Building Briefs – November 22nd

• Whitecross Building Consultancy makes new appointment

Alan has over 20 years experience, a number of them with Whitecross team members at a previous company.

Whitecross said Alan will be a huge asset to the team as it continues to expand working on projects across the UK.

• Borders electricity and gas supplier faces Ofgem investigation

Energy regulator Ofgem has launched an investigation into Borders electricity and gas supplier Spark Energy over non-payment of money due under the UK Government’s renewables obligation schemes.

Under the schemes, suppliers who do not source the required proportion of electricity from renewable sources have to pay into a buy-out fund administered by Ofgem. The amount of payments outstanding into the buy-out fund for 2017-2018 at 31 August was £102.9 million. Ofgem said a shortfall of £58.6m remains.

The regulator also investigating Coventry-based Economy Energy over the same non-payment issue and has given notice that it requires two other non-compliant suppliers – URE Energy and Eversmart – to deliver all outstanding payments by 31 March 2019.

• Decommissioning firm to set up Dundee logistics hub

Decommissioning businesses Offshore Decommissioning Services Ltd (ODS) is opening its UK headquarters in Dundee in early 2019.

Following 14 months of R&D and conceptual design, ODS was established in 2017 by a team of oil and gas professionals with decades of engineering, construction and commissioning experience in the industry. ODS will focus on the imminent decommissioning requirements in the North Sea, and subsequently operate around the world.

ODS is developing specialist technology to support the removal and decommissioning of future North Sea Oil & Gas decommissioning projects. ODS are building a UK flagged multi-purpose heavy lift vessel to be named ‘Moonraker I’, which will be delivered in 2021 in readiness for the anticipated escalation in North Sea decommissioning demand.

Moonraker 1 will also be supported by a newly established engineering and logistics hub which will be located in the city of Dundee.

• Mactaggart & Mickel donates furniture to help WSHA tenants in need

West of Scotland Housing Association (WSHA) has received a houseful of furniture to distribute to tenants who need it the most.

The social landlord received the donation from family housebuilder Mactaggart & Mickel Homes.

The two organisations are working together to build Symington’s first affordable housing development which will see the creation of 34 affordable homes and a new Co-operative retail store. The first tenants are due to move in before Christmas.

All the properties are built to meet the AECB Building ‘Silver’ Standard for sustainability.  There are 16 two-bed terraced homes, 13 cottage flats, 4 three-bed semi-detached houses, and one property suitable for a wheelchair user.

Jamie McLean, Mactaggart & Mickel head of contracts and timber systems, said: “We work very closely with the excellent team at WSHA and know that some of their tenants cannot always manage to fully furnish their homes.

“We came up with the idea to decorate and furnish one of these new homes to highlight the standard of accommodation on offer, and to donate the furniture to the WSHA for onward distribution to deserving tenants, whether at Symington or elsewhere.

“This is not something we have done before but as a family-run business we know how important it is to look out for others and offer a helping hand where possible.  We are already discussing how we can support WSHA tenants at future developments, including new affordable homes at Doonfoot in Ayrshire.”

• National Building Awards open for submissions

The National Building Awards celebrate the very best of the building and construction industry.

With 22 categories to choose from these independent awards will allow the very best of businesses irrespective of size and influence to lift a national accolade at Wembley Stadium in March 2019.

Commenting on the awards, Trevor Diviney, managing director of Ground Construction Ltd, said: “We are thrilled to support these exciting new awards. Too many times the SME’s are not recognised for their innovation and success. I’m looking forward to judging and celebrating with the best of our trade.”

Speaking on behalf of the organisers, awards director Damian Cummins added: “We have seen so many entrants from across our portfolio of awards it was only a matter of time that we introduced independent building awards and are excited to see who makes it to lift a trophy at Wembley, home to so many winners.”

• Mactaggart & Mickel deliver October week works for Johnstone High School

Johnstone High School applied to Mactaggart & Mickel’s Building Communities Fund with an unusual request – the Parent Council had been raising funds to improve the school’s outdoor space and hoped the housebuilder could offer their expertise and services to pave and paint it as an ‘in kind’ donation in lieu of a monetary contribution.

The works were needed in preparation for the installation of the outdoor equipment.

Mactaggart & Mickel Homes’ contracts manager George Dow, along with assistant site manager Ryan Coughtrie and his team at Mactaggart & Mickel’s nearby Midton Fields development, were only too happy to help and, along with subcontractor JWS, completed monoblocking and painting works over the October week holiday in readiness for the installation of outdoor furniture, planters and landscaping.

In November, George and Ryan returned to the school to inspect the completed work and meet head teacher Mrs Hollywood, Diane Spence,chair of JHS Parent Council, teacher Mick Fulton and pupils from the school.

Johnstone High School serves Johnstone, Kilbarchan, Lochwinnoch and also Howwood, where the Midton Fields development is now well-established.

• Rejected bid for wind farm near Hawick goes to appeal

German-based ABO Wind is appealing to the Scottish Government to overturn a decision by councillors to reject a wind farm near Hawick.

Proposals for the £8 million development, consisting of seven turbines up to 132m tall at Barrel Law, near Roberton, were thrown out by Scottish Borders Council’s planning committee in September.