Building Briefs – November 24th

A £24 million development of 201 homes in the heart of Glasgow has been awarded ‘Best Social Housing Development’ at the Premier Guarantee Excellence Awards, which celebrate the best of the UK construction industry.

Built by Urban Union for New Gorbals Housing Association, Laurieston marks the completion of the first milestone in the £100m regeneration of the area which is one of eight Glasgow City Council priority Transformational Regeneration Areas (TRAs).

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In the mid-2000s, Glasgow City Council led and funded an award-winning master-planning exercise which led to the Laurieston project being selected in 2009 as one of three initial pilot TRAs, supported by the regeneration partnership – Transforming Communities: Glasgow (TCG).

The landmark project was financed by Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government with development consortium Urban Union appointed by the council to transform the area in 2012.

 

£15m hotel plan for Edinburgh Airport

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A record-breaking surge in traveller numbers at Edinburgh Airport has sparked plans to build a £15 million Hampton Hilton Hotel with 175 bedrooms.

Work is expected to get under way late next year.

National planning consultancy Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (NLP) is plotting the hotel on behalf of the Ability Hotel Group.

A consultation event for local residents to share views on the project will take place at Norwood Community Wing, Ratho Station on Tuesday from 3.30pm to 7pm.

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Comments will be considered before NLP submits a planning application to the city early next year.

 

Firms behind Perth biomass and housing plans told to find ‘synergy’

Developers behind plans for a massive housing project in Perth are being urged to enter into talks with an energy firm proposing to build a contentious biomass plant nearby.

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Councillor Ian Campbell said there needs to be “synergy” between the two developments, earmarked for land just yards apart at the city’s Inveralmond area.

He made the comments as long-awaited proposals for Almond Valley Village were raised at a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council’s development management committee. The plans could see around 1,500 homes being built, along with a new primary school, on 160 acres of land at Ruthvenfield, near Huntingtower Hotel.

Councillors were told that a planning application for the development will be submitted soon and were asked to suggest any potential issues or concerns, without directly commenting on the scheme.

Alan Livingstone, who represents the Almond and Earn ward, said developers should be aware that the Church of Scotland could want to build a place of worship on the site. He stressed that nothing official has been proposed but it remains a possibility.

The revived Almond Valley plan is being worked on by the Pilkington Trust and is subject to an ongoing public consultation.

A public presentation will take place at Huntingtower Hotel on Wednesday December 3 from 3pm to 7pm.

 

Dundee College building to make way for 59 houses

A historic Dundee building, which has lain empty for more than four years, will be demolished to make way for a multi-million-pound housing estate.

Dundee City Councillors have approved plans by Persimmon Homes, which owns the Dundee College building at Melrose Terrace, formerly the Stobswell Boys’ Secondary School.

Persimmon also completed a redevelopment of the former Dundee College site at Graham Street into a 31-home residential estate in 2012.

The company has been given permission to raze the grounds at Melrose Terrace, which sits 300m east of Tannadice, and build a new estate of 59 two to four-bedroom detached and semi-detached houses.

The project will breathe new life into the 4.4 acre site, which was put on the market by Dundee College in 2010.

The new estate will also benefit from the installation of low-energy lighting and low-energy-emitting gas burners.

 

Europe’s largest crowdfunded solar scheme hailed a success

Leeds-based Oakapple Renewable Energy has joined forces with a Scottish firm in what it said was Europe’s largest ever crowdfunded solar energy project.

The company is working in partnership with Glasgow-based Edison Energy to install up to 749 roof mounted solar PV systems with a total capacity of 2,595 kW for Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA).

The scheme called “Oakapple Berwickshire” will roll out over four months and will be installed on houses across Berwickshire, including Duns, Eyemouth and Coldstream, helping to reduce tenants’ energy bills.

Financed by Abundance, the UK’s largest ethical investment platform, the £3.1 million scheme is the latest in a range of developments for Edison Energy, including the Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village in Glasgow.

To encourage early take up, investors will earn 7 per cent initial interest from the date they invest to 31 May 2015 when the solar panels are fully operational. Interest is payable in arrears and the first payment will be made after the minimum £500,000 investment threshold is reached. From 1 June 2015 investors will be paid their capital and interest return for 20 years, giving a 7.5 per cent internal rate of return.

 

Consultation on Dunblane improvements

Two public meetings are to be held in Dunblane to gauge opinion on plans to improve accessibility in the area around the cathedral city’s railway station.

Earlier this year Stirling Council secured £550,000 from national sustainable transport charity Sustrans for public realm improvement works aimed at building on work by Network Rail and extending the ‘access for all’ principle between the station and the High Street.

Since then a project steering group including council representatives as well as members of Dunblane Community Council, Dunblane Development Trust, Discover Dunblane and Sustrans has carried out a range of survey work to see what people think of the area now and what they would like to see happen.

The public can find out more about the progress so far – and offer their views – at the Victoria Halls on Saturday 29th November from 10am-4pm and on Tuesday 2nd December from 3-8pm.

The closing date for comments is Monday 15th December.

 

Clackmannanshire welcomes quarry refusal

Clackmannanshire Council has welcomed the decision by Perth and Kinross Council to refuse an application to re-open a gravel quarry in the Ochils.

An application was lodged for work at Glendevon Quarry to run until 2035. It came before Perth and Kinross’s Development Management Committee last week.

Clackmannanshire Council had objected to the plan, raising concerns about the increased HGV traffic on the A823 road, and of the potential impact on tourism in a popular walking area.

The plan had also drawn opposition from a number of community councils along with 108 letters of objection from locals.

 

Consultation meeting on new Dumbarton Office

Residents are being invited to give their views on plans for West Dumbartonshire Council’s new office building in Dumbarton town centre.

The proposal will see 500 council staff currently based at Garshake Road move to a new office at the site of the old Academy building in the Town Centre. The new office will restore the existing derelict A-listed frontage of the old Academy building. The move will significantly reduce the size of the office space used by the Council, save the council £400,000 per year, and provide a catalyst for further regeneration activities in Dumbarton town centre.

A public consultation event will take place on Wednesday 3rd December from 6.30-8pm at the Burgh Hall, Dumbarton. Richard Cairns, Executive Director for Infrastructure and Regeneration will provide a presentation on the Office Rationalisation Project, followed by an opportunity to ask questions.

 

Consultation for Cathkin Bypass announced

A consultation is to be held this week in relation to the proposed Cathkin Bypass in South Lanarkshire.

The £21 million relief road is just one of the projects named as part of the wider £1.13 billion Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal.

The exhibition for the Cathkin Relief Road project will be held at Fernhill Community Centre on Wednesday (26 November). The first session will take place from 10.30am to 2.30pm and the second session will take place from 4pm to 8pm. Roads officers will be in attendance to answer any questions the local community may have, as well as note any observations or comments submitted.

 

Cairngorms housing development rejected

Plans to build a number of homes at Nethy Bridge have been rejected by the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s (CNPA) planning committee.

The 58-property development had been proposed for a Cairngorms National Park community.

On Friday, a site visit was carried out by members of the planning committee, who later decided to reject the application.

The plans were submitted last year, but the two sites in question – located off the School Road and Craigmore Road in the village – have a long and complex planning history, the CNPA has said. Argyll Developments (Scotland) Ltd had been behind the development.

 

New sports facility for Selkirk

A new sports facility and play park has opened in the Bannerfield area of Selkirk.

The park, which has been named the Philiphaugh Freedom Park, has adapted a recreation space to make it accessible to all ages.

The facility includes a new play park, a multi-use games area, a bike skills areas, landscaping and a number of pathways that will eventually be linked to allow for new routes proposed as part of the Selkirk Flood Protection Scheme.

The Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces programme donated £248,750 towards the project, while additional funding was also received by Eildon Housing Association, Thornfield Trust and Selkirk Common Good Fund. Stuart Davidson Architecture and contractor Wicksteed Leisure delivered the project.

 

Moray projects pick up top architectural awards

Moray projects have scooped some of the top prizes at the Highland and Islands Architectural Awards.

The Alexander Graham Bell Centre at Moray College UHI by JM Architects took the award for Best Project Overall at a ceremony on Skye recently.

Forres based LDN Architects won the award for New Life for Existing Buildings for their restoration of Knockando Wool Mill and also took home the prize for Best Small Project for an extension to a house in Kingussie.

Moray Council assisted with the funding of the awards. Its planning officers were involved at early stages of the design to ensure both projects met with as little delay as possible in planning process.

The Inverness Architectural Association (IAA) Awards have been held every two years since 2008. The awards aim to raise awareness of the importance of good design and architecture.

Organised by the IAA – the chapter of the RIAS that covers the Highlands and Islands – they feature a range of categories, including prizes for best new building and best restoration.

 

Elgin High School to begin in March

Construction of the new Elgin High School is on track to be started in March next year, but access issues have still to be resolved.

Members of Moray Council’s Children and Young Person’s committee were also told that a £1.5 million shortfall exists between the funding committed to the project and the estimated costs.

Although work is scheduled to start on site next March, a detailed agreement concerning vehicles access to the school is still to be reached with the council’s roads officials.

Graham Jarvis, Moray Council’s head of Lifelong Learning, Sport and Culture said that the Edgar Road extension – part of the Western Link Road development that was refused planning consent earlier this month – would be required to provide safe access to the new school.

Based on industry figures, costs for the new High School planned for Elgin are currently estimated at £26.1m, but this would rise if the project is delayed.

Members were also advised that the timescale to deliver the school is becoming increasingly tight following delays in the early stages of the design process, and that any further delay will lead to monthly inflation costs of £100k being added to the total.

Two years ago the council engaged Hub North Scotland Ltd (hubCo) as the company to design and deliver the school. As a result of delays at this stage, the chief executive of hubCo attended a meeting of the full council and apologised to the authority for the unexplained delays. Since then council officers and hubCo staff have been working successfully to bring the project back on schedule.

The complex funding package for the 800-pupil school is dependent of the project being delivered on time. The current programme is on target to start in March 2015 and be ready for occupation by the new October term 2016. Thereafter the old school will be demolished and a new 3G sports pitch created by May 2017.

 

Proposals for two wind farms submitted

Plans to erect two wind farms in Dumfries and Galloway have been submitted by E.ON.

If approved, the Benbrack and Loch Urr wind farms would both be capable of producing more than 50MW of electricity.

Benbrack would see 18 turbines constructed with an installed capacity of up to 59.4MW and would be located 6km to the south of Dalmellington. A total of 26 turbines have been proposed for Loch Urr, and could be capable of producing 83.2MW. It would be located 6.5km south west of Moniaive.

As part of the application process, E.ON has worked alongside the local communities to address any concerns they have. The submissions will now go on display to allow local residents to view and discuss the plans. A ‘Meet the Developer’ event will be held at Dalry Town Hall on Tuesday 25 November from 4pm to 8pm.

 

Plans for iconic five-star hotel back on track

Plans to build an iconic five-star hotel on the outskirts of Perth are back on track.

It was feared proposals for the 300-bedroom establishment at Kinfauns could finally be defeated after health and safety chiefs raised fears about an underground gas pipeline near the site.

However, the project has been saved by councillors who believe an iconic establishment could deliver a massive boost to the local economy.

Members of Perth and Kinross Council’s development management committee were persuaded to grant planning permission for the project — first mooted in 2004 — after hearing that designers had taken steps to minimise any potential risks.

The £50 million venue, which still needs to be approved by Scottish ministers, will be operated by the American company Wyndham, one of the world’s biggest hotel chains.

The building will be made up of two interlocking curved buildings at five storeys in height.

As well as 300 rooms, it will feature a spa and gym, dining room, bistro, bars, library and cabaret theatre.

 

Efficient homes could be better bet for buyers

Energy-efficient homes may sell faster and for a higher price than those that waste resources, says a new report.

The year-long study was based on the records of thousands of property sales through the Glasgow Solicitors Property Centre, analysing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) from over 10,000 properties.

The study stops short of saying that making a home more energy efficient will directly increase its value.

But it does show an initial link between energy efficiency and house prices – an estimated 0.1 per cent increase in selling price has been identified for every one per cent fall in energy use.

Average total household energy costs were found to be £884 a year, and average energy cost per metre squared is just over £16.

The project’s seed funding was provided by Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group and developed by the group’s Built Environment sub-group.

 

Seminary in ruins for quarter of century to be resurrected

The restoration of one of Scotland’s greatest modern buildings, which has lain in ruins for 25 years, is to begin in the New Year.

The £7.3 million transformation of the A-listed St Peter’s Seminary, in Cardross, Dunbartonshire, will convert its ruined main chapel into a 600-capacity arts space, create a series of indoor and outdoor educational areas, and reclaim woodland and paths in its 144-acre estate.

The seminary, occupied for just 14 years for its original purpose until 1980, was designed by the late pioneering architects Isi Metzstein and Andy MacMillan for Gillespie, Kidd and Coia.

The Glasgow-based cultural charity NVA is leading the redevelopment of the seminary and the surrounding Kilmahew estate, with a design team involving London-based architects Avanti Architects, the Glasgow-based ERZ Landscape Architects and Nord Architecture.