Building Briefs – September 1st

Urban Union backs creative arts in Laurieston

The developer leading the regeneration of Glasgow’s Laurieston area is lending its backing to the Citizens Theatre and helping bring Trainspotting back to the stage.

Urban Union’s Laurieston Living development is located a stone’s throw from the much loved theatre and they have signed up to be the main sponsor of the upcoming production of Trainspotting, which aims to honour Irvine Welsh’s original book as well as Danny Boyle’s iconic film.

This partnership with the Citizens Theatre will help Urban Union open up opportunities for the young population within the Gorbals, allowing them to get up close and personal with some of the stars of the show through workshops and theatre tours.

As one of Glasgow’s eight Transformation Regeneration Areas (TRAs), great importance is placed on embedding Laurieston into the community, linking together aspects of the neighbourhood like the Gorbals and the Citizen’s Theatre and connecting Laurieston to other parts of the city.

In the first phase at the development, a total of 240 affordable homes were delivered for New Gorbals Housing Association. Laurieston Living is a £100 million revitalisation of the Gorbals area, with plans to deliver four phases over a nine-year period. The second phase has just commenced on site.

Trainspotting begins a four-week run at the Citizens Theatre on October 18, with tickets available from www.citz.co.uk.

Plans confirmed for latest stage of Irvine sporting facilities

North Ayrshire Council is expected to agree to proposals that will see indoor and outdoor 3G football pitches, cycle tracks and tennis courts developed as part of the second phase of the Quarry Road sports and enterprise hub in Irvine.

These plans complement the first phase business element of the development which is due to be complete by the end of the year.

When finished new modern office accommodation for KA Leisure and a new Business Gateway service, including an Enterprise Hub for small business development and growth, will be in place.

The council is now moving ahead with the next stage and elected members will discover details when they meet at Cabinet on Tuesday.

Included in the plans are:

The total cost of the proposals is approximately £4.82 million. While the majority of these funds already in place from sources including the Scottish Government and ERDF as well as the council, some additional funding will also be sought from SportScotland and Tennis Scotland towards the proposals.

If the phase two proposals are agreed on Tuesday, detailed design work will commence later this year with a site start in 2018.

Plans for Tullibody South Campus progress

Plans for the construction of a Tullibody South Campus, incorporating a new build of Abercromby Primary School, the nursery and a relocation and new build of St Bernadette’s RC Primary School within the grounds of Abercromby Primary School have taken a step forward this week.

Clackmannanshire Council agreed to advanced works to be undertaken with temporary accommodation being erected early this month.

Councillors agreed the outline design for the new campus building and were also informed of the appointment of hub East Central Scotland (Amber Blue) to develop a design and build project for the Tullibody South Campus as well as a Design Team.

The shared campus will include meeting rooms, a library, IT facilities and sports facilities which will be available for community use.

As part of the pre-planning application, the views of all stakeholders regarding the design and configuration for this development will be sought. In order to give the local community an opportunity to view the plans and find out more about the traffic management plans and the school travel plan there will be an information evening in Abercromby Primary School on 14th September 2017 from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.

The full planning application will be submitted later in the year and will be considered by the council’s planning committee.

If planning permission is granted then it is intended that work on site will begin in April 2018 and that the school will be ready to be occupied in August 2019.

Oban’s North Pier Pontoon officially opened

The economic value of Oban’s new North Pier Pontoons facility was clear for all to see on the day of its official opening, with the arrival of 1,000 cruise ship passengers and other maritime visitors into the town.

To music from the recently crowned Champion of Champions Oban High School Pipe Band, representatives from the local community, funders and project partners gathered together yesterday to promote the facility as a new, key attraction for national and international maritime tourism, and as a driver for the economic development of Oban and the surrounding area.

The ribbon was cut by Marley Squire and Innes Munro from Oban High School Pipe Band, Cathy MacGregor, wife of the late John MacGregor, director and driving force behind Oban Bay Marine, the local community group which invested time, money and effort into the research and development of the pontoons idea over many years and Marri Malloy, Chair of the Oban Community Council

The project was delivered through of investment of £1.5 million from Argyll and Bute Council, £300,000 Highlands & Islands Enterprise and £700,000 Scottish Government.

Taylor Wimpey West Scotland duo among first to secure Production Diploma

Two Taylor Wimpey West Scotland production staff are among the first to graduate from Taylor Wimpey’s Production Academy.

David Cunningham and Robb Walker, both aged 26, have each been awarded a Taylor Wimpey Production Diploma (TWPD), a recognised qualification made up of an enhanced National Vocation Qualification (NVQ) supplemented by key training modules.

Launched in August 2016, the Taylor Wimpey Production Academy is a structured learning and development programme, aligned to job levels and career paths, which has been specifically designed to enhance the skills of the company’s site management teams who have responsibility for managing housing developments across the UK. The programme takes between 8-12 months to complete.

The training programme aims to encourage site-based production teams to build a proud legacy based on quality and customer satisfaction. As employees progress their careers, they can re-enter the Academy at the next level and work towards enhancing their qualifications.

Taylor Wimpey teamed up with the NHBC (National House Building Council) – an accredited provider in conjunction with Edexcel – as the training provider and assessor for the enhanced NVQ.

Diack and Macaulay to begin refurb work on Aberdeenshire bridge

Contractors Diack and Macaulay are to start refurbishment work on Deeside bridge in Aberdeenshire.

The work on the A957 Durris Bridge at Crathes will begin on Monday, 11 September and will last for 14 weeks.

The bridge requires essential maintenance to ensure it continues to be safe for all road users. The structure carries the Slug Road across the River Dee.

The work includes the replacement of movement joints including alterations to the concrete bridge deck, application of a protective paint coating to the ends of the main girders, deck waterproofing repairs as well as new road and footway surfacing.

Glenrothes Energy Network Scheme plans submitted

Fife Council has put forward a full planning application for the Glenrothes Energy Network scheme.

The project aims to supply low carbon heat to a range of businesses, community, public sector and domestic customers in the centre of Glenrothes.

Glenrothes Energy Network is a partnership between Fife Council and RWE using heat from the RWE Markinch Biomass CHP plant which uses waste wood and sustainably sourced wood, with funding from Scottish Government.

The Network could contribute significantly to ambitious climate change targets, potentially reduce fuel poverty in Glenrothes households and provide cost savings for businesses.

Plans to extend nursery school in East Renfrewshire to be submitted

Plans to extend Busby Nursery in East Renfrewshire are expected to be submitted within the next few weeks.

Busby Primary School’s nursery class could be doubled in size as part of the council’s ongoing preparation for extending early years provision across the area.

The proposal would increase the number of places available to 120 from Spring 2018.

The move is part of East Renfrewshire Council’s approach to meeting the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase the free early learning and childcare provision provided by local authorities to 1140 hours by 2020.

A two-phase redevelopment approach is being put forward, which would initially see the current school car park extended and a temporary structure put in place to accommodate the additional 60 children.

The structure which would be utilised was previously used as Cart Mill Family Centre, prior to the completion of the new purpose-built facility in Clarkston.

Funding of £500,000 has been secured from the Scottish Government to carry out this phase of the expansion project at Busby Primary, which would also include improved drop-off and parking.

In phase two of the project it is being proposed that a purpose-built nursery facility is created on the grounds at Busby Primary, providing a modern early years setting for 120 children within one building.

Funding allocated to help develop Kiltarlity sports and recreational pavilion

The Highland Council has allocated £80,000 funding to help develop a new sports and recreational pavilion for Lovat Shinty Club in Kiltarlity.

A total of £10,000 has been awarded to the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust to create a non-tidal vehicle access track on the Isle of Sanday.

A total of £200,000 has also been given to Gairloch & District Heritage Company Ltd. towards the costs of developing a new community heritage hub in the former Council Roads depot. Council members gave the award as a loan guarantee in principal, dependent on Gairloch & District Heritage Company Ltd. receiving LEADER funding.