Building Briefs – October 31st

East Ayrshrie is a hive of activity with the development of almost 50 new homes at three key sites.

Part of East Ayrshrie Council’s extensive town centre house building programme, nine new houses are taking shape at a £1.4 million housing development site at Ayr Road in Cumnock, a £3.28m development at Chapel Lane will provide 30 new affordable homes while a third site on Brewland Street, which is a £1.4m development, will house ten new homes.

The Cumnock development, which stands on the site of the former library and local office, will include eight two bedroom homes specially designed for older people and one two bedroom home specially designed for wheelchair users.

Designed in collaboration with the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, the new homes have been sympathetically designed to suit the local area. They will have natural slate roofs, wet dash harl, timber doors and windows, and a new stone boundary wall to the front, ensuring that they fit seamlessly into the local environment.

The homes, due for completion in December, are being built by Ashleigh Construction Ltd and supported by funding from the Scottish Government.

The development at Chapel Lane will provide eight one bedroom flats, eight two bedroom flats, five three bedroom homes, four two bedroom homes, three two bedroom homes specifically designed for older people and two specially adapted two bedroom homes for wheelchair users.

The Brewland Street site comprises five three bedroom homes, and five two bedroom houses, one of which is suitable for older ambulant disabled and one specially designed for a wheelchair user.

The houses, which are being built by CBC, are also supported by funding from the Scottish Government, and will be ready early in the summer of 2015.

Plans to alter historic building for controversial development backed

A historic Aberdeen building could be altered as part of a controversial £107m leisure and retail development.

Developer Muse has applied for permission to remove steps and relocate a stone archway at Provost Skene’s House.

Muse’s 175,000 sqft Marischal Square complex will be constructed around the 16th Century building.

Aberdeen City Council has received 92 letters of representation over the plans, which have been approved by planning officials.

Historic Scotland said it was “generally content” with the proposal, reporting: “We are satisfied that the removal of the courtyard rubble wall and steps, together with the repositioning of the archway, would not diminish Provost Skene’s House’s as an outstanding surviving example of Aberdeen’s early burgh architecture.”

The work would include the relocation of a 17th Century archway moved to Provost Skene’s House from Union Terrace Gardens in the 1930s. A 20th Century rubble wall and steps would also be removed.

The proposal will go before councillors at Aberdeen City Council’s Planning Development Management Committee on November 6.

Glasgow City Council to find nearly £30m of savings next year

Glasgow City Council has unveiled it will need to find savings to meet a spending gap of £28.9 million as the local authority published its financial forecast for the year 2015/2016.

Although the total local government budget in Scotland is the same as last year Glasgow said it will again receive a smaller percentage of the available budget, resulting in a £13.1m cut from the Scottish Government.

In addition the council said it faces inflation totalling £8.6m and unavoidable costs of £7m. The council also intends to make a contribution to reserves of £3m.

The required savings are reduced by the ongoing effect of decisions in previous years, which will save around £2m, and, although council tax will remain frozen, Glasgow City Council expects to see an increase in council tax payments of around £0.8m.

Options to meet the savings target will be brought forward between now and the setting of the council’s budget in February.

Renewable projects worth £81bn in pipeline

More than £81 billion worth of renewable energy projects are proposed by 2025, representing nearly half of all infrastructure spending in the UK, new figures reveal.

The Scottish share is £16.4bn or 20 per cent of the headline figure, but the industry in Scotland is warning sustained political support is needed to reassure the investors who can make it happen.

Barbour ABI, a specialist provider of construction intelligence services which advises the Office for National Statistics (ONS), has released new data revealing a total of 405 renewable energy projects in the pipeline. They are worth a combined total of £81bn which now account for approximately 47 per cent of proposed UK infrastructure projects.

Flats plan for former Forfar County Hotel

A property firm is seeking to transform the former County Hotel in Forfar’s town centre into six quality two and three-bedroom flats.

Developers Caledonia Properties Co Ltd have applied to Angus Council for consent to redevelop the Grade B-listed building in Castle Street, which is currently used as offices.

Their plans are to provide six flats over three floors, with the retention of an office to the rear of the first floor.

Architect for the redevelopment project is Paul Wilson of Forfar.

Sauchie improvements continue as Tillicoultry named in next phase

Work to transform Sauchie Main Street is well underway as part of Clackmannanshire Council’s £1million Village and Small Town Centre Initiative.

And as those works progress, the council is already looking at the next areas to benefits from the regeneration initiative.

Phase 1 of the project in Sauchie is almost complete with the unpopular concrete raised beds removed this week. They will be replaced with attractive, modern landscaping.

Another significant improvement has been the installation of new traffic signals at the junction of Main Street and Greygoran.

A consultation programme took place to get views from local residents and businesses on the council’s plans, and the responses have helped to shape the work that is now underway.

Works to be completed in Phase 2 of the project include refurbishing the exterior of buildings in Sauchie Main Street at the Post Office; internal close improvements to the previously rendered blocks; improving back court areas with new fences and painting as well as internal and external improvements to council owned flats in the area.

Luxury calendar to help Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Appeal

One of Scotland’s most popular artists today launches a luxury calendar to raise money to help restore Glasgow School of Art’s iconic Mackintosh building.

John Lowrie Morrison OBE, known as “Jolomo”, will donate all royalties from the deluxe limited edition 2015 Jolomo Calendar to the Mackintosh Appeal, set up after the building was badly damaged by fire in May.

John, who was a student at Glasgow School of Art from 1967-72 working in the Mackintosh Building, says he hopes the calendar will help keep the appeal in the public eye throughout 2015.

The Mackintosh Appeal, which is administered by Glasgow School of Art Development Trust with Brad Pitt and Peter Capaldi as patrons, is aiming to raise £20 million towards the restoration of the Mackintosh Building, which was badly damaged by the fire on May 23rd.

Last month, Glasgow School of Art made the first steps towards the restoration, inviting expressions of interest from architect-led teams from all over the world who would like to work on the project, and a symposium at the Venice Biennale of Architecture discussed ways forward for the iconic building.