Building Briefs – October 7th

A flagship leisure centre in Dumfries has begun a lengthy closure to allow major repairs to be carried out.

The DG One facility opened in May 2008 after a string of delays.

However, it has been plagued by building faults and the council-run facility is now set to undergo repairs and maintenance costing nearly £4m.

It will shut completely for four months with its swimming pool facilities closed for a further 13 months after that.

Dumfries and Galloway Council is seeking compensation from the contractors who built the complex.

It includes a claim for the costs of providing temporary sport facilities during the closure.

Gym facilities have been transferred to the town’s Loreburn Hall while a temporary swimming pool has been put up in the Ice Bowl car park.

Aberdeenshire homeowners offered advice on maintaining and repairing homes

Aberdeenshire Council is to hold a series of events giving advice to home owners and private tenants on carrying out repairs, maintenance, improvements or adaptations to their homes.

The Scheme of Assistance programme aims to adapt houses to make them suitable to meet the needs of a disabled person and encourage homeowners to repair, maintain and improve their homes.

Aberdeenshire Council can assist homeowners by visiting their home to identify and prioritise works. Officers will also help homeowners to access grants and equity loans which could help with the costs.

Angus Council holds private sector housing survey

Owner occupiers in Angus are being invited to take part in a survey to determine the condition of private housing in the county.

The survey, which is also open to those renting privately, will help Angus Council in making decisions about future housing policy and investment.

The information gathered will help improve energy efficiency and tackle fuel poverty, and advise homeowners on how to keep their homes in good repair.

New care home sets a ‘gold standard’ for Glasgow

The first of five care homes to be built as part of Glasgow City Council’s £90 million drive to transform residential and day care for older people was officially opened yesterday by Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council.

Hawthorn House, in the Possilpark area of the city, has been constructed to a high standard well above current care requirements and can provide accommodation for up to 120-people as well as hosting thirty people on a daily basis in the adjoining day care centre.

Both the home and the day care centre were designed in direct consultation with residents, service users, carers and families, which has helped to create modern facilities with considerable attention to detail.

With the opening of Hawthorn House, the council intends to set a new benchmark for residential and day care in Glasgow while also guaranteeing a long-term, publicly provided presence within the city’s care home sector.

Construction work for homes in Toryglen and Pollok is also underway. The home in Dalmarnock is complete but has to be refitted internally after being used as part of the Commonwealth Games Athlete’s Village. A further home is also to be built on the site of the former-Blawarthill Hospital in west of the city, which will ensure the council will directly provide a total of 550 care home beds once the building programme is complete.

Hawthorn House was constructed by City Building, Glasgow City Council’s wholly owned arm’s length building contractor. Work on the home started in autumn 2012. The council’s Executive Committee approved the Tomorrow’s Residential and Day Services building programme in April 2011.

£10m green gas plant will power thousands of homes

A pioneering new green gas scheme in Scotland is set to benefit farmers, homeowners and the environment.

A new £10 million anaerobic digestion plant in the Borders will inject eco-friendly gas – made from locally grown grains – directly into the national supply network.

The plant will generate enough energy to supply up to 4,000 homes, reducing reliance on non-renewable natural gas.

An annual output of three million cubic metres of bio-methane is expected from 30,000 tonnes of wheat and rye.

The project has received backing from Iona Capital, a leading investor in UK biogas schemes.

The UK currently imports more than half of its gas, a figure expected to increase to 70 per cent by 2020.