Building Briefs – October 12th

Clyde Gateway seeks views on new regeneration proposals

Local residents, workers and business owners are being asked for their views on new regeneration proposals in Glasgow.

Clyde Gateway will hold two public consultation events later this month to gather opinions on plans to deliver redevelopment schemes in the east end of the city and in Rutherglen.

The agency is seeking funding support through the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund 2016/17, which supports locally developed projects that involve local communities, help to support and create jobs and build sustainable communities.

Four submissions from the organisation are among 43 projects across Scotland that have made it through to Stage Two of the process.

The projects are:

The first public consultation will take place at Rutherglen Town Hall on Tuesday, 25 October and the second will occur at Bridgeton Library on Wednesday, 26 October.

Bid to transform disused Aberdeen garage into apartments

Plans have been lodged to transform a disused garage in Aberdeen into two apartments.

The owner of the site of 38-40 Merkland Lane, near Pittodrie, approached architects David Murray Associates to find out about alternative uses for the area following his retirement.

Developers claim they have taken environmental factors into consideration, with the balconies designed to gain as much direct sunlight as possible.

Developers plan 75 new flats in Dundee

Up to 75 new flats are in the pipeline for Dundee as disused buildings are being converted in a regeneration drive spurred by the waterfront development.

City architects Jon Frullani have reported a flurry of investment, and two planning applications for apartments have been lodged with the council this month.

Feasibility studies are also being carried out on around half a dozen “well-known buildings” with a view to redeveloping them.

Earlier this month, Jon Frullani sought permission on behalf of AKG Property Group to transform Club Romano, a former Italian community hub, into student apartments.

The building on West Wynd has been vacant since the club closed in June and it is hoped that it could be used to construct three two-bedroom flats.

The site lies close to Dundee University and the application notes that the apartments are likely to be popular with students.

Meanwhile, an application has been submitted for plans to convert a former chapel on Candle Lane, just a few minutes away from the waterfront, into two flats.

Contract approved for new council housing in North Berwick

The construction of 18 new houses and flats is set to begin in North Berwick after East Lothian Council approved the award of a £2.2 million contract.

Eleven 3-bedroom houses; two 2-bedroomed houses, four 2-bedroom flats and a wheelchair accessible 2-bedroom bungalow will be built at Russell Walk by Hart Builders as part of the council’s new affordable housing programme.

Preliminary works are already underway with construction expected to start on site in early 2017.

High-speed broadband promised to extra 360,000 Scottish homes and businesses

Virgin Media has announced plans to connect an additional 360,000 homes and businesses in Scotland to its fibre optic network by the end of 2019, as part of its £3 billion Project Lightning network expansion across the UK.

The firm’s network currently reaches one million premises in Scotland and the new drive will target 55,000 premises in Ayrshire (specifically Kilmarnock, Ayr, Prestwick and Irvine), 70,000 premises in Fife (specifically Dunfermline, Dalgety Bay, Rosyth and Inverkeithing), plus the villages of Kirknewton (West Lothian), Kilmacolm, Houston, Crosslee, Craigends and Bridge of Weir (Renfrewshire).

Virgin said work is already underway in Ayrshire and Fife, and will be rolled out across the country shortly.

HLF awards £1.5m towards Dean Castle restoration

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded £1.5 million towards the restoration of Dean Castle in East Ayrshire.

The total £5.2m project involves modernising the historic visitor attraction, including essential stonework restoration to the external fabric of the castle and the internal modernisation/redisplay of museum collections and exhibition areas.

The HLF funding, including £500,000 from Historic Environment Scotland, will also support a range of apprenticeship and learning programmes around the stonework restoration and collection conservation aspects of the project.

New £5m Prestwick aerostructure facility unveiled

Aerostructure supplier Spirit AeroSystems has opened a new £5 million paint and finishing centre in Prestwick.

The facility will help the company supply large aerostructures, including fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components, to both Airbus and Boeing.

In addition, the project is supported by a Scottish Enterprise Regional Selective Assistance grant of £450,000 including a £1m Scottish Enterprise Training Aid grant.

Views sought on Findochty harbour pontoon facilities

Moray Council is to host a consultation this week on plans to develop pontoon facilities at Findochty harbour.

The project is expected to cost £107,000 and additional funding is being explored from other sources, including the European Fisheries Fund.

As part of the project, local people and boat owners are being ask to comment on initial plans for the scheme. The harbours team have committed to designing the new pontoon system in partnership with harbour users and the local community.

The event will take place from 10am – 12pm at the Howf at the harbour and at the village hall on Saturday, 15 October.

East Dunbartonshire Council to display community facility plans

Plans for a new community and early years facility in East Dunbartonshire are to go on public display later this month.

The event is being held by the council for residents who are interested in seeing the design of the building. The event will take place from 3pm – 8pm at Auchinairn Primary School on Thursday, 27 October.

Designed by architect Homes Miller, original plans for the project featured a sports ground provided by Glasgow City Football Club. However, in August the club announced it was reluctantly withdrawing from the project.

As a result, the sites layout has been revised and the football club element has been removed from the building.

Plans withdrawn for temporary West Lothian road

Network Rail has withdrawn plans to build a temporary road in West Lothian.

The route would have enabled a diversion route to be built while the A71 road bridge in West Calder is upgraded as part of the Shotts Line Electrification bridge clearance scheme.

The structure must be rebuilt to create enough height for the electrification of the railway line beneath. Network Rail also needs to carry out extensive mining remediation work under the bridge abutments to ensure the ongoing integrity of the structure.

Work was scheduled to begin in January 2017, but Network Rail has been unable to secure the required access from the council to undertake the mining remediation works, meaning the project cannot keep to the programme dates outlined in the application.

In addition, residents and parents have indicated Network Rail would be better to pursue other options to repair the structure.

Plans are now in place to seek the full closure of the A71 for a 16-week period to allow bridge work to proceed.