Building Briefs – October 5th

New primary school officially opened in Portobello

Deputy First Minister John Swinney opened the latest state of the art new school in Edinburgh at a special ceremony yesterday.

St John’s RC Primary School in Portobello was opened by the cabinet secretary for education and skills along with Councillor Alison Dickie, vice convener for education, children and families at the City of Edinburgh Council.

The new building is the first primary school in Edinburgh to be built under the Scottish Government’s Schools for the Future programme and is situated on part of the former Portobello High School site. The remainder of the site and the former St John’s site will be made into a park for the local community to use.

The two-stream primary school has a flexible design with both formal and informal teaching areas for each year group and bright open spaces to maximise learning. A nursery offering 40 morning/40 afternoon places forms part of the building and nursery provision for 2-year-olds is due to open in the near future. The school also has an astroturf pitch which can be used by the local community outside school hours.

Plans withdrawn for new gas peaking plant in Markinch

Plans for a gas peaking plant in Markinch have been shelved.

Energy giant RWE had submitted a planning application to install 10 2MW gas engine generators and battery energy storage technology on the former Tullis Russell paper mill site next to RWE’s Markinch CHP biomass site.

Fife Council’s public and environmental protection team recommended refusal of the plans, citing concerns the engines could be powered at night and disturb the sleep of locals.

RWE has confirmed it has decided to withdraw the application, suggesting the company cannot make some of the technology work.

Kerse Road Bridge to reopen ahead of schedule

Stirling Council has announced that Kerse Road Bridge will reopen on October 19, ahead of schedule.

The road bridge – used by about 22,000 vehicles a day – has been shut for six months to allow Network Rail to carry out the electrification of Stirling’s railway.

Initial estimates from Network Rail suggested the bridge would have to close for a full year but Stirling Council successfully negotiated that time frame down to six months in a bid to minimise disruption.

Network Rail contractors Morgan Sindall had been working towards an October 23 re-opening – and the early finish is a welcome boost for businesses, residents and commuters.

The £8 million project – with £1m funding from Stirling Council – has been completed on budget and on time.

It will be open two-way to traffic from October 19, although heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes will initially not be allowed access to give contractors a safe working area.

The temporary pedestrian footbridge will remain in place until the New Year.

Kerse Road bridge will be closed to traffic for two successive weekends in January to allow utility works to be carried out.

High demand from homebuyers driving up selling prices

Between July and September 2018, average selling prices in east central Scotland rose by 6.2% to £250,991 compared to the same period last year, regional estate agents ESPC have said.

In Edinburgh, the average selling price rose by 7.8% to £272,241. As with last month, two-bedroom flats in Leith, the Shore and Granton saw the biggest increase in average selling prices within the capital, rising by 19.1% to £204,242. Two-bedroom flats in the nearby areas of Bellevue, Hillside and Broughton also saw a significant increase, rising by 14.7% to £283,262.

In Fife, properties in Dunfermline saw an increase of 15.8% rising to £176,182 and average selling prices increased by 14.3% to £183,188 in the wider West Fife and Kinross area. However, average selling prices in East Fife decreased by 10.4% to £223,904. This is due to a greater proportion of bigger houses sold in West Fife and Kinross compared to flats, while there has been an increased proportion of flats and a smaller proportion of larger houses sold in East Fife.

In West Lothian, there was also a significant increase of 13.6%, taking the average selling price to £214,946 compared to last year. However, this increase is less pronounced than in the July and August House Price Reports.

From July to September 2018, the number of properties coming to market increased by 4% annually. Although this is a slight dip compared to the August figure of 5%, this continued trend is a positive sign for buyers as a lack of properties coming to market has been limiting the market in recent years.

The median time to sell in east central Scotland between July and September 2018 was 20 days, which is two days slower than the same period last year. In Edinburgh, this figure was 18 days which is two days slower than last year.

Two-bedroom flats in Portobello and Joppa were the quickest to sell, with a median selling time of 12 days, which is five days faster than last year. One-bedroom flats in Leith were the property type that sold the most during this period, followed closely by two-bedroom flats in Leith and three-bedroom houses in Dunfermline.

The number of properties sold during this period decreased by 6.7% annually, but this is more of a reflection of fewer properties coming to market in recent years rather than of a lack of buyer demand.

Grampian Housing Association named Eco Hero at Northern Star Business Awards

Grampian Housing Association is celebrating its win of the Eco Hero award in the Northern Star Business Awards in recognition of initiatives to address fuel poverty.

Organised by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, the event also recognised the Association’s sustainability measures in its office to reduce impact on the environment.

The award-winning initiatives included installing external and internal wall insulation to the Association’s properties in the regeneration area of Heathryfold in Aberdeen. The properties are now some of the most energy efficient stock around resulting in a dramatic reduction of heat loss and energy bills for tenants.

As a housing association Grampian is required to meet the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) with its properties reaching a minimum energy rating of B and C. These measures had the impact of moving previously D rated properties to B rated.

The work helped to unlock £2 million funding from the Scottish Government via Aberdeen City Council so that private households struggling to heat their homes could also benefit from insulation alongside the Association’s tenants.

Solar panels were also installed on properties. A pilot project in now underway to store the excess energy generated to provide all of the household’s hot water. Using free solar energy has the added benefit of helping tenants combat rising energy prices.

Tenants also benefit from the Association’s free energy advice project which helps them to use their heating and hot water most efficiently, saving as much of their income as possible and contributing to reducing their fuel bills.

Energy efficiency measures in the Association’s office also helped to secure the win. In the first year alone, it is estimated that new LED office lighting will save Grampian in excess of £3,000, approximately £9 per day. New boilers are contributing to a reduction in gas consumption leading to further energy savings.

Other finalists in the Eco Hero category were Aberkil (pest control) and Dab Den Ltd (architects of environmentally friendly buildings).

Commendation for Greenock neighbourhood regeneration

River Clyde Homes has received a commendation at the Herald Property Awards’ Best Regeneration Project category which was sponsored by Scotland’s Towns Partnership.

The award was given as recognition for the work done over the last three years in the Broomhill area of Greenock, investing £26 million to revitalise and rebuild the community.

The Glasgow ceremony was attended by members of staff and the Board, including Jenny Speck, who lives in the area. As well as the physical changes to the area, including the introduction of a biomass district heating to help tackle fuel poverty, the environment is being improved and an active community arts programme has been critical in bringing the community together to celebrate not only its rich past, but its bright future.