Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Scotland Construction News Archive for November 2010
30/11/2010
After years of detailed planning, the £10 million extension of Aberdeen Airport’s main runway has been given the green light. Following City Council approval and extensive local consultation, the Executive board of BAA have within the last few days confirmed the delivery plan to press on with the v
30/11/2010
Irene Oldfather MSP was on hand recently as work began on the site of a planned new business centre for Stevenston. Main contractors Maxi Construction begin work after being awarded the contract to build the centre by Irvine Bay Developments Limited. The site of the former Grange bingo hall in the
30/11/2010
Shepherd Chartered Surveyors has been instructed by property investment company Mapeley to sell an office investment in Elgin with a combined rental of £37,000 per annum for offers in excess of £500,000. Phoenix House is a 4600 sq ft modern open plan purpose-built office building at 1 Wards Road, E
30/11/2010
A workplace design firm has celebrated completing three back-to-back refurbishments. Space Solutions has undertaken the impressive £200,000 project, which saw the firm refurbishing and relocating office space for one of Edinburgh’s leading providers of housing and social care services, a top IT con
30/11/2010
Fifty new low carbon vehicles will soon join the Scottish Bus Fleet thanks to £4.4 million grant funding awarded this week to six bus operators across Scotland. Stagecoach Scotland West and East, Lothian Buses Ltd, MacEwens Coach Services, First Glasgow and COLCHRI Ltd will all benefit from the Sco
30/11/2010
Scotland is braced and ready for winter with more than 360,000 tonnes of stock and grit in depots and a further 100,000 tonnes on order, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has said. The levels of salt and grit have been increased this year following the severe winter in 2009/10. The stocks were dis
29/11/2010
Plans to upgrade Aberdeen's historic Duthie Park have been supported unanimously by city councillors. The planning applications were submitted by Aberdeen City Council as part of the proposed £5.38 million scheme to breathe new life into the popular park. Aberdeen City Council and the Heritage Lot
29/11/2010
Scottish Borders Council (SBC) is holding an exhibition on Thursday, 2 December from 3pm-9pm at the existing West Linton Primary School to give members of the community the opportunity to find out more about the revised proposal for the new Primary School. Following an earlier exhibition in April 2
29/11/2010
Pupils from two Oban primary schools are gearing up to join other members of the community next week to celebrate the upgrading of a popular path. The youngsters from St Columba’s and Rockfield primaries will be walking the path today. They will walk the 700m route between Glengallan Road and Glen
29/11/2010
A further two milestones have been reached on the M80 Stepps to Haggs upgrade project, including the opening of a footbridge which will allow pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders to cross over the new road safely. Last week the new Lindsaybeg Road Overbridge, which carries Lindsaybeg Road (B816)
29/11/2010
Flawless Flooring are independent flooring suppliers and installers who have built a reputation over the years for their meticulous attention to detail and customer satisfaction. The BWFA (British Wood Flooring Association) chose Flawless Flooring from hundreds of flooring companies across Scotland
29/11/2010
Proserv (Scotland) Ltd have launched a unique service offering preventative winter gritting and snow clearance contracts. Throughout the winter season (1st November and 31st March) they monitor the weather 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using the ‘The Met Office Open Road Forecasting Services’. Th
26/11/2010
Ken Irving has taken over as the Regional Director of BAM Construction in Scotland. Mr Irving has been with the company for 17 years and was previously a construction director overseeing major projects across the region. BAM Construction has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow and it was recently li
26/11/2010
There has been 6% increase in Scottish households in fuel poverty, according the latest housing condition survey. A total of 770,000 households (33 per cent of households) were estimated to be in fuel poverty in 2009 an increase from 618,000 households (27 per cent of households) in 2008. The major
26/11/2010
Following the publication of two key housing indicators today, home builders have repeated their call for Scottish political support to increase the flow of mortgage finance. This comes the day after industry body Homes for Scotland launched its manifesto to MSPs at the Scottish Parliament. Respon
26/11/2010
Around 140,000 households in Scotland have become more energy efficient since 2008, according to figures published today. It also shows that the average saved by households is £24 per year on fuel bills. Fifty-five per cent of households in Scotland now live in homes with an good energy rating bas
26/11/2010
St. Enoch Centre has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard after taking action on climate change and reducing its carbon emissions by more than 2% over the past three years. The Carbon Trust Standard recognises organisations for real carbon reduction. Based on a rigorous, independent assessment, i
26/11/2010
The Highland Council is informing members of the public that winter roof maintenance and repairs works will be carried out at the Northern Meeting Park affecting Ardross Street, Inverness. Works being carried out by Wyvis Roofing Ltd. for the Council will begin on Monday 29 November and are expecte
25/11/2010
Scotland continued to see a subdued mortgage market in the third quarter of 2010, broadly mirroring the whole of the UK, according to data released today by the Council of Mortgage Lender. There were 13,500 loans for house purchase (worth £1.7 billion) advanced in Scotland in the third quarter of 2
25/11/2010
There has been a three per cent drop in the number of private sector homes built in the last four quarters, official figures have confirmed. The private sector saw 9,762 starts, a three per cent reduction compared with 10,057 covering the same period the previous year. The number of council houses
25/11/2010
Two leading voices representing the Scottish construction industry joined forces yesterday (23rd Nov) to demonstrate a joint commitment to work together to promote Scotland's strategically important building sector. Scottish Building Federation Chief Executive Michael Levack was joined by Federatio
25/11/2010
Anyone who has recently lost their job in the North of Scotland's construction sector is invited to come along to Inverness College next Tuesday evening (November 30). Led by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), agencies including JobCentrePlus, Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and
25/11/2010
First Minister Alex Salmond has officially opened the new offices of wave energy developer Aquamarine Power as the company took a major step towards the commercialisation of their Oyster technology with the announcement of £11 million new investment in the company. The new funds comprise £8 million
25/11/2010
AMC Engineering Ltd, the main arm of AMC Global Group, is on track to report record turnover for its current financial year. For the six months to the end of October Aberdeen torque equipment specialists AMC Engineering Ltd have recorded a turnover in excess of £7.5million and the company is predic
24/11/2010
Hundreds of new jobs are to be created and millions of pounds pumped into the Scottish economy after Angus and Tayside Council approved plans for a £55million golf, hotel and residential property development near Broughty Ferry, Dundee. Councillors have backed local entrepreneur Mike Forbes' propos
24/11/2010
A further two milestones have been reached on the M80 Stepps to Haggs upgrade project, including the opening of a footbridge which will allow pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders to cross over the new road safely. Last week the new Lindsaybeg Road Overbridge, which carries Lindsaybeg Road (B816)
24/11/2010
Law firm HBJ Gateley Wareing is asking participants to limber up for the annual ‘Question of Sport’ style quiz when they host Sportsquest 2011 at the EICC, Edinburgh on Thursday 3rd March 2011. Quizmaster and host for the event will be Sky Sports pundit and former footballer, Alan McInally. Now in
24/11/2010
A workplace design firm has been shortlisted for a major business award. Aberdeen based commercial architect Space Solutions has been named on a four company shortlist in the Best Medium SME category at the Insider SME300 awards – which recognise the achievements of successful small and medium-size
24/11/2010
An Aberdeen-based records management and document scanning services provider is to invest £3million in the establishment of a new base in Dundee. C21 Data Services (C21) has agreed a ten-year lease for a large storage and conversion facility at Fulton Road, within the city’s Wester Gourdie Industri
24/11/2010
Work on the £640 million New South Glasgow Hospital Project is well underway in Govan and the local community is beginning to reap the rewards of this major development. One local company, Ventrac Sheet Metal Ltd has been awarded the contract to supply and fit the ventilation ducting for a new labo
23/11/2010
Proposals for a £30m transformation of Edinburgh’s Fort Kinnaird shopping park will go on display this St Andrew’s Day. Next Tuesday’s exhibition - in a temporary building in the centre of the park - will show how the vacant land, formerly occupied by the cinema and bowling alley, is likely to be d
23/11/2010
Businesses and communities in Caithness, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides look set to benefit from investment in major infrastructure projects approved by HIE. The HIE Board has approved grants totalling more than £13m to develop three major projects. In Caithness, Scrabster Harbour Trust has been aw
23/11/2010
Public views are being sought on how to define Scottish Marine Regions within the Government's Marine Act. A public consultation was launched today by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead. The designation of Scottish Marine Regions is a key element of the im
23/11/2010
Angus Council has moved onto the second phase of environmental improvements at East Greens, Forfar. The first phase involved forming a path linking the car park to the steps at Victoria Street and to the play area via a bridge over the lade. The wildlife pond surrounds were upgraded with adjacent
23/11/2010
Work has now completed on the first phase of council homes in Mintlaw – the first affordable homes to be developed in the area for 13 years. Ten homes have been developed at Pine View, Mintlaw to replace previous properties and meet affordable housing needs in the area. A further seven homes will
23/11/2010
Repairs to an historic Deeside bridge designed by renowned engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel begin this week. Balmoral Bridge will close today, November 22, for essential repairs and maintenance following water damage to its timber structure. The works involve the replacement of water damaged timbe
22/11/2010
Tribute has been paid to the Highland Council design team who won the prestigious Saltire Society Award for civil engineering design. Councillor John Laing, Chairman of TEC Services presented the trophy at the start of The Highland Council’s TEC Services Committee to the Project Design Unit based
22/11/2010
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the new £20m Clinical Research Imaging Centre at Queens Medical Research Institute Little France last week, which is a partnership between the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian. Occupying a large proportion of the ‘shell’ basement level within the e
22/11/2010
Archial, one of the country’s largest architectural practices and a member of the global Ingenium Group of companies, has given a cautious welcome to the Scottish Government’s commitment to take forward a major new pipeline of transport, education and health infrastructure projects, worth up to £2.5
22/11/2010
One of Scotland’s leading windows and conservatories company, CR Smith, is expanding its Factory Direct operation into the north of Scotland. The supply only service for self-build and trade customers has been operating across the central belt and is currently responsible for delivering over 800 un
22/11/2010
Colinton Mains Park will get a new play area for 3 to 12 year olds featuring new swings, roundabout, multi play roller coaster, slides and nets. Local teenagers will now have a place of their own to meet up and play sports. The teenage area also features a 7 meter wide goal end, incorporating a foo
22/11/2010
Angus Council has approved £343,738 in housing improvement and repair grants for the current financial year. Repairs and improvements under the Private Sector Housing Grant scheme allow home owners to make necessary adaptations to their property, or to do essential works such as window or gutter re
19/11/2010
Plans have been submitted by East Lothian Council for a new athletics track at Meadowmill, Tranent. The full plans detail a proposed new 6 lane, synthetic surface athletics track with an 8 lane straight section, a grass sports pitch for field events including javelin, hammer and discus throwing, j
19/11/2010
Balfour Beatty Engineering Services has just started work on a £3.3m contract to refurbish Meridian Court, a seven-storey office building in Glasgow. The eight-month project will see a full internal refurbishment and fit-out of the 5,865sq m building for NHS National Services Scotland to accommodat
19/11/2010
Members of The Highland Council’s Planning, Environment and Development Committee have agreed to allocate £134.4K to 19 community based path upgrading and improvement projects. The money comes from the first phase of the Highland Core Path Implementation Programme which is supported by the Council
19/11/2010
Home owners are set to benefit from two energy efficiency schemes provided by Falkirk Council. A rebate of £60 per year will be available for payers of council tax living in private homes as an incentive to make their homes more energy efficient thanks to the Council
19/11/2010
Members of The Highland Council’s Transport Environmental and Community Services Committee have agreed that the Council will write to Network Rail to press for improved safety measures at automatic open level crossings in the Highlands. The action follows an update to members on the report by the R
19/11/2010
Budget cuts will hit affordable housing supply, according to a housing and homelessness charity. In response to the Scottish Budget, Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Despite the smoke and mirrors presentation of this budget, it is clear that investment in housing supply is the big
18/11/2010
Scotland is at risk of losing out on the renewables jobs boom because of a lack of investment in skills training in the sector, according to an energy jobs recruitment firm. More than 60,000 jobs, ranging from mid and senior management to highly skilled labour, are expected to be created by 2020 as
18/11/2010
Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson today published a major report - the draft Report on Proposals and Policies (RPP) - showing how Scotland is implementing climate change strategies and is poised to take advantage of the huge economic opportunities of a low carbon society. The RPP shows that
18/11/2010
The Scottish Government is to take forward a major new pipeline of transport, education and health infrastructure projects, worth up to £2.5 billion through the Non-Profit Distributing (NPD) model. Faced with a reduction from Westminster in capital budgets for 2011-12 of a quarter, Ministers are mi
18/11/2010
The developers behind Armadale Station Community Development, SDA Ltd, have lodged a planning application for the first phase of housing at their mixed-use development, focused on the soon to be opened railway station at Armadale in West Lothian. Located on land to the west of Station Road and to t
18/11/2010
Shoppers at Marks and Spencer are once again being tempted to give in to the non-guilty pleasure of indulging in an irresistible range of Christmas-themed lunch break food. From every purchase made out of this year’s Christmas range of M&S Food-on- the-Move - in stores now - 5% will be donated to h
18/11/2010
HRH The Princess Royal took centre stage at a special event in the port of Leith yesterday as she unveiled a new monument to Scotland's seafaring heroes past, present and future. Her Royal Highness, patron of the Merchant Navy Memorial Trust Scotland (MNMTS), was joined by veterans, serving personn
17/11/2010
A detailed planning application for the redevelopment of John o’Groats, submitted by Natural Retreats and Heritage Great Britain in conjunction with renowned Edinburgh-based architects GLM, has been given the go ahead by the Highland Council. Full planning approval has been granted for the first s
17/11/2010
Argyll and Bute Council is encouraging local residents to take advantage of National Maintenance Week to prepare their homes for the winter. The initiative, which runs from Friday November 19 to Friday November 26, provides homeowners with simple, practical advice which can make a significant diffe
17/11/2010
Companies with an interest in working in the marine renewables sector are being invited to attend Scotland's largest renewable marine energy conference in Inverness next week, 24 and 25 November 2010. The free-to-attend event at the city's Drumossie Hotel is being organised by trade association Sco
17/11/2010
A 30 million-plus plan to develop a new Harris Academy are set to move forward on Monday, when the city council's education committee is asked to approve the establishment of a project board. The body would assist in the production of a design solution that would deliver a building to meet both mod
17/11/2010
A technical workshop on the proposed redevelopment of Campbeltown Marina has been hailed a great success. The event, held last week, was part of Argyll and Bute Council’s technical feasibility study into the proposal and was hosted by Hyder Consulting (UK) Ltd. The consultants presented their find
17/11/2010
Claymore Windows Ltd, specialists in manufacturing and installing P.V.C.u windows, doors, conservatories and roofline, are now able to offer more financial security as they have been accepted as accredited members of the Double Glazing and Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme (
16/11/2010
Housing associations across Scotland have the power to build new homes with much less public funding, a new study reveals. Leading experts at Heriot Watt and York universities examined the capacity of social landlords and councils to finance and build new housing stock against a range of assumption
16/11/2010
Prioritising capital spending in the Scottish Government's budget for 2011-12 could help safeguard more than 13,000 jobs in the Scottish construction sector over the next financial year, the Scottish Building Federation has said. Giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament in advance of the publicat
16/11/2010
The first ever guidance on standards in temporary accommodation is to be published by Shelter Scotland and CIH Scotland tomorrow. The aim of the guidance is to provide local authorities and other temporary accommodation providers with a benchmark to aim for in terms of the quality, location and man
16/11/2010
The Pipeline Industries Guild (PIG) has made a donation of £9000 to support a charity set up to help amputees and disabled people in Malawi and Zambia. Founder of 500 miles, Olivia Giles, accepted the cheque from PIG Scottish branch chairman, Les Dickson. The money was raised at the recent annua
16/11/2010
A water quality engineering firm has been celebrating following a glowing review of its management systems by a top industry auditor. Panton McLeod was audited by Achilles UVDB (Utilities Vendor DataBase), which revealed that its management and site processes were both significantly higher than the
16/11/2010
National law firm HBJ Gateley Wareing will hold a seminar this month on how Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) can manage and avoid complex disputes as well as looking at the alternatives to court action. Recent figures published by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman highlight the challenges fa
15/11/2010
Work to refurbish the former Kingsland Primary School in Rosetta Road in Peebles, to create a new home for Halyrude RC Primary School, officially got underway recently. Primary seven pupil Keir McDermott handed over the keys to Project Manager Gareth Dale from McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd – the contract
15/11/2010
Inverclyde Council has taken the opportunity to renovate empty commercial premises while giving trainees the chance to get invaluable on-the-job training. Vice Convener of Regeneration Councillor Ronnie Ahlfeld said: “There are two aspects to this. The first is to do everything possible to bring co
15/11/2010
Argyll and Bute Council is encouraging local residents to take advantage of National Maintenance Week to prepare their homes for the winter. The initiative, which runs from Friday November 19 to Friday November 26, provides homeowners with simple, practical advice which can make a significant diffe
15/11/2010
Plans to create a special company to develop council-owned assets and regenerate Aberdeen have been backed by councillors. The One Aberdeen city development company, which will be owned outright by the city council, will take council assets which could be but are not making any money for the city.
15/11/2010
A Borders Railway planning application which will see benefits to local residents of Falahill and A7 road users alike, has been submitted by Transport Scotland. Following detailed consultation with local residents, the new proposals - which will adjust the alignment of the new railway and the A7 a
15/11/2010
PACE teams are standing ready to help anyone affected by the job losses at Rok across the north and north east of Scotland. Support to help people back on the career ladder is available to all workers made redundant by this week's announcement by the well-known company. Partnership Action for Conti
12/11/2010
The £6 million Rubislaw Park Care Home in Aberdeen, designed by Archial, one of the country’s largest architectural practices and a member of the global Ingenium Group of companies, has won the Care Home Design Award of the Year for CrossReach at the Scottish Care National Awards 2010. One of some
12/11/2010
Highland council house tenants, who have spare accommodation, are to be offered an incentive to move to a smaller council home that better meets their needs. The Highland Council’s Housing and Social work Committee has agreed a downsizing policy to encourage and support tenants of Highland Housing
12/11/2010
Mechanical engineering company, EnerMech, has launched a new business division which will target the valve supply, testing, inspection and maintenance sector. An initial £2 million investment will include the building of an additional workshop at the Aberdeen company’s headquarters specifically de
12/11/2010
Shelter Scotland has responded to CML figures showing there were 8,900 repossessions in July-September this year. Gordon MacRae, Head of Communications and Policy, Shelter Scotland, said: “Today’s figures are no cause for celebration. While repossessions are lower than predicted, annual levels are
12/11/2010
Venture capital group Energy Ventures has invested £3.2 million in 3D seismic analysis specialists Foster Findlay Associates (ffA). ffA provides world leading 3D seismic analysis software and services to the oil and gas industry. ffA’s proven 3D visualisation and interpretation software extracts
12/11/2010
Commercial property consultants, FG Burnett, have pulled off a coup with the appointment of Stuart Orr as a director. Mr Orr was Head of Direct Investment for DTZ in Scotland and was behind a number of multi-million pound acquisitions and sales in recent years. Last month, he secured the purchas
11/11/2010
The start of a ground-breaking £10.4m road dualling scheme on the A9 was undertaken today by Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson. He literally 'broke-ground' in the traditional ceremony that marked the start of the scheme at Crubenmore on the A9 that will see the construction of a 3.2 km (approx 2
11/11/2010
Plans to reform centuries old property law by converting long lease properties into ownership got underway today as a Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament. The proposed changes, introduced through the Long Leases (Scotland) Bill, could affect 9,000 long leases in certain parts of Scotland
11/11/2010
One of Scotland’s largest construction firms, City Building, has installed a roll-packer machine at its recycling plant in Springburn, Glasgow. The Mobile-Jumbo V roll-packer, RPM7700-V, is the first model of this machine in operation in Scotland. Designed by German firm Bergmann, the roll-packer b
11/11/2010
A leading construction lawyer at national law firm, HBJ Gateley Wareing, has reminded public sector bodies of their obligations when it comes to advertising and tendering for contracts, and warned of the likelihood of increased challenges to this process and potential financial penalties. Tricia Mo
11/11/2010
Councillor David May, convener of Angus Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, visited Wellbank Village Shop on Wednesday to view work completed with a grant from Angus Council under the Rural Shops and Community Post Office Conversion grant scheme. Ms Linda Stott, owner of the shop, applied
11/11/2010
Anderson Floor Warming & Renewables are pleased to announce they are installing a Vaillant ground source heat pump at the SELECT building in Midlothian. The installation will comprise of a 200 metre deep bore hole and a Vaillant ground source heat pump serving a new domestic hot water cylinder. Th
10/11/2010
A Borders Railway planning application which will see benefits to local residents of Falahill and A7 road users alike, has been submitted by Transport Scotland. Following detailed consultation with local residents, the new proposals - which will adjust the alignment of the new railway and the A7 a
10/11/2010
Up to 750 landlords in Scotland can claim £400 off the cost of a new boiler from today. The Scottish Government boiler scrappage scheme will offer cashback to encourage private landlords to install better boilers for tenants. Installing a greener boiler will help slash average heating costs by a q
10/11/2010
One of Aberdeen's most important landmarks has succeeded in its bid for more than £500,000 of funding from the Green Townscape Heritage Initiative. The Tivoli Theatre Management Company has been rewarded a £508,700 grant award covering building repairs and reinstatement of architectural details to
10/11/2010
Approval for the Fallago Rig wind farm in the Scottish Borders, which can power 66,000 homes with green energy - more houses than the Borders, has been granted. Energy Minister Jim Mather said the 48 turbines have a generating capacity of up to 144 megawatts (MW) and will play a 'vital role in Scot
10/11/2010
Staff at Inverness airport are ‘feeling flush’ this week after being awarded a 5 star grading for the toilet facilities in the terminal. The airport has also been nominated in the National Airport Category at the annual Loo of the Year Awards 2010. This is the 2nd year of nomination for the airpor
10/11/2010
Scotland’s leading workplace design company is leading a major recycling drive which is set to save it - and dozens of other Scottish companies - tens of thousands of pounds in annual waste disposal costs. Space Solutions Operations Division which manages relocations and installations for furniture
09/11/2010
Ahead of the last full term of the Scottish Parliament before the statutory duty to end fuel poverty in 2016 must be met, the national charity Energy Action Scotland is calling for a detailed and well-resourced route map from government as to how it will be achieved. Opening a major conference in G
09/11/2010
Police are investigating a council worker linked to a £4m housing repair scam. The Edinburgh City Council employee has been suspended following claims he received money from a firm after awarding them contracts without putting the work out to tender. It is also alleged work was overcharged for and
09/11/2010
A roadshow of drop-in exhibitions about the emerging new Aberdeen Local Development Plan will visit Airyhall and Cove this week. The Proposed Plan is Aberdeen City Council's firm view on what should be included in the adopted Aberdeen Local Development Plan. There is now an opportunity for people t
09/11/2010
Representatives of Longridge community attended a special official opening of the Village Hall and primary school extension. The £1.4 million investment programme has provided new community facilities for local people and improve the facilities at the school for pupils and staff. Performing the off
09/11/2010
The Council's Planning Board gave TOTAL E&P Ltd planning permission to put up temporary accommodation to house the workers that will be coming to Shetland to construct their gas processing plant. The settlement, which will be positioned on land owned by the Council in the Sella Ness Industrial Esta
09/11/2010
North Ayrshire Council's reconstruction of the historic Tournament Bridge in Eglinton Country Park has been commended at a prestigious civil engineering ceremony. The Saltire Society, in association with the Institution of Civil Engineers, made the commendation at a recent award ceremony, recognisi
08/11/2010
North east architects and builders of the future have had their imaginations fuelled thanks to Deveron Homes. As part of their ongoing community work, Huntly-based Deveron Homes welcomed P2/3 from Boddam Primary School to their Kinmundy Heights development at Peterhead where the children were able
08/11/2010
Scotland's creativity and innovation will be on display throughout the final weekend of the greatest showcase of architecture in the world. Public arts organisation NVA has been invited by the Scottish Government, in partnership with Creative Scotland and the British Council Scotland, to curate a d
08/11/2010
Thousands of people are to get free energy saver packs to lower fuel bills. The free 'energy saving' gadgets worth nearly £50 are being offered as part as a major new drive by the Scottish Government to help households lower their fuel bills during winter. The devices will be on offer from the Sco
08/11/2010
Plans to expand Eyemouth Caravan Park are to be considered by councillors in the borders for a second time. Last month the Scottish Borders Council deferred a decision on Humberts Leisure's proposal for 46 static homes in order to examine location and improved screening. Planning officers have re
08/11/2010
Shelter Scotland are campaigning in Glasgow’s Govanhill today to raise the issue of housing and homelessness ahead of the Scottish budget and as part of its strategy to ‘Make Housing Matter’ in the run-up to next year’s national elections. Local politicians have been invited to attend and put their
08/11/2010
Building firm Rok has gone into administration. The Exeter-based firm, which employs more than 2,000 trades people, issued the statement to the London Stock Exchange at 7am this morning. The statement said: "The board of Rok plc announces that it has resolved to put the company into administratio
05/11/2010
One of Scotland's largest construction firms has won an important contract to bring Glasgow's famous Tontine Building back to its former glory. Work is about to start on the historic Merchant City landmark, which will be used as the base for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee
05/11/2010
A Rural Priorities-funded project which combines a range of farm business, environmental and educational benefits was opened by Rural Secretary Richard Lochhead today. The brainchild of farmer Allan Stevenson, the Luffness Mains project includes new energy efficient farm buildings for grading, proc
05/11/2010
Council house tenants in Dundee are being urged to make their views known on future rent levels. City council housing convener Councillor Jimmy Black said every tenant was being given the chance to take part in a two-month consultation. "The council is undertaking a substantial improvement program
05/11/2010
Future business opportunities for Aberdeen and Nagasaki were discussed when a Japanese delegation including the Mayor of Nagasaki and a senior Mitsubishi official met renewable energy experts in Aberdeen. Mayor of Nagasaki Tomihisa Taue and Kazuo Soma, head of both Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Heavy
05/11/2010
Work has started on a new £8 million primary school for Whitfield. Dundee City Council education convener Cllr Liz Fordyce will joined local authority officers and representatives of Robertson, the infrastructure, support services and construction group, to mark the beginning of the project. The s
05/11/2010
An Aberdeen-based subsea firm has been awarded a £30,000 grant to develop a specialist underwater tool. Ecosse Subsea Systems was recently awarded the grant by Scottish Enterprise to assist in the research and development of SCAR, a specialist trenching plough designed to operate from vessels of op
04/11/2010
A briefing note issued by The Highland Council indicates that 415 new houses were completed in The Highland Council area between June and September 2010. This is an improvement over the first quarter of the financial year (402) and more than the same period in 2008/9 (383) and 2009/10 (302). Pro
04/11/2010
Scotland is undergoing a major cultural change as tighter restrictions on mortgage lending force people out of home ownership and instead into European-style long-term property renting. According to the country’s leading lettings portal Citylets, an increasing number of people in Scotland are choos
04/11/2010
House prices in the three months to October were 1.2% lower than in the preceding three months, according to the Halifax. The financial services provider, part of the Lloyds Banking Group, said prices in October were 2.3% lower than at the end of 2009 on a seasonally adjusted basis (-1.2% unadjuste
04/11/2010
MSPs have passed a new law that will ditch the right to buy (RTB) for new council house and housing association tenants. The right to buy will also be abolished for all new homes built in the social sector. It is expected that up to 18,000 homes would be kept in the social rented sector over the n
04/11/2010
A road in the centre of Banff which had been closed to protect the public from a dangerous building has been reopened by Aberdeenshire Council. The listed building at 22/24 Low Street was subject to an Evacuation Notice, but remedial work has been sufficient to remove the immediate danger of collap
04/11/2010
A disused nuclear bunker, which was initially built by Kier in 1990 to house the Scottish government in the event of a Cold War attack, will be brought back to life through the generosity and expertise of Kier Scotland. The bunker is located within the community-owned ex WWII prisoner of war camp a
03/11/2010
David Mackay, Chairman of Transport Edinburgh, Lothian Buses and Tie Ltd has today made public his decision to step aside, with immediate effect, from his position as Chair of all three organisations. A report on filling the vacancies created by his departure will be brought forward to Council late
03/11/2010
The winning design has been chosen for the V&A Museum planned for Dundee's waterfront. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma led one of six proposals shortlisted in an international competition to find a design team to develop a landmark building that will house the inspiring anchor for Dundee's waterfront
03/11/2010
Lovell has been appointed to two major housing frameworks, valued at £210 million, in Scotland. Glasgow City Council has chosen the company as one of the framework contractors for the second phase of the redevelopment of the historic Maryhill Locks site. The framework, worth £75 million overall,
03/11/2010
GGR Group, the lifting solution specialist, has launched a brand new website throughout Scotland dedicated exclusively to the hiring of accredited and approved lifting equipment products and services at
03/11/2010
The average property price in Scotland rose to £163,360, the highest ever recorded and an increase of 5.8% on the same period in 2009. This is despite sales volumes being only half of what they were at their peak in 2007. These are the headline figures in the official statistics released today by
03/11/2010
One of Scotland's leading workplace design firms, Space Solutions, has announced a major re-structuring of its key Edinburgh division to increase its influence across the Central Belt. Space Solutions is expanding its team at the capital's Beaverbank Business Park as part of a wider strategy desig
02/11/2010
A Glasgow-based project manager from Kier Scotland has won a prestigious silver medal at this year’s Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Construction Manager of the Year Awards. Alex Gerrie, 28, from Scotstoun, picked up the honour in the New Build & Refurbishment category, for his work on the
02/11/2010
A £12m contract has been awarded to a Fife based firm to build substations for a major wind farm project off the north Wales coast. In a project that will safeguard 390 jobs, Burntisland Fabrications Limited (BiFab) has signed the contract with RWEnpower renewables for its £2bn Gwynt y Môr Offshore
02/11/2010
A timber bridge located within the wooded grounds of Newbattle Abbey College (Midlothian) has scooped top honours. Built and designed by Forestry Commission engineers, the 14 metre bridge links parkland to the mature woodlands that surround the college. In recognition of the bridge's innovative an
02/11/2010
Senior oil & gas executives and leading figures from the renewable energy industry will gather in Aberdeen next month for a summit to drive forward collaboration between the two sectors. First Minister Alex Salmond will announce today that Sir Ian Wood, founder and chair of the Wood Group and
02/11/2010
First Minister Alex Salmond has met with Jeff Immelt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of General Electric, in Aberdeen to discuss further potential opportunities for the company to invest in Scotland. During what was the first visit to Scotland by a GE CEO since devolution, the FM reconf
02/11/2010
The European Hotel Design Awards returns this month, again celebrating hotel design across Europe. The impressive hotels shortlisted for this year's awards come from all over Europe, including Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Sweden. This year the 'black t
01/11/2010
The Anderson Construction Project at North Deeside Road, Cults, Aberdeen, to construct a three storey retail and office development on a brownfield site, completed in November 2009, has been recognised with an Award by the city's Civic Society. The Award celebrates the traditional design and use o
01/11/2010
Twenty-four lucky children from New Cumnock Primary School swapped their desks for a digger recently when they paid a visit to Kier Construction’s award-winning Greenburn surface mine in East Ayrshire. The pupils, aged 8 and 9, were decked out in safety hats and hi-visibility vests before piling in
01/11/2010
A new state-of-the-art sports and leisure facility for Glenrothes is moving closer with the project now out to tender. Now this notice has been placed, it means companies can now formally bid for the contract to build the new leisure centre and plans can move ahead. Important access issues relatin
01/11/2010
Private householders in two Midlothian wards are being encouraged to take advantage of free or low cost home insulation as part of the Scottish Government’s Home Insulation Scheme (HIS). If you live in Loanhead, Straiton, Bilston, Roslin and Milton Bridge or Mayfield, Eskbank, Easthouses, and Cous
01/11/2010
A free 135 space car park has been created in Newton Mearns in an effort to encourage local people to leave their cars and travel into Glasgow by train. The new facility, at Patterton roundabout, which will provide parking for Patterton rail station and Dams to Darnley Country Park, was recently op
01/11/2010
A £1.4 million state-of-the-art bus station is now complete at Greenock. The station has eight new stances on Kilblain Street and another five on Nicholson Street. Councillor David Wilson, Inverclyde’s representative with SPT said he was delighted to declare the facility now open. He said: "Peopl
