Building Briefs – October 10th

A plan which will underpin the development of thousands of new affordable homes in South Lanarkshire is being submitted to the Scottish Government after being approved by councillors.

Members of the housing and technical resources committee approved South Lanarkshire Council’s new Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) for 2018 to 2023 after hearing details when the committee met last week.

The new SHIP is a key element of the Local Housing Strategy and sets out affordable housing development priorities which will deliver up to 2670 new affordable homes in the area.

The SHIP has been prepared taking account of the Scottish Government’s announcement earlier this year that South Lanarkshire would have access to a minimum of £76.758 million in grant funding for homes in the three years to March 2021 – a 76% increase from the figures used to prepare the previous SHIP.

The projected figures for new affordable homes include proposals by both South Lanarkshire Council and Registered Social Landlord partners.

It is anticipated that over the five year period of the SHIP new affordable housing supply will be split across the four housing market areas of South Lanarkshire Council, targeting priority areas where there is real housing pressure.

(Full story… )

Top honours for Bellway site manager

Bellway site manager George Carty scooped two major awards at the Pride in the Job Scotland Region lunch in the Hilton in Glasgow last month.

He picked up a Seal of Excellence award and took home the highest honour of the day - the coveted Regional Award Winner title in the Large Builder Category, both for a second time.

He will be one of just four site managers representing Scotland in the NHBC’s Pride in the Job Supreme Awards held in London.

However George is no stranger to the national finals – he was runner up in the UK Large Builder Category in 2015, narrowly missing out on the top title.

George, who was selected for his work at Manor Park in Carrickstone, Cumbernauld, said: “I genuinely didn’t think I would be in the running for the top UK award again, it is such an incredible honour to be chosen as the standard seems to get higher every year. I am absolutely delighted not just for me but for my fantastic colleagues on site and for the management team at Bellway who have always given me so much support and encouragement.”

New Largs Campus exceeding all expectations

The new Largs Campus, one of the highest-value projects ever undertaken by infrastructure partnership hub South West, is smashing through a range of targets as it nears completion in the spring of next year.

The state-of-the-art £44 million education facility, which is being developed on behalf of North Ayrshire Council, had its topping out ceremony last month and is on schedule for completion in March 2018.

The project includes the relocation of Largs Academy and St Mary’s Primary School plus a new additional primary school created by the amalgamation of Brisbane and Kelburn Primary Schools.

The Campus is being built on the grounds of the SportScotland Inverclyde National Centre at Burnside Road in the seaside town, allowing the 2000 pupils accommodated in the new development access to state-of-the-art sporting facilities once the school is handed over to the local authority next year.

Largs Campus is part of North Ayrshire Council’s biggest ever capital investment programme which will see improvements to the school estate worth £140 million, delivered over the next 10 years.

Over the course of construction period to date over 50 job opportunities have been created in partnership with Tier-1 Contractor Morrison Construction Ltd, with a number of graduates and apprentices also gaining valuable work and experience throughout the duration of the project.

The process so far has also seen around 2000 students from schools and colleges across the region benefit from having a landmark development on their doorstep, with numerous Educational Curriculum Events being facilitated.

Activities have included supervised site visits, a variety of careers events, STEM specific initiatives, safety presentations to coincide with health week and a number of motivational workshops to teach young people about the range of opportunities within the built-environment industry.

NHBC launches Standards 2018

Warranty and insurance provider for new homes NHBC has launched the latest edition of its technical Standards.

Coming into effect on 1 January, Standards 2018 will be the first printed edition in two years and will also have Chapter 6.11 incorporated into the printed document for the first time.

This new chapter which was first introduced 12 months ago, has set benchmark standards and provides helpful guidance for the application of render and rendering systems. The guidance covers a range of technical issues including, mix design, compatibility between render and its backing, accommodation of movement and weather conditions at the time of application.

There are a number of important updates, including the introduction of Clause 7.2.24 ‘Spandrel Panels’, under Chapter 7.2 ‘Pitched Roofs’.

3D models can also be directly accessed within Standards Plus, the freely available online version of the Standards, and be viewed on the NHBC 3D Viewer app, which hosts a library of the models to view on Android and iOS devices.

For further information please visit: http://www.nhbc.co.uk/standards-2018

Quadruple award shortlisting for Clark Contracts

Clark Contracts has been shortlisted for four business awards as a result of its investment in people development.

The construction, refurbishment, maintenance contractor is a finalist in the Skills Initiative of the Year category at the Building Magazine Awards, the Excellence in Learning and Development category at the Construction Investing in Talent awards and the Training and Development category of the Business Insider, Scotland’s Best Employer Awards. The contractor is also one of three finalists in the Employer of the Year category at this year’s Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce Annual ROCCO Business Awards.

Clark Contracts won the Training Excellence of the Year Award at the UK wide 2017 Construction News Awards in July of this year and was announced as Skills Development Scotland’s Youth Employer of the Month in May 2017.

CALA commences work on Bothwell development

CALA Homes (West) has broken ground on its newest high-end residential development – Riverside at Bothwell.

Work has now started on the creation of 24 homes – 12 detached homes and 12 apartments – in the village’s Old Bothwell Road.

Showcasing some of the largest properties that CALA has ever constructed in the West of Scotland, Riverside at Bothwell will include three uniquely designed housetypes, ranging from 2,814 sq ft to 3,800 sq ft in size.

The apartment selection will be a range of two and three bed properties ranging from 993 to 1,345 sq ft in size – and will span four storeys.

Works have started following planning approval from South Lanarkshire Council. The showhome is due to be completed by summer 2018, with completion of the development scheduled for summer 2019.

Midlothian Council opens innovative new housing development

The first tenants have moved into their new homes in an innovative housing development in Midlothian for people with a range of complex care needs.

The Midlothian Council development represents a redesign of services for people in the region with a learning disability that allows them to live independently in their own communities.

Consisting of twelve single storey properties, the new scheme at Teviot Court in Penicuik is close to the town centre and local amenities. Within each house is a bedroom, lounge, kitchen, bathroom and a patio area. The properties are all wheelchair accessible and were designed using the most up to date research and best practice in building design.

The Scottish Government contributed £552,000 funding towards the construction costs to develop these council houses.

(Full story… )

RGU architecture student wins garden design contest at Sanctuary development - VIDEO

https://youtu.be/HYL19W3SonE

The site of Aberdeen’s former HMP Craiginches will soon feature a communal garden inspired by the historic prison’s past thanks to help by Sanctuary.

Architecture student Lina Khairy’s ‘Break Free’ design topped a public poll of Torry residents, narrowly beating the creative efforts of two of her course mates.

Lina’s design includes the face of the old prison clock and granite blocks from the perimeter wall.

Housing provider Sanctuary is creating the garden as a community benefit of the 124 affordable homes it is building in partnership with the Scottish Government and Aberdeen City Council.

Sanctuary’s site contractor Robertson Construction will work with students to create Lina’s garden on the corner of Walker Road and Grampian Place.

(Full story… )

Places for People welcomes industry award shortlisting for Wester Hailes development

A new £19 million housing development in Wester Hailes has been shortlisted in the ‘Excellence in Development for Affordable Housing’ category at this year’s Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Excellence Awards.

The Places for People Scotland development constructed by Lovell comprises of 183 one, two and three bed homes. Just over a quarter are homes for affordable rent, with the rest for mid-market rent or shared equity sale.

Using high quality contemporary design, the new houses have completely transformed an area in south-west Edinburgh which had lain derelict for over 20 years. A combination of houses and apartment blocks set around attractive communal courtyards creates a strong sense of community and place where residents can meet and enjoy the outdoor space. Additionally, the development has a distinctive centralized heating system, which is not only more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, but keeps heating costs down for residents.

The CIH Scotland Excellence Awards celebrate the best of housing, the people and teams that go above and beyond in their approach to providing housing in Scotland’s communities. The Awards ceremony will take place on October 27 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

The full shortlist can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/CIHExcellenceAwards.

Image credit: Places for People Scotland

(Full story… )

Knight Property Group helps build Creative Culture in Aberdeen

Commercial property developer Knight Property Group has donated £20,000 to Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA) to support the redevelopment of one of Aberdeen’s prime entertainment venues, the Music Hall.

The vibrant, cultural group look to inspire through live performances and creative projects. By working with schools, the general community, businesses and third sector partners, they aim to encourage diversity and build partnerships within Aberdeen City Centre.

The £20,000 donated by Knight Property Group will aid the ‘A’ listed historic building to undergo a two year, multi-million transformation. Not only will the redevelopment improve the built environment, but it will increase community engagement, develop a more diverse music programme and create a new base for youth arts in the North-east.