Building Briefs – October 28th

Orkney stonemason apprentice wins national construction award

An Orkney stonemason apprentice has won the top prize at the 2016 Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) Apprentice Awards.

Sophie Turner, aged 25, employed by Orkney Islands Council was named GB and Scotland Apprentice of the Year at the ceremony which took place at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London on October 27.

The CITB Apprentice Awards celebrate the achievements of CITB apprentices, and their employers.

The winners were presented with their awards at a ceremony hosted by former England rugby star, Phil Vickery MBE.

The Inspirational Apprentice Achievement Award went to Glen Thomson from Aberdeenshire based housebuilder Scotia Homes. GB Large Employer of the Year went to Laing O’Rourke, whilst Moray based housebuilder, Tulloch of Cummingston, won Scottish SME Employer of the Year.

City Building staff raise £7,000 for Glasgow hospice

After hosting a range of charity events from bake sales to back waxes, City Building staff have raised £7,000 for the Marie Curie Hospice in Glasgow.

The funds which will pay for a day at the hospice were raised by the organisation’s employees as part of City Building’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Staff took part in tombolas, a sponsored football match, dress down days and a sponsored slimming. Some male employees also experienced the joys of their first ever back wax – all for a good cause.

In addition to providing Marie Curie with enough funds to pay for a day of operating, a number of City Building apprentices have volunteered to take part in an ongoing refurbishment project at the hospice.

Marie Curie provides care and support for people living with a terminal illness. Its Glasgow hospice, based in the Springburn area of the city, incorporates a 30-bed in-patient unit and outpatient service. It also offers day services as well as support for families and carers.

Extra maintenance for twenty-five trunk road routes

An extra £15 million to help strengthen Scotland’s trunk roads and bridges is to see repairs carried-out at more than fifty locations in this financial year.

The investment, which was announced as part of the Programme for Government, is being targeted at the sections of the network that need it most.

The additional resurfacing to address wear and tear on twenty-five routes will address potholes and to reduce the need for more expensive and disruptive major maintenance at a later date.

The A82, A90, M8 and A77 are amongst the roads where the work will be carried-out. The Kincardine Bridge will also benefit with repairs being made to the deck of the approach spans. Parapets will also be repaired on a number of smaller bridges.

Funding to create Glasgow community centre

Glasgow City Council has approved funding of £180,000 to create a community centre in the Oatlands area of the city.

The sum will be given to Oatlands Development Trust to deliver and manage the community centre, which will be located beside the B-listed St Margaret’s Church.

The new community centre will serve a community which has seen more than 700 new homes built in recent years, with this total rising to around 1400 by 2022.

As part of the Oatlands Regeneration Agreement, the developer - Avant Homes - will pay £500,000 towards the building of the community centre. The remainder of this ring-fenced sum will be used as match funding towards a future, larger, facility to be delivered once the regeneration of Oatlands is complete.

Wheatley plans £150m loan from European Investment Bank

Wheatley Group is looking to borrow £150m from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to continue its regeneration plans.

An application currently under appraisal at the EIB describes the loan as financing the retrofitting of existing social housing stock to meet Scottish and EU energy efficiency standards, the construction of new low-carbon social housing and the provision of housing and integration for refugees.

Kier delivers new building on £16m Caol campus development

Kier has delivered a new joint school building as part of a £16 million campus development in the Highlands.

The facility, which will accommodate Caol Primary School and St Columba’s RC Primary School, was handed over the council before the start of the October holidays.

The building marks the latest phase of a multi-million pound scheme to deliver a new education campus in Caol. The project has already deliverered a building comprising new accommodation for Caol Community Centre, Caol Library, Caol Youth Centre and Room 13.

Further works include the demolition of the former Caol Primary school building to make way for new car parking, school drop off and public green spaces. The overall development is due to be completed in early 2017.

Balfour Beatty delivers new £418,000 Cullen footbridge

Balfour Beatty has completed a £418,000 footbridge project in Moray.

The new steel structure over the Burn of Cullen was officially opened by Cllr Ron Shepherd on Wednesday, 26 October.

The scheme was managed by engineers in the council’s Consultancy team and involved building a new sea wall to provide protection to the access road, installing stone protection upstream of the bridge to the banks of the Cullen Burn, diverting water and electricity supplies that were attached to the old bridge and laying new tarmac/path approaches.

Other features include earthworks being undertaken by Billy Miller Ltd and using a paint system which is designed to last 20 years before needing any maintenance.

Overall, the 19.3 metre bridge replaces the previous 90-year-old structure and provides a safe route between Seatown and the golf course.

£800,000 shop refurb project completed in Perth

Work to refurbish a number of shop units in Perth is now complete.

The £800,000 project involved redeveloping eight shops at 99-119 Dunkeld Road as part of the wider regeneration project in Muirton.

Features included installing new floors, ceilings, doors, windows and electrics, which was completed in September. The Post Office and Bayne’s Bakery received partial refurbishment works as some upgrading had already been undertaken by the existing occupants.

Final details of the project, which will complement a number of new homes under construction on a adjacent site, will go before Perth & Kinross Council’s housing and health committee on November 2.

Third council approves partnership to deliver Energy from Waste facility

A partnership between Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Council was agreed this week that will see the three authorities work together on the next steps for the building an Energy from Waste facility in the city.

Aberdeen City Council voted to approve a second stage Inter-Authority Agreement on Monday and was joined by Moray Council and Aberdeenshire Council the following two days.

The agreement will see the three authorities work together on initial project and procurement development work on the £150 million facility which will help each comply with national regulations which come into force on 1 January 2021.

200 workers will be employed in the construction of the East Tullos site and work is scheduled to begin in January 2019. The facility will employ 20 people when it becomes operational in 2021.

Work underway on River Tay pontoons

Construction began this week to install the first phase of pontoons along the River Tay.

The work aims to help maximise opportunities for one of Perth’s greatest natural assets to bring new leisure and tourism activities to the area.

The project is the result of a collaborative partnership between the Tay and Earn Trust and Perth & Kinross Council, which aims to address the lack of accessible infrastructure to the river and improve the Tay as an asset for the city and wider region.

The installation of both pontoons are expected to be completed by mid-November, this will allow them to be tested before they are removed for seasonal storage.

Plans to operate a river service from Perth to Willowgate and Dundee are being developed, with further proposals on the tourism potential of the River Tay being explored as part of the Tay Cities Deal.

Cairn and ANCHO announce partnership discussions

Cairn Housing Association and ANCHO are formally exploring the establishment of a constitutional partnership which will have a total of 4200 homes under management across 22 local authorities.

The partnership proposal, which was greed by the ANCHO Board last night, would increase the financial and business resilience of the combined organisations and would put in place an important new housing group in the Scottish sector.

Cairn Housing Association operates in communities throughout Scotland and manages over 3,500 homes under management while ANCHO owns and manages 676 houses mainly in Ayrshire.

Subject to the outcome of the due diligence and approval of the detailed business case, it is anticipated that the partnership will bring considerable additional investment in improvements to ANCHO properties, including energy efficiency measures and early replacement of kitchens and bathrooms.

The partnership also offers the potential capacity for building much needed new homes in Ayrshire, a continued local service based in the community and a guarantee to ensure rents remain affordable.

There will be full consultation with ANCHO’s and Cairn’s tenants over the coming months and the proposed partnership will depend upon regulatory approval, Board approvals, lender consents and a positive outcome of a ballot of ANCHO tenants by summer next year.

Latest phase of council housing in Cellardyke welcomes new tenants

Twenty-two Fife Council homes which form the final phase of homes for rent at Silverdykes are nearing completion.

The development which is a mix of flats and houses will bring the total number on the overall development built by Muir Homes to 57.

All the houses are highly energy efficient, meeting the council’s commitment to tackle fuel poverty, and all of the bungalows and ground floor flats have features to meet the specific needs of our tenants.

Inquiry to be held on proposed 25-turbine Crossburns wind farm

A Public Local Inquiry is to be held next month over the construction of a new wind farm in Perth and Kinross.

A development application for the 25-turbine Crossburns scheme near Aberfeldy was submitted by West Coast Energy in 2014.

However, the John Muir Trust (JMT) is concerned the project will “significantly impact” on views from its property Schiehallion and wild land, as well as having a negative socio-economic impact on the tourist and visitor economy of the area.

The proposed site lies close to the existing 68-turbine Griffin and 14-turbine Calliachar wind farms, while consent already exists for the seven-turbine North Calliachar development.

The JMT said it is now finalising preparations for the inquiry, which will take place on November 15.

Scottish Water continues work on £5m Whalsay WTW plant

Scottish Water is continuing work to build a new £5 million water treatment works (WTW) plant on the Shetland Islands.

Ross-shire Engineering has delivered part of the new plant’s structure on site in Whalsay, which will a new treatment facility to supply around 1,000 people in the region.

In addition, the scheme also includes building a new pumping station next to the existing one on the banks of Loch Huxter as well as delivering a new 700-metre water main through rural land to the new plant.

The project is on schedule for the new facility to begin operations in Spring 2017.