Building Briefs – November 28th

Scottish housing minister, Margaret Burgess MSP, joined Edinburgh’s housing convener, Councillor Cammy Day, for a tour of the new 719 house Pennywell construction site in the north of Edinburgh yesterday.

Pennywell is one of Scotland’s largest housing-led regeneration projects and is set to provide 356 social and mid-market rent homes, along with 363 new properties for private sale. The extensive development, which is being built by developers Urban Union, is a result of a major investment of £42 million by the City of Edinburgh Council and includes £7.9m grant funding from the Scottish Government.

The construction of the new homes will bring 60 new jobs and apprenticeships to the area, along with 180 work experience placements. Cllr Day and the Minister met with local resident Courtney Rankine during the visit, who gained employment as an administrator on the project.

Local people have also been heavily involved in shaping plans for the public spaces within the development and the overall master plan for the area.

Aberdeen area ‘outperforms Scottish market’

Property prices in the Aberdeen area are now 25 per cent above the ten year average, according to new Savills research.

While residential sales in Aberdeen increased by only 4 per cent annually, due to diminishing supply in the city, there was a corresponding 20 per cent rise in sales in neighbouring Aberdeenshire. Million pound plus sales in the Aberdeen area reached a record high in the year ending September 2014.

Prime activity in the West End, Bieldside, Cults, Milltimber and Peterculter made up over a third of prime transactions across the Aberdeen area during the year ending September 2014, representing 241 sales. Demand has far outstripped supply in such hotspots, restricting the increase in prime sales across the city.

Meanwhile, prime transactions in the Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire county area almost doubled in the same period, reaching 325 sales. This represents a remarkable recovery compared to the previous 12 months when there was only a 2 per cent annual rise in prime sales. This phenomenon has been driven by the satellite hotspots of Inverurie, Aboyne, Banchory, Westhill and Ellon.

There was a 20 per cent increase in transactions above £1 million in Scotland, with 148 sales recorded during the year ending September 2014. This is now only 7 per cent behind the 10 year annual average.

Edinburgh, the traditional hub of the million pound market with a 48 per cent share, saw a slight rise at the top end, representing 71 transactions. Such sales in the Aberdeen area reached a record high of 30 transactions, up 30 per cent from 23 during the previous 12 month period. This included 11 new build sales, with six taking place at a single development/ in the West End of the city.

Radon testing at Highland Council properties

The next phase of The Highland Council’s on-going programme to check its properties for levels of naturally occurring radon gas is to take place in 34 schools throughout the region commencing next month.

The programme is risk based, with previous testing focused on housing and schools considered to be in higher risk areas. The next phase of testing is based on schools where there is a lower probability of radon gas being present, and includes: Farr Primary & Secondary (Sutherland); Durness Primary; Mount Pleasant Primary; Crossroads Primary; Lybster Primary; Reay Primary; Bower Primary; Golspie High; Avoch Primary; Black Isle Education Centre; Culbokie Primary School (PPP); Raasay Primary; Banavie Primary; Lochyside RC Primary; Lochaber High; Balnain Primary; Farr Primary School (Inverness); Foyers Primary; Kirkhill Primary; Daviot Primary; Milton of Leys Primary; Abernethy Primary; Carrbridge Primary; Gergask Primary; Kingussie Primary; Grantown Grammar; Kingussie High; Grantown Primary; Newtonmore Primary; Glencoe Primary; Inverlochy Primary; St Brides Primary; Strontian Community Complex & Primary and Ardgour Primary.

Engineering sector sees improvements

The Scottish engineering sector has seen an improvement in conditions but still faces major export challenges in the eurozone and Russia, according to the latest research from its trade body.

The Scottish Engineering Quarterly Review for December, published today, outlines a bounce back from the poor trading recorded in the September publication.

A net balance, the number of companies reporting better conditions subtracted from those stating poorer ones, of eight per cent said their order intake was improving.

That was better than the -4 per cent recorded in the prior survey but still well below the more buoyant figures seen back to September last year.

The bounce seen in the most recent period was mainly due to smaller companies with medium and large businesses reporting a 0 balance.

Forecasts for orders over the next three months look positive with a 12 per cent net balance driven by small and medium enterprises.

Work to commence on bike skills park

Work to transform 15 hectares of derelict into a woodland park is progressing, it has been announced.

Forestry Commission Scotland is behind the £5.7m Cuningar Loop scheme.

As part of the woodland park, a new bike skills park will be included in the activity zone and the design and build work is now due to start on this phase.

The park is being designed for BMX, mountain biking and dirt jump bikes and will accommodate both entry level and skilled cyclists.

Four tracks will be created, including a balance track, beginner’s track, improver’s track and a pump track for advanced cyclists.

Architrail has been appointed to design and build the bike skills facility, and work is to begin on site this week. The company will prepare the ground before any construction work starts.

It is anticipated that the skills park will be completed in February 2015.

New homes for disabled veterans in Wishaw

The Scottish Veterans’ Garden City Association (Houses for Heroes Scotland) is to build more houses for disabled veterans in North Lanarkshire.

Funding for the joint project between North Lanarkshire Council and Houses for Heroes Scotland has been provided generously by the public, Trusts, the Scottish Government and Libor.

The ‘turf’ has been cut to mark the start of the building project for five ground floor wheelchair adapted houses at Overjohnstone Drive at Craigneuk in Wishaw.

The partnership approach is co-ordinated in the spirit of the Armed Forces Covenant.

The project is due to complete in the summer of 2105, the charity’s 100th anniversary, which connects with the 90th anniversary of MacTaggart and Mickel, the contractors building the houses. Five more are planned at Flemington in Motherwell.

Glasgow City Council signs Green Network concordat

Local communities in Glasgow will benefit from a new agreement between the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) and Glasgow City Council, which will help to improve the social, physical, cultural and environmental well-being of the area.

The CSGN is Europe’s largest greenspace initiative which seeks to transform Central Scotland into a place where the environment adds value to the economy and where people’s lives are enriched by its quality.

Glasgow City Council has signed up to the CSGN’s Local Authority Concordat, which recognises its commitment to formally help deliver the CSGN vision and highlights the fundamental role local authorities have to play in helping to achieve the network’s aims.

In signing up to the scheme, Glasgow City Council has welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitment to the CSGN, as expressed through the network’s inclusion in Scotland’s 3rd National Planning Framework, as well as the opportunities the CSGN has to offer.

Glasgow City Council has also pledged to embed the CSGN in all of its policies, strategies and plans where appropriate and to develop and enhance its partnership work to realise the CSGN.