The “speculative” Meridian Street development will stretch to 30,000ft2 and feature a suite of offices and a bulk storage facility for cargo arriving at the port by sea.

Planning consent has been granted by Angus Council, and demolition of the existing structure will begin next month.

A96 Dualling design work goes on public display

Locals are to be given a chance to view and comment on the outcome of the preliminary engineering and strategic environmental assessment work for the A96 Dualling Programme from east of Nairn to Aberdeen.

Representatives of Transport Scotland and its representatives will be on hand to answer any questions.

Details:

Monday 11 May 201

Location: Elgin Library, Cooper Park, Elgin IV30 1HS

Timing: 11.00-11.30 am

The exhibition material and other information on the A96 Dualling programme will be available from Monday 11 May 2015.

Following A96 Dualling public exhibitions are:

Monday 11 May 2015

12 noon – 7pm

Elgin Library, Cooper Park, Elgin IV30 1HS

Tuesday 12 May 2015

12 noon - 7pm

Forres Town Hall, High Street, Forres IV36 1PB

Wednesday 13 May 2015

12 noon – 7pm

Gordon Arms Hotel, The Square, Huntly AB54 8AF

Monday 18 May 2015

12 noon – 7pm

The Fochabers Public Institute, 15 High Street, Fochabers IV32 7EP

Tuesday 19 May 2105

12 noon – 7pm

Longmore Hall, Banff Road, Keith AB55 5ET

Wednesday 20 May 2015

12 noon – 7pm

Leys Hotel, Blackburn, Aberdeen AB21 0SS

Thursday 21 May 2015

12 noon – 7pm

Kintore Arms Hotel, 83 High Street, Inverurie AB51 3QJ