Building Briefs – October 29th

• Cruden delivers new council homes in Whitletts

A total of £4.5 million has been spent on the project with new cottage flats, townhouses and bungalows completely transforming the site of the former Whitletts Primary School.

Tenants have already snapped up all 26 of the modern, bright and spacious homes at the appropriately named ‘School Gardens’ development. The new properties are energy efficient and with solar panels on the roofs, it’s hoped tenants notice a significant reduction in their energy bills.

The buildings have a mix of between one and six bedrooms and have been designed with flexibility in mind, for example one-bedroom accommodation can be converted into two if required.

Cruden also provided job opportunities for those living in the area; they created a joiner placement and two additional roles on site.

Project funding came from the Scottish Government’s Housing Subsidy programme, South Ayrshire Council and from income generated from Council Tax levied on second homes.

• Housing association takes ownership of properties in Ullapool

Cairn Housing Association has taken ownership of eight properties in Ullapool.

The new ownership is part of the wider Glenfield Park development, located on the former site of the Glenfield Hotel.

The homes became available on October 24 and are suited to individuals, couples and families, with one and two-bedroom styles available.

Work commenced on the site earlier this year, funded by the Scottish Government, City Region Deal and The Highland Council and developed in conjunction by Cairn, the Highland Housing Alliance (HHA) and the council.

Six homes will be available to rent from HHA and a further 20 affordable homes will be available from The Highland Council.

The properties have been constructed by Compass Building and Construction Services, which is also selling a number of homes on the 49-unit site.

Ullapool offers a host of local amenities and plays host to several book, music and beer festivals throughout the year, as well as being a key destination on the North Coast 500.

Its location, in Scotland’s rugged west Highlands, also makes it the perfect place for outdoor enthusiasts, whilst still being well-connected to bus and train routes.

Cairn Housing Association works with the aim of making welcoming communities of affordable homes accessible to more people, making them feel reassured, supported and connected.

• Falkirk consults on future use of former nursery

Falkirk Council has launched a new public consultation on the future use of the former Kinneil Nursery site in Bo’ness.

The council survey looks at potential future uses of the site as part of its wider consultation.

Community consultation has already taken place earlier year with local councillors, the Community Council, agencies such as Historic Environment Scotland and local interest group Friends of Kinneil.

The online survey is available here and local residents are encouraged to complete the survey before the closing date of Monday 02 December.

The short survey will look at the types of potential use that the site could provide including outdoor learning and recreation; themed garden; food bank farm; community growing; bee hives and many others that have already been suggested.

• Progress being made with Earlston flooding issues

Work is underway to improve flooding issues in Earlston.

East End in the village has been flooded on a number of occasions in recent months, the latest incident occurring in early October during heavy rainfall which forced the A6105 road to close.

Officers from Scottish Borders Council (SBC) have visited the site several times and spoken to local residents, with issues with a local burn, a drainage pipe and grille being identified.

The small burn which flows under the High School junction, which then flows out of bank and onto the road, has been identified as the main issue.

Investigations showed there was a low point in the bank of the burn close to the High School road junction. As a result, temporary measures to plug this low point and vegetation clearance in the burn have been carried out. The burn will continue to be monitored prior to a formal reinstatement being carried out.

The council has also inspected and cleared the road gullies in the area and undertaken a CCTV survey of associated drainage pipes, some of which are believed to be partially blocked. Measures are being explored to address this issue.

SBC is also preparing designs to improve the local grille and will liaise with local residents in due course.

Finally, advanced diversion signs are being prepared to reduce delays for road users travelling along the A6105, which links the east and central Scottish Borders.

• North Lanarkshire Council named runner-up in national energy efficiency finals

North Lanarkshire Council’s energy efficiency team has followed its win as Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Council of the Year by coming second top in the United Kingdom in the national finals.

The council was commended for the impact it had across communities tackling fuel poverty, one of the key issues that set the team apart.

The council’s work in rolling out innovative and exciting projects, including installing insulation to reduce heating bills for tenants and residents while reducing our carbon footprint and boosting the local economy by supporting locally based suppliers and providing jobs for local people, was also recognised.

Procast, one of the council’s partners involved in delivering these projects, nominated the team for the national award following its Scottish success.

Procast also picked up first prize and was named UK winner for fabric and insulation installer and used North Lanarkshire Council’s project as an example as part of the council’s nomination.