Building Briefs - September 24th

• Aviemore hospital project reaches landmark

The Badenoch and Strathspey Community Hospital in Aviemore has been handed over and is the first new hospital to be built in the Cairngorms National Park.

It has 24-ensuite in-patient bedrooms, 12-consulting treatment rooms, and a minor injuries unit along with dental and x-ray facilities. It will also provide accommodation for the Aviemore GP practice, along with community health and social care teams.

The new hospital will also provide physiotherapy and occupational therapy services, chemotherapy, a midwife service, and a base for the Scottish Ambulance Service. It is due to open to the public at the end of September.

The public have already been given a glimpse of the new facilities with two open days at the Aviemore site last weekend.

The main contractor for both sites is Balfour Beatty, and the architects were Oberlanders and Skye-based Rural Design. Construction work continued during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown as the two hospitals were designated critical infrastructure work.

There was considerable community benefits created by the project with more than £33 million of work packages going to Scottish Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), 19 new jobs created, three graduate trainees recruited, four new apprenticeships started and 28 existing apprentices working on the two sites.

• £8m embankment works bring stability to Dumfries railway

Work is underway to upgrade drainage systems and re-profile embankments to reduce the risk of flooding and landslips on the line between Sanquhar and Dumfries.

At a number of sites along the route Network Rail, with contractor QTS, is investing £8 million this year to improve the condition of the railway cuttings at known flood sites and at locations where modelling and pro-active monitoring has indicated an increased risk from extreme rainfall.

Work includes the installation of extensive crest drainage at the top of railway embankments to channel water flowing from hillsides surrounding the railway into newly upgraded drains which will carry it away from the track and discharge it safely with no impact on surrounding land.

In addition to the crest drainage, track-side drainage has also been upgraded with capacity increased to reflect the larger volume of rain which is falling and to minimise the risk this poses to the railway infrastructure.

At points along the track, loose stone and vegetation is being removed and rock netting installed. The soil slopes above rock cuttings are also being regraded to reduce the possibility of landslips where the mud and debris would end up blocking the track.

To date, the project has utilised 7,000 tonnes of stone to regrade railway embankments which are more than 14 metres high in some sections. Around 750m of track-side drainage has been renewed and more than 500m of concrete-lined crest drainage channels have been created significantly boosting capacity and improving management of water. Over 1,000 square metres of rock-netting has also been installed.

In directly addressing increasingly frequent extreme weather events, the project seeks ways to deliver the required work in a way which minimises its carbon footprint and increases its environmental sustainability. Rock is sourced from local quarries and a concrete impregnated fabric is used to line the drainage – which is more environmentally friendly than cast-in-situ or precast concrete solutions.   

• Cruden cooks up success with Aberlady Primary School

A cookbook aimed at raising funds for Aberlady Primary School has been given the backing of Cruden Homes.

The developers, who are building a new development of three, four and five-bedroom homes at Meadowside in the village have funded the entire print run, allowing every penny raised from sales of the book to go directly to the school.

The cookbook has been put together by Aberlady Primary School’s Parent Council, who have seen many of their regular fund-raising efforts put on hold because of Covid, while the need for money to supply children with laptops and other essentials for home schooling has increased.

The book contains recipes from pupils, parents and staff as well as from local chefs and restaurants.  It is now on sale from the school and from local shops priced at £8.00. Cruden Homes will also be including a copy in the welcome pack for all new homeowners yet to move into Meadowside.

• Moray timber firm to add jobs with expansion

A Moray timber company has embarked on a £1.2 million expansion that will lead to the creation of four jobs, as well as increasing its turnover and cutting its carbon footprint.

A new sawmilling line and associated equipment will be installed in an enlarged working area at Logie Timber, near Forres.

Roof-mounted solar PV panels will also be fitted to offset some of the electricity used by the mill, which is based on Logie Estate.

A full-cycle timber business, the company carries out milling and finishing, and makes products including cladding, decking posts and beams.

It also provides professional advice on the use of various timbers and undertakes hardwood tree planting.

The expansion project, which started recently, has been given backing of up to £140,000 by development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

• New Screwfix outlet likely to create 12 jobs as planning consent secured

Building supplier Screwfix has won the go-ahead to set up in Forfar.

Angus planners approved the company’s change of use application relating to a carpet showroom on the town’s Queenswell Road.

Screwfix lodged the planning bid in July and it has now been passed under delegated powers.

But the company has yet to confirm details of when the outlet may open.

The premises continue to be occupied by Carpetright.

Screwfix currently has one other Angus outlet at Dens Road in Arbroath.

The company said it hopes to create 12 jobs at the Forfar site.

• Pacitti Jones acquires Penworth Properties for undisclosed sum

Stirling-based legal and estate agency Pacitti Jones is continuing to expand its operations throughout Scotland with the acquisition of Kilsyth-based estate agency Penworth Properties.

The news follows the recent acquisition by Pacitti Jones of law firm Alexander, Jubb & Taylor from its offices in Dennistoun, last month.

Penworth Properties was founded over 10 years ago by local businesswoman Beth Penman. Ms Penman is well known in Kilsyth for bringing a friendly and personal service to the Estate Agency market in the town and surrounding areas including Cumbernauld. When Ms Penman was looking to partner with a local firm to offer a wider variety of services, she spoke to a number of firms but ultimately decided that a merger with Pacitti Jones was the best fit for her company.

Pacitti Jones now has nine branches across Glasgow and Central Scotland and this merger will expand its operations in the Greater Glasgow region as well as growing presence in West Central Scotland.