Building Briefs – September 25

A burnt-out derelict building in Kirkintilloch town centre will be demolished and replaced with 15 new homes, East Dunbartonshire Council has announced.

The authority recently bought the former Co-op premises at 85-97 Townhead, after successfully securing £200,000 from the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Regeneration Funding.

The property has been in a poor state of repair since it was damaged by fire in February 2007. However, as the building was privately owned until very recently, the council was unable to take action - other than liaising with the owner to ensure it was not a safety hazard.

Hard work by officers throughout the years finally paid off recently when an agreement was reached with the landowner to conclude the sale.

Members of the Policy and Resources Committee agreed last week that, subject to ministerial consent and planning permission for affordable housing, the building be demolished and the site given to Trust Housing Association - with the intention to create 15 new affordable one and two-bedroom flats.

The development will increase the population of those living within the town centre, a central aim of the Kirkintilloch Town Centre Masterplan.

Council issues asbestos warning over Clydebank site

West Dunbartonshire Council is warning people to stay out of the grounds of a former school in Clydebank after asbestos was discovered on the site.

The substance was found at the former St Eunan’s Primary by independent contractors who were carrying out routine investigations on the land.

The origin of the asbestos is not known but the council is investigating to identify this as a matter of urgency.

Although the site was secured following the demolition of the school in 2011, the fence has been forced open on occasions and the grounds used as a short-cut by local residents.

Following this latest discovery site security is being repaired but there is concern that some people may still attempt to gain access.

Warning signs will be erected this week telling people not to enter the site due to the presence of contaminants.

Consultation on Aberdeen affordable housing plans to begin

The first in a series of public consultations on proposals for new affordable housing developments in Aberdeen get underway this week.

Aberdeen City Council has lodged proposal of application notices for five sites across the city and is now seeking to gather public opinion on the plans.

The council has committed to delivering 2,000 affordable homes and is in the process of identifying sites for these new homes. The provision of affordable housing is identified in the council’s Strategic Infrastructure Plan as one of five key priorities required to secure the city’s continued growth and economic development.

The authority is leading on the development of 1,026 affordable homes on council-owned sites. The remainder of the 2,000 affordable homes will be delivered by private housebuilders and registered social landlords.

The new homes will provide a broad housing mix, including social rent, mid-market -rent, shared equity/low-cost home ownership, and private sale. The precise mix of house types of tenures, and the total number of homes per site, will be decided in due course.

The council plans to enter into a joint-venture development partnership to provide the homes as quickly as possible and has approved spending £3 million to finance preparatory work on the sites to ensure they are ready to be developed once the partnership is in place. The investment will be recoverable at a later date as sites are developed by the joint venture development partnership.

Proposal of application notices have been lodged for new developments at: the former Tillydrone Primary School, the former St Machar Primary School, the former Aberdon Care Home, the former Craighill Primary School and the former Smithfield Primary School.

Glasgow residents recreate multi-cultural artwork as regeneration work begins

It has had pride of place in one of Glasgow’s most diverse communities for a decade - providing a colourful focal point for residents from 17 different nations.

Now, as a major regeneration project in Lincoln Avenue in Knightswood begins, work is also underway to recreate the 10-metre tiled mosaic and give it a new home in a local community centre.

Two multi-storeys are being demolished in Lincoln Avenue by a long-reach machine. Once the work is complete, 50 new flats will be built on the site.

GHA, demolition contractors TDS and the Linkes Community Group have photographed the mosaic and will recreate it on glass to go on show at the nearby Linkes Community Centre.

One of the UK’s tallest mobile ultra-long reach machines will demolish the two multi-storey blocks at 240 and 280 Lincoln Avenue piece by piece.

The 247-tonne Liebherr 984 machine can reach 67 metres (219 feet). The machine stretches taller than 15 double-decker buses placed on top of each other.

Demolition work on the 58-metre tall blocks is expected to begin next month with the work due to be finished by late summer 2015. Around 90 per cent of the rubble will be recycled.

Bid for new 156-bedroom hotel

Proposals to build a 156 bedroom hotel in Aberdeen have taken a step forward.

The Ibis Hotel is proposed for ABZ Business Park near the airport at Dyce. Now a request has been made for approval of conditions for planning permission in principle. Included in the application is a range of requirements, related to transport, energy efficiency and bird hazard management.

The application, submitted on behalf of applicants Argyll Hotels Aberdeen, states: “The proposed hotel will be well-placed to serve demand for accommodation.”

Renovation plans for derelict Aberdeen landmark

A derelict building in Aberdeen is to be transformed into a community meeting place if plans are approved.

But in order to move forward with the project, the Tillydrone Community Development Trust needs to secure £400,000 to revive the building, which has been neglected for a number of years.

The trust has already applied to planners to bring the tower back to life.

The tower was built in the early part of the 17th century as a residency for Sir Robert Keith of Benholm.

In 1964, the building was transferred brick-by-brick from its original city-centre location to its current site to make way for a Marks and Spencer store.

Together with Historic Scotland and Aberdeen architect George Douglas, the trust has been working on a design for the new hub which will encompass a cafe, a gallery and office space.

It is hoped the renovation project will be completed and the centre open by the end of 2016.

Edinburgh exhibition celebrates 100 years of planning

An exhibition tracing 100 years of town planning in Edinburgh opened today (Tuesday 23 September) to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

The temporary exhibition, situated in the City of Edinburgh Council’s Waverley Court administrative headquarters as part of Doors Open Days, takes the visitor through ten decades of the Edinburgh skyline from 1914 to the present day.

From the father of modern town planning, Sir Patrick Geddes, to the man who designed Edinburgh’s iconic police boxes, Ebenezer James Macrae, the exhibition takes a look at the personalities who have made significant contributions to the cityscape of the Capital.

Providing a remarkable insight into the changes which have occurred in the city over the last hundred years, the exhibition presents the opportunity to learn lessons from the past. As Edinburgh adapts to the changing social and economic conditions of the future, Sir Patrick Geddes’ concept of ‘Conservative Surgery’ - keeping the best from the past whilst improving the environment of the city for the future - will remain an important consideration for planning.

As part of Doors Open Days the exhibition appears in the Urban Room of Waverley Court on East Market Street until Sunday 28 September. It will then appear in various venues across the city over the next nine months including the Council owned and managed Usher Hall and Museum of Edinburgh, as well as Waverley Station and the Scottish Storytelling Centre.