Building Briefs - November 6th

• Milngavie station extension work on-track

Last weekend the project team installed a new 4m-tall twin-track stanchion to support new overhead line equipment at the remodelled station.

Over the previous two weekends, engineers successfully installed new precast platform sections onto the 24-steel foundations laid to support the extended infrastructure.

Once complete in December this year, the station’s platforms will have been lengthened from 141m to 205m. The works, being undertaken by Network Rail and main contractor AmcoGiffen, will also deliver changes to the track and signalling layout at the station.

Extending the platforms will enable the ‘stabling’ of trains at Milngavie to allow more time between arrivals and departures. This will help improve punctual delivery of the timetable and improve service reliability.

• Edinburgh mulls potential location of Gaelic secondary school

An informal consultation setting out proposals for the future of Gaelic secondary education in Edinburgh is underway.  

The City of Edinburgh Council has been holding discussions with the city’s Gaelic community this past year about how to further develop education provision given the rising Gaelic school rolls in the city across all age groups.

The consultation details proposals for developing Gaelic Medium Education (GME) including four potential site options for a new Gaelic secondary school with Liberton High School being the preferred choice.

Public can access the consultation document online to submit their comments and there will also be two virtual public meetings taking place on 25 November and 30 November which will be webcast.

Once the feedback is analysed it is expected that a report outlining plans for a statutory consultation will go to a meeting of the Education, Children and Families Committee early next year.

The informal public consultation will close on December 11.

• Draft Sutherland tourism infrastructure plan discussed

Yesterday’s meeting of Highland Council’s Sutherland county committee discussed a draft Sutherland Tourism Infrastructure Plan to identify current and possible gaps in provision of tourism infrastructure in the area.

Members of the council’s Tourism Working Group had previously tasked officers with the production of a Highland Tourism Infrastructure Plan which would provide a simple audit of relevant tourism infrastructure across the region and would allow gaps in provision to be identified. A draft audit was subsequently produced and presented to the council’s tourism committee on October 14.

Sutherland members also discussed the benefits of having a plan which was focused at a local level. Therefore, the Sutherland elements of the Highland plan were extracted to create a draft Sutherland Tourism Infrastructure Plan to help identify current provision and possible gaps which were more relevant to the local communities in the area.

The types of infrastructure considered to be particularly relevant for visitors to Sutherland were identified as parking, electric vehicle charge points, public toilets, motorhome waste disposal facilities, public WI-FI services, and paths and trails.

• Johnsons of Whixley and P1 Contractors Ltd deliver garden of ‘Eden’ in Edinburgh

Commercial nursery Johnsons of Whixley has teamed up with P1 Contractors Ltd and EMA Architects to make an ‘Eden’ in the grounds of Urban Eden, contemporary residential development in Edinburgh.

EMA Architects designed Urban Eden to create a ‘leave the city behind without leaving the city’ feel, designed in a triangle of colony houses which are very much a part of the city’s history.  It’s gardens, and outdoor space is at the centre of the design with views of Calton Hill, Arthurs Seat and Salisbury available to view from the new developments.

P1’s works included the full soft landscaping package across two phases of the development which has now spanned four years.

• Barratt Homes’ big foodbank donation

Barratt Homes has donated £2,000 to foodbanks in the west of Scotland to support those in need.

BASICSfood Bank and EK Community Food Bank have each received £1,000 as part of Barratt West Scotland’s Community Fund initiative with the donation contributing to the weekly running costs of the charity and new recipe kits to accompany the food parcels, respectively.

BASICSfood Bank has been operating in North Lanarkshire for the last 10 years, with distribution outlets in Motherwell, Whishaw and Airdrie. To address the difficulty in getting to food banks during the COVID-19 crisis, BASICSfood Bank have collaborated with an organisation that delivers food parcels into the community to ensure those in food poverty still receive meals.

During the pandemic, South Lanarkshire’s EK Community Food Bank partnered with the council and other charities within Calderwood to help support the calls being received through the council’s wellbeing line. While the foodbank has had to cease some of their operations due to government regulations, the support of volunteers has allowed them to continue serving the community with 117% more bags and food parcels being distributed. Recently they have launched recipe kits, containing ingredients and recipe cards for those receiving food parcels to help encourage home cooking.

• Cunninghame welcomes Scottish Homes Awards recognition for Kilmarnock development

Cunninghame Housing Association has hailed the efforts of its development and design teams after taking home a prize at the Scottish Home Awards 2020.

The Association won the award for Affordable Housing Development of the Year (mid-sized social rent) for its Longpark development in Kilmarnock.

Presented by Des Clarke, the awards were held digitally this year due to current restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

Frank Sweeney, chief executive at Cunninghame Housing Association, said: “I am delighted to announce that CHA are winners of the Affordable Housing Development of the Year (Mid-sized, social rent) award for our Longpark Phase 7 newbuild project.

“This is a fantastic result and is reflective of the quality accommodation provided by the Association via our Development Services Department, sub-committee and design teams.

“Well done all!!”

• Housing investment welcomed at Sutherland County Committee

The proposed one-year Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme for Sutherland 2021-22 has been welcomed by Highland Council members at yesterday’s meeting of Sutherland County Committee.

The programme for 2021-22 included engagement with Members, local maintenance officers, and tenants to identify individual area priorities. As priorities have been identified for the Sutherland Area at a local level, the projects outlined within the programme are aimed at meeting local needs.

These works include equipment and adaptations, bathroom and kitchen replacement, chimney and roofing repairs, and priority environmental capital projects.

Councillor Richard Gale, chair of the committee, said: “I am delighted that after engagement with our stakeholders, we were able today to approve a programme of work which will improve housing in our area. In particular, I am pleased a significant percentage of the work is allocated to heating and energy efficiency which becomes a greater necessity every year as we work to reduce our energy demand and emissions.”

A specific priority of the programme is improving heating and make homes more energy efficient, with over £462,000 of budget approved to replace the oldest and most inefficient heating systems with a further £100,000 for one-off heating replacements.

This priority reflects the commitment towards improving the energy efficiency of council housing stock in line with the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH).

Progress against the current programme will be reported to the next Area Committee and Members will continue to be updated through ward business meeting updates.

• Home Fix Scotland salutes nation’s heroes

Repairs and maintenance contractor Home Fix Scotland (HFS) has been paying its own unique respects to the fallen ahead of Remembrance Sunday this weekend.

With events for the annual commemorations being scaled back across the country and residents being asked to participate in the annual two-minute silence from their doorstep, staff from Home Fix Scotland have created three displays to honour our nation’s war heroes.

As well as the colourful tributes on display along the old parade routes at Rowan Court, Regent Court and Rankin Court, environmental supervisor, Derek Robertson, has donated his own time to assemble and prepare a wreath which will be laid at the main cenotaph on Sunday with the full support of the organisation.

Staff hope it will serve as a reminder to the general public and staff of the sacrifices made by those who have served in the forces.