Building Briefs – November 8th

• Barratt fundraising reaches new heights with sponsored abseil

Ten members of the team took part in the ultimate abseil experience, descending from the iconic Forth Rail Bridge, a World Heritage Site.  The team collectively raised £8000, which includes a donation of £2000 from Barratt Homes.

The sponsored abseil follows a plethora of fundraising activities organised by the housebuilder for local Edinburgh-based charity Rock Trust. The firm held a charity dinner for over 500 guests and a charity golf day.  In the past six months the firm has raised £110,000 for the organisation which aims to end homelessness for young people.

Rock Trust is an Edinburgh-based charity which works with young people between the ages of 16 - 25 who are affected by homelessness.

Its mission is to end youth homelessness in Scotland by making sure that young people have access to the services they need to avoid, survive and move on from homelessness.

• Govt grant unlocks Dunoon repair works

Repairs work is set to go ahead on three Dunoon buildings courtesy of a £847,507 grant.

Argyll and Bute Council’s Bute and Cowal area committee approved grants for repairs to properties on Argyll Street as part of the Dunoon Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS).

This will see three tenement buildings significantly repaired to safeguard the historic properties and enhance the look and feel of Dunoon’s main shopping street.

Dunoon CARS is a partnership regeneration project between Argyll and Bute Council and Historic Environment Scotland (HES). It is being delivered with a £1.5m funding package over a five-year period, and will conclude on 31 March 2022.

• Highland town centres given welcome boost

More than £2.3 million pounds of investment is set to benefit town centres across the Highlands with 30 transformational projects about to get underway to stimulate economic investment and to help towns diversify and flourish.

The Town Centre capital grant fund from the Scottish Government is targeted to encourage town and city centres to diversify and flourish, giving new purpose and creating footfall.

To reflect the council’s commitment to localism over the last few months area committees have been actively engaging with communities and involved in helping to identify and recommend ranked projects that fit in with the criteria. A Cross Party Working Group has then approved the successful projects.

They include:

Badenoch and Strathspey: Caberfeidh Horizons – Conversion of vacant property into a community hub

Caithness: Caithness Horizons – Refurbishment of Museum & Art Gallery

Isle of Skye and Raasay: Bayfield Car Park – A partnership project between The Highland Council, Portree & Braes Community Trust and the Portree Tennis and Squash club to provide enhanced parking facilities and alleviate pressure on existing infrastructure.

Lochaber: Caol Co-op car park public realm improvements – Caol Regeneration Company leading on the enhancement and improved access of this vitally important neighbourhood centre.

Nairnshire: King Street, Nairn – Regeneration of vacant town centre property into a mixed use (Nairn Citizens Advice Bureau and affordable housing) development.

Ross and Cromarty: King Street Car Park, Tain – Improvements to the main town centre car park.

Sutherland: Dornoch Community Hub – Redevelopment of vacant former police station by Dornoch Area Community Interest Company.