Building Briefs – September 4th

Antonine Wall project wins National Lottery support

An ambitious project to bring history to life to promote the Antonine Wall and its fascinating past has received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Rediscovering the Antonine Wall will be led by West Dunbartonshire Council in partnership with Glasgow City Council, East Dunbartonshire Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Falkirk Council and Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

It aims to engage local communities along the length of the Antonine Wall ─ a World Heritage Site since 2008 ─ to develop proposals for Roman-themed play spaces, replica stone slabs which marked distance points along the route and a community-led video tour of the Wall.

The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of the historic site, including the area of the exposed Wall rampart which lies within Goldenhill Park, Clydebank.

Development funding of £97,000 has been awarded to help West Dunbartonshire Council and its partners progress the plans to allow the group to apply for a full grant next year to implement the project.

Training, local content development and community-led events will underpin the delivery of the full three year project and ensure that what is delivered is unique to each area of the Wall and carefully curated to meet the needs of individual local communities. A Project Manager has been appointed to deliver the development phase and during 2017-18, Emma McMullen will work with communities and key stakeholders to develop the final designs and briefs for a range of products.

These will include: five new replica distance slabs (similar to that in Bridgeness, Falkirk); new interpretive play spaces that will see themed equipment merged with digital content to create exciting new learning environments; a series of arts/performance events designed and delivered by local communities; and the recruiting of a ‘21st century Legion’ to help promote the Antonine Wall in local areas.

New strategy continues South Lanarkshire Council’s commitment to new homes

South Lanarkshire Council has agreed its key housing strategy for the next five years, with one of the main priorities to deliver on the council’s commitment to build 1,000 new council homes.

The Local Housing Strategy 2017-2022 (LHS) sets out nine outcomes covering housing supply, quality and energy efficiency, supporting independent living, addressing and preventing homelessness and promoting sustainable places.

The LHS also identifies key strategic priorities and actions associated with these nine outcomes, which include the following highlights:

Urban Union gets onboard with East Coast Sailing Club

Scottish regeneration company Urban Union sponsored this year’s East Coast Sailing Festival, which is taking place at Granton Harbour from September 1-4.

The event kicked off on Friday with yachts arriving at Granton from many clubs on the Forth, before the real action took place on Saturday and Sunday, which included the Scottish Dragon Championships.

On Sunday, after an afternoon on the race courses and a meal ashore, an evening race delivered participants to Port Edgar. From there, today, the boats will take part in the celebratory Flotilla, one of the events marking the official opening of the new Queensferry Crossing by Her Majesty the Queen.

Urban Union, which is currently delivering the new Pennywell housing development, is supporting the event with an investment of £2000. As well as delivering over 700 new properties, the developer is committed to enhancing and supporting the local community.

Pennywell Living is one of Scotland’s largest housing-led regeneration projects, which is set to provide 356 social and mid-market rent homes, along with 363 new properties for private sale.

The extensive development, which is being built by Urban Union, is a result of a major investment of £42 million by the City of Edinburgh Council and includes £7.9m grant funding from the Scottish Government.

Approval given for first mosque in Western Isles

The first mosque in the Western Isles will be built on the Isle of Lewis.

A long-derelict former home in Stornoway town centre will be converted into a centre for prayer and Islamic events.

Plans to build a mosque on Lewis go back several years, but they received a boost after six Syrian families were recently resettled there.

The mosque won approval last week, on the eve of Eid ul Adha, one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar.

There were no objections to the mosque on religious grounds, but concerns were raised over parking.

The building is owned by members of the local Muslim community.

£10m proposals to elevate historic Lochaber inn

A £10 million boost could elevate one of Scotland’s oldest licensed inns into a four star destination for visitors to Lochaber.

And 40 jobs would also be created as a result of ambitious proposals to redevelop the historic Kings House hotel, built around 1755, at the junction of Glencoe and Glen Etive.

The hotel was last renovated in the 1960s, but Black Corries Estate, which took it over in 2014, developed a masterplan for the site, aimed at securing its long-term future.

As a result, Kings House was closed last year to allow the first stage of the work to go ahead, and this phase – to create a new bunkhouse with 10 rooms – has now been completed.

The new proposals – submitted to Highland Council – are for the redevelopment of the hotel itself.

Previous extensions to the property would be demolished in order to create a three storey complex with 60 bedrooms.

But the original old building would remain at the heart of the new hotel.

Bidwells property consultants are managing the project on behalf of Black Corries Estate. The architects are Aberdeen-based firm Covell Matthews and the contractors will be Douglas & Stewart.

Road resurfacing work starts in Hawick

Resurfacing work on a section of Weensland Road in Hawick got underway today.

The works are being carried out under a convoy system between 9am and 4.30pm, allowing the road to remain open.

However, the road will be closed on Sunday, 10 September, from 8am to 5pm.