Building Briefs – November 26th

Construction is now once again underway on the Western Harbour to continue the areas regeneration and deliver much needed homes for Edinburgh.

Hart Builders, with funding from its parent company, Cruden Investments, and RBS, are carrying out the construction of the 96 unit scheme, which includes full underground parking, and is expected to sustain 115 jobs.

In a repeat of the arrangement pioneered at the 145 unit Salamander Place development, the National Housing Trust provides a medium term re-financing package, which in turn enables Cruden Investments and RBS to fund the £11.5m construction through to completion on behalf of the landowner, a subsidiary of Forth Ports.

Green light for Dundee Lidl store rebuild

Discount supermarket chain Lidl has been granted permission to knock down a Dundee store and replace it with a bigger one.

The 19-year-old Macalpine Road shop was deemed too small, with the firm applying to council planners for permission to build a new one offering a wider range of goods to customers.

The new supermarket, which will include extra parking, will be 80 per cent larger and will take in vacant land to the north of the shopping centre.

Work to demolish the existing store is expected to start in early 2015 with the new store opening in the summer.

Edinburgh care home plans submitted

BPA Architects have submitted plans for a 60 bed care home including a café, library and activity spaces at Inchview Terrace, Edinburgh.

Designed on behalf of Care UK, the Portobello property will feature dementia friendly gardens designed by Arterre to which all ground floor tenants will have direct access.

Situated on a disused car dealership the home will minimise bedroom groupings to eight or less to mitigate confusion amongst residents with each flat equipped with its own dining room, lounges and quiet room.

Residents will also have access to terraces and balconies on upper levels, offering views out to Arthur’s Seat and the beach.

New bid to demolish former Waverley Hotel in Perth

Businesswoman Ann Gloag has resurrected plans to demolish an increasingly derelict Perth city centre hotel.

Ms Gloag wants to raze the Waverley Hotel in York Place to expand the community use of the adjacent Trinity Church of the Nazarene, of which she and her brother, Stagecoach chairman Sir Brian Souter, are members.

Ms Gloag has claimed the transformation of the hotel, which was once a magnet for visitors to the Fair City, would “assist” those with drug and alcohol issues.

After a recent history which has seen the listed hotel controversially used as a homeless refuge before closing its doors in August 2011, the building has degenerated into an eyesore.

A previous plan submitted by Ms Gloag to demolish the hotel to build a hall and flats was submitted in May 2013 but later withdrawn.

It was put on the market in January this year but failed to attract sufficient interest.

As a result, following meetings with the local authority, the latest plan has been proposed.

The case for demolition has been drawn up by Denholm Partnership Architects on behalf of Bonhard Leasing LLP, of which Ms Gloag is a director.

The revised plans would see a new lobby, multi-use hall and gym to develop more sport and fitness-related programmes.

An application for listed building consent has also been lodged with the local authority.

Edinburgh housing project scores award hat-trick

The first council housing project to be built in Edinburgh for a generation has won its third prestigious award.

The Gracemount scheme came top in the Excellence in Regeneration category of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland Awards, beating off competition from Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games village.

Judges said that the project was “remarkable” thanks to its well-designed homes and its engagement with the community.

It is the third national award earned by Gracemount, which is a partnership between the City of Edinburgh Council and The Cruden Group, and the first phase of the council’s 21st Century Homes programme.

Edinburgh’s Moredun and Hyvots regeneration project also reached the finals in the same category.

Gracemount won the ‘Best Partnership in Affordable Housing Delivery’ category of the 2012 Homes for Scotland Awards, and ‘Community Partnership of the Year’ in the Scottish Homes Awards in 2011.

Help on its way to owners of empty Moray homes

Moray Council is preparing to help owners of empty homes get their properties back into use.

The council is preparing a draft Empty Homes Strategy, which sets out what it might do to help owners. This strategy is introduced following the recent decision by the council to introduce a Council Tax levy on long-term empty properties.

Some owners may require some advice, assistance, and in some circumstances financial support to bring their property back into use, and the strategy and presents some draft actions to provide that help.

Before the council can implement the support for empty properties it needs to consult on its draft strategy.

A survey has been produced for this, which can be downloaded or carried out online.

The survey ends on December 19.

Council praises £23m roads scheme

Argyll and Bute Council has said its £23 million investment in the road network has been a success.

In February 2012, the local authority said it was to invest £21m in road reconstruction in the area, over a period of three financial years, taking it o April 2015. Additional funding from the Scottish Government brought the total package to £23m.

Work on the programme has now been substantially completed, with the remainder of the work expected to be completed by Christmas. Argyll and Bute Council has said the scheme has “seen an improvement to the overall condition of the network”.

The work has included resurfacing, patching, surface dressing and in-situ surface recycling, and has helped to seal the road, stop the ingress of water, improve the general driving quality of the surface and reduce the need for reactive repairs.

In addition to the engineering work, the council has also cleared surrounding scrub, carried out ditching and drainage work and improved sight lines.

As a result of the scheme, almost 90 per cent of the area’s key ‘A’ roads are said to be in a good or fair condition. More than 360 miles of road have been upgraded, around 25 per cent of the total network. With the project continuing into its fourth consecutive year, the council is to invest around £5m in works will see around 45 per cent of ‘A’ roads upgraded and 35 per cent of ‘B’ roads.

Work continues at Kirkcaldy Esplanade

Work is continuing to progress at Kirkcaldy Esplanade, where a multi-storey car park is being upgraded.

The two-level car park provides direct access to the Mercat Shopping Centre, and a total of £175,000 has been invested in the project. The work has involved installing new energy efficient lighting, painting walls and ceilings, new bright coloured surfacing, wider parking bays and new walkways for pedestrians.

It was part-funded by Fife Council’s Town Centre Development Fund for Kirkcaldy.

Edinburgh Wetherspoon Picture House plan moves step forward

Plans to convert one of Edinburgh’s premier music venues into a superpub have moved a step closer after officials granted JD Wetherspoon listed building consent for the Picture House on Lothian Road.

The venue still faces a battle to secure a change of use with planners after 19,000 signatures were added to a petition aiming to save the Picture House as a live music hub.

Councillors are likely to discuss the plans on December 3 at a development management sub-committee meeting though the agenda is still to be confirmed.

Flats helping to provide future for old Dunfermline linen mill

A piece of Dunfermline’s industrial past in danger of being lost is being given a new lease of life.

The historic linen mills at Victoria Works in Pilmuir Street is on the Buildings at Risk register for Scotland.

Part of the building dates from 1876, with extensions dating from the late 19th Century.

However, the prominent frontage of the building, an echo of Dunfermline’s once thriving and vibrant linen producing industry, is now being preserved as part of a housing development.

The symmetrical two-storey office and warehouse block, which has “an impressive Italianate frontage “ was built for Inglis and Co. At its heyday it gave work to 700 members of staff, working at up to 700 looms. It was closed as a weaving factory in 1926 and converted for Wilson and Wightman to use as an embroidery works in 1928.

In July 2010 an external inspection found the building in “very poor” condition. It was subsequently put in the high risk category.

Listed building consent for partial demolition and conversion to housing was approved by Fife Council in 2008.