Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Scotland Construction News Archive for January 2011
31/01/2011
The two consortia bidding to build a new bridge across the Forth have submitted their final proposals to Transport Scotland for consideration before the contract is awarded in April. Forthspan and Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC), representing eight of the world’s most experienced bridge-b
31/01/2011
The Highland Council has recently received the results of an independent study it commissioned to assess the impacts of Scotland’s Housing Expo which was held during the month of August 2010 at Balvonie Braes, Milton of Leys, Inverness. The full results of the study will be reported to the Council
31/01/2011
Lyle McAlpine (18), a recently recruited apprentice engineer from LifeScan visited his former secondary school last week to lend a hand to the Young Engineers and Science Club which inspired his career. Lyle's visit followed his induction as a STEM ambassador, a role which involves him sharing his
31/01/2011
A housing investment programme worth over £4.2 million for the Kirkcaldy area was approved by Councillors at a meeting of the Kirkcaldy Area Committee last week. Over the course of the next year (Apr 2011 - Mar 2012), the significant investment will be spent on upgrading roofs, windows and doors, k
31/01/2011
Poor December survey data rounded off what had already promised to be a weak final quarter for Scotland’s private sector, according to the latest Bank of Scotland PMI report. New orders and output both contracted as adverse weather dampened domestic demand. Services performance was hit particularl
31/01/2011
An Archial-Designed £1.2m affordable housing development in St Mary’s, Orkney, has won Planning Approval. Archial, one of the country’s largest architectural practices and a member of the global Ingenium Group of companies, has been granted planning approval from Orkney Islands Council for the erec
28/01/2011
A major milestone for the M80 Stepps to Haggs Project has been reached. The new Moodiesburn Bypass from Hornshill to Mollinsburn, will be opened to traffic in the week beginning 7 February 2011. This early opening to traffic is dependent on weather conditions and will be undertaken while works co
28/01/2011
Shelter Scotland are in Stornoway on today to step-up their Make Housing Matter campaign, which aims to push housing to the top of the Scottish political agenda in the run-up to this year’s national elections. Local politicians have been invited to attend and put their names to the campaign by sig
28/01/2011
Around 60,000 households will face severe hardship when UK housing benefit changes take hold in Scotland, Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil said today. In April, 55,000 households will be given nine months to either lose housing benefit or move out of their home. It will affect households
28/01/2011
The former NorDan premises in Great Western Road has reopened as Prestige The Laundry after a £50,000 plus refurbishment. Businessman Syd Birnie and husband and wife Marilyn and George Wallen have transformed the 1,076 square feet unit into a state of the art laundry using hypoallergenic detergents
28/01/2011
Ryden, on behalf of Argyll House Ltd, has let the first floor office suite at Argyll House, West Marketgait to Dundee Carers Centre. The charity, which provides support to the lives of carers, young carers and disabled people, has taken the 406 sq m (4,375 sq ft) refurbished office accommodation on
28/01/2011
MSPs have given their backing to the principles of the Reservoirs (Scotland) Bill following the Stage 1 debate in the Scottish Parliament this morning. The proposals update the legislation governing Scotland's reservoirs by offering greater protection for the public along with a reduction in red-ta
27/01/2011
Veterans who served in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders have now taken up residence in eight newly built bungalows courtesy of the charity Erskine in Renfrewshire. The ex-servicemen, George Collins and Charlie Haggerty, moved into two semi-detached bungalows built on behalf of the charity by Mac
27/01/2011
The Scottish Government has decided to proceed with the scheme to dual the A90 between Balmedie and Tipperty. Transport Minister Keith Brown today gave the go ahead for the upgrade after considering the findings and recommendations of the public local inquiry. The improvements will provide continu
27/01/2011
Major refurbishment works at the Signal Tower Museum in Arbroath are now complete. The keys of the building were handed back to Angus Council’s Neighbourhood Services department by the contractor Muirfield Contracts Ltd following the completion of their part of the £425,000 refurbishment. The coun
27/01/2011
Budding young engineers from 29 schools in Scotland are set to take up the task of researching, designing and building solutions to real engineering problems. Five Faraday engineering challenge days will take place week commencing Monday 31 January 2011. The events are part of 45 Faraday engineerin
27/01/2011
An Aberdeen hairdresser has undergone a major £200,000 refurbishment to help its already well-established salon cope with an increase in demand. Ispiro Estetica Hair and Beauty in the city’s Schoolhill has appointed eight new staff over the last twelve months, including five stylists. The dramati
27/01/2011
Work is nearing completion on a six figure pioneering underwater tool which is to be exhibited at next month’s Subsea 2011 event in Aberdeen. After five years of development and investment of £500,000, Ecosse Subsea Systems’ SCAR specialist trenching plough is generating considerable interest from
26/01/2011
Glasgow is set to become home to the world’s first floating leisure village, in a decision announced by Scottish Enterprise. Floating Concepts Limited, based near Manchester, has been chosen as the preferred bidder to develop the former Canting Basin docks a mile from Glasgow city-centre on the sou
26/01/2011
Council house tenants in Dundee have helped shape rent levels for next year. A two-month consultation with all tenants in the city was undertaken at the end of last year and a report to the city council's housing, Dundee Contract Services and environment service committee on Monday proposes an incr
26/01/2011
Energy regulator Ofgem has announced a £95 million investment package over the next two years to increase the capacity of Scotland's power networks. This is the next stage in funding the major programme of extra investment in the period to 2020 being developed by the transmission companies to help
26/01/2011
His Royal Highness the Duke of York has formally opened the University of Strathclyde’s multi-million pound Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) during a visit to Scotland. The world-class research centre pioneers forming and forging techniques to support manufacturing for the aerospace, energy,
26/01/2011
Land Securities has today announced that it has bought Overgate shopping centre, Dundee, Scotland from the Lend Lease Overgate Partnership for £141 million representing a yield of close to 6.9%. The 420,000 sq ft Overgate, which opened in 2000, is the dominant retail offer in Dundee, Scotland’s fou
26/01/2011
A new centre for Offshore Wind Technology could create 130 jobs in Glasgow with Dundee in the frame for manufacturing and logistics investment. The Spanish company Gamesa plans to establish a research base for offshore wind technology in Glasgow, the proposals could create 130 engineering jobs. Th
25/01/2011
Finance Secretary John Swinney today welcomed the rapid growth of a global technology firm's Scottish operations. Mr Swinney opened Dialog Semiconductor's new city centre premises in Edinburgh, marking the firm's expansion - supported by a £1.3 million Scottish Enterprise grant - from four employee
25/01/2011
The Crown Estate has welcomed the Scottish Government’s consultation on how communities around Scotland might drive long term benefits from the investment in offshore renewable energy projects. They have also acknowledged the positive comments on the close working relationship between the Scottish
25/01/2011
The economic downturn saw more than 90% of construction firms in the north and north-east of Scotland affected by bank funding shortfalls according to a new survey – with a fifth of businesses having submitted unprofitable tenders just to win work in the past 18 months. More than 65% of companies
25/01/2011
Energy Minister Charles Hendry today gave the go-ahead for Scottish Power to construct a new 1,000 megawatt gas-fired power station near Hoo St Werburgh in Kent, adjacent to the existing Damhead Creek 800 MW gas-fired power station. Charles Hendry said: "This power plant will play a vital role in p
25/01/2011
Commercial property firm Ryden has let a prime retail unit on Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street to Poundland. Poundland, Europe’s largest single price discount retailer, was last year snapped up by private equity group Warburg Pincus. Since then, Poundland has opened several new stores in a major expans
25/01/2011
CALA Homes in Aberdeen has bucked the January trend, reporting sales worth £2 million in just three weeks. Seven properties have been taken off the market so far this month, boosting CALA’s already successful Campus development in Aberdeen’s Hilton area. CALA Homes North Regional Director, Mike Na
24/01/2011
The demolition of Croft House will pave the way for the development of Phase 3 of Aberdeen City Council's New Build Housing programme due to commence in March this year. The Oldcroft Place site will be developed as a Homezone scheme with a courtyard layout to encourage social interaction and create
24/01/2011
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited has announced Graham Construction as its preferred bidder for the design and build of a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility, which was chosen after a competitive tendering exercise from a short-list of five companies. Subject to NDA approval and completio
24/01/2011
Ardrossan residents and businesses turned out in force recently to find out more about plans to extend the town’s marina. More than 70 people turned up to an event at the Michael Lynch Centre held by Irvine Bay Regeneration Company, which is currently preparing a planning application for an extensi
24/01/2011
The project to redevelop the Highlanders' Museum has received a major boost by an award of £200,000 by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). This comes hot on the heels of an award of £924,000 by the European Regional Development Fund earlier this month. The Museum is housed within Fort George,
24/01/2011
A compulsory scheme to safeguard rent deposits in Scotland moved a step closer today, Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil announced. Regulations governing the approval of a national Tenancy Deposit Scheme were laid in the Scottish Parliament. The regulations are expected to become law in Mar
24/01/2011
An early trial of an innovative way to tackle extreme temperatures on Scotland's roads has provided favourable results, Transport Minister Keith Brown said today. A liquid solution was recently successfully tested on hard-packed snow and ice on a Huntly road in Aberdeenshire. It will provide a new
21/01/2011
Legal authority to build the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC) has been given following Royal Assent for the necessary legislation to build the scheme. Royal Assent will see the Forth Crossing Bill, approved by the Scottish Parliament on 15 December, come into force as the Forth Crossing Act and of
21/01/2011
The Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Scotland Bill has been backed by Parliament, harmonising the existing legislation protecting our historic buildings and monuments. In addition to the introduction of certificates for immunity from listing during a development, the Bill will also: int
21/01/2011
Employees at one of Scotland’s largest construction companies, City Building, had a busy Christmas after they received an unusually high number of emergency call-outs during the festive season. Glasgow City Council’s arm’s-length construction company, City Building – which operates repairs and mai
21/01/2011
A multi million scheme to upgrade the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh took a significant step forward today with the laying of Affirmative Orders in the Scottish Parliament. The A8 Baillieston to Newhouse scheme is set to bring real benefits to motorists, businesses and employers by improving jour
21/01/2011
Angus Council has announced its first commercial lease of 2011. The authority has just concluded a new lease at Montrose Business Centre, Broomfield Industrial Estate. Biarchi Safety Ltd has moved into Unit 11, giving them a new base to operate from. The centre is the business' headquarters, and i
21/01/2011
A Dutch Church of Scotland minister has been appointed to one of Britain's most prominent chaplaincy posts. The Reverend Martin Grashoff, minister at Kilcalmonell, Killean and Kilchenzie churches in Kintyre, will take over as chaplain to the UK Oil and Gas Industry on the 1st March 2011. His prede
20/01/2011
Commenting on the GDP figures for Scotland for the third quarter of 2010, published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician, Scottish Building Federation Chief Executive Michael Levack has warned that the growth in output witnessed for the construction sector during that period is likely to represent a ‘h
20/01/2011
A planned £5 million initiative will support Scotland's house builders and help first time buyers trying to get on the property ladder, Housing Minister Alex Neil revealed today. The scheme, backed by £2.5 million from the Scottish Government, was trialled in 2010 to assist around 100 people on low
20/01/2011
A new mixed-use development will be created on the Auchincruive Estate near Ayr, following planning permission in principle by South Ayrshire Council. The centre will include of up to 495 homes, an 18-hole golf course, proposed hotel/wedding/conference centre; and equestrian centre. The 600-acre
20/01/2011
Scottish Water is to make major improvements to the water infrastructure on Mull to allow for growth on the island and provide security of supply. The company has confirmed that it will invest several million pounds to upgrade its infrastructure in the Tobermory, Craignure and Salen areas. For sev
20/01/2011
Members of Angus Council’s Infrastructure Services committee have pledged £365,000 to boost flood protection in Carnoustie. At a meeting on Tuesday 18 January, the committee received an update on the investigations and remedial works carried out by the council as part of the Barry Burn Flood Preven
20/01/2011
A work and skills centre aimed at helping those affected by redundancies at RAF Kinloss is to be set up at the base site by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on behalf of the Moray Taskforce. The centre, is backed by a partnership of SDS, the Highland Employer Coalition, Jobcentre Plus, the Kinloss
19/01/2011
ISG has secured a coveted contract to transform the iconic Grade B listed Hamilton Hall, which overlooks the 18th green of the Old Course in St Andrews. The ‘Hamilton Grand’ project for Golf Resort International Ltd, part of US-based Kohler Co., will see ISG reconfigure the interior floor space of
19/01/2011
Aberdeen City Council's new build programme reached an important milestone with the topping out ceremony at Rorie Hall, Cults, on Friday. The council's commitment to a new build council housing programme will provide inspirational 21st century housing which is high quality, sustainable, energy effi
19/01/2011
Works are due to begin on a project to up-grade Am Pollan Park in Ullapool next week. A Community Consultation, held in September 2009 by The Highland Council’s Planning and Development Service, identified the project as a priority for up-grading as part of the Council’s capital programme for envir
19/01/2011
Enterprise Minister Jim Mather has marked the start of construction on a new project supported by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) and Scottish Government. Yesterday the Enterprise Minister was joined by representatives of SFT and the City of Edinburgh Council for a ground-breaking ceremony at Rann
19/01/2011
A state-of-the-art demonstration and research facility powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology has been officially opened by First Minister Alex Salmond. He visited the £4.7 million facility in Methil, Fife, on Tuesday. The Hydrogen Office, which forms part of Fife's flagship Energy Park, is expe
19/01/2011
A group of unemployed young men have turned a derelict house into a home and transformed their lives at the same time. After months on the dole, they were given jobs by Kibble Construction Ltd. - a new social enterprise company set up by Kibble Education and Care Centre, in Paisley. And after six m
18/01/2011
A hydro scheme that can power 2,500 homes in Sutherland has been approved by Ministers. The 4.5 Megawatt (MW) scheme on the Maldie Burn, near Kylestrome, will create around 25 jobs during construction, with income from scheme providing increased security for employment of the estate employees. Ene
18/01/2011
The Insulated Render and Cladding Association (INCA) has launched a Specialist Apprenticeship Programme in external wall insulation (EWI), offering for the first time a recognised training programme for new entrants to the industry. The new 2-year programme, which has been developed in conjunction
18/01/2011
Amazon is to develop a new 1,000,000 sq ft distribution facility in Dunfermline, creating approximately 700 new jobs. Councillor Tony Martin, Strategic Chair of Fife Council’s Environment Enterprise & Transportation Committee: “This is the largest inward investment project in Fife for over a decade
18/01/2011
Award winning Building services company, SES, is pleased to announce the appointment of Grant Taylor as the Divisional Commercial Director for its new Scottish Division. Grant, who joined SES on 5th January 2011, will report directly to Divisional Director for Scotland – Colin Walker, and will be b
18/01/2011
Historic Scotland’s recreation of a lost Renaissance masterpiece has been welcomed by Fiona Hyslop, Minister for Culture and External Affairs. Back in the 1540s the ceiling of the King’s Inner Hall, in the royal palace of James V at Stirling Castle, was decorated with magnificent oak carvings showi
18/01/2011
Dumfries and Galloway Council is about to begin a review of the Windfarm Community Benefit Framework it put in place in 2005. This framework maximises the financial benefits to communities close to windfarms (through their community councils) and to the region as a whole. The current framework prop
17/01/2011
Government Minister Alex Neil visited a new council house development in East Lothian recently. Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil was welcomed to the new Brunt Place and James Court development of East Lothian Council homes in Dunbar on Wednesday by Councillor Stuart Currie, Cabinet Member
17/01/2011
Angus Council is to make it easier for residents in private housing estates to transfer the upkeep of open spaces to the council, following a decision by the Neighbourhood Services committee yesterday, Thursday 13 January. Currently, developers are able to transfer open spaces on housing estates to
17/01/2011
Mansell is pleased to announce the appointment of Dan Greenspan to the position of Finance Director. Dan will be based at Mansell’s Croydon head office; from there he will lead the company’s financial strategy. Dan is a qualified Chartered Accountant, having started his career on a scholarship p
17/01/2011
The North East is taking the necessary steps to deal with the rest of winter, Transport Minister Keith Brown said as further salt deliveries were expected in the region this week. Around 4,000 tonnes of salt have been delivered to Balmedie this week with further deliveries of around 8000 tonnes due
17/01/2011
Commercial property specialist, FG Burnett Ltd, has appointed surveyor Moira McCulloch to its Commercial Valuation and Ratings team in Aberdeen. Formerly with DTZ in Edinburgh, Moira is accredited with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and holds a masters degree in property from the Uni
17/01/2011
A multi-million pound plan which will see Kier Scotland modernising three primary schools in South Lanarkshire has been given final approval, with work to begin on the first two schools in the next few weeks. The £25m programme will see the replacement of Hunter Primary in East Kilbride, Cairns Pri
14/01/2011
Scotland is experiencing a sharp rise in council house building with over 700 new homes planned nationwide by the end of March 2011, Housing and Communities Alex Neil said today. Ministers have allocated almost £80 million to help 23 local authorities kick start building projects over three years t
14/01/2011
Dundee City Council's trading standards chiefs are warning householders, whose homes may have been damaged by the recent snow and ice, to be wary of cowboy builders. As the weather improves consumer protection staff have told people to be on their guard when dealing with anyone who turns up on the
14/01/2011
Local MSPs will attend the next meeting of Stirling Council's Beauly to Denny Powerline Steering Group, to hear the concerns of the Group about Scottish Power Transmissions Ltd's (SPT) Visual Impact Mitigation Scheme proposals for the Stirling area. They will ask for their support in conveying thes
14/01/2011
Councils are to share an extra £15 million - three times last year's level - to cover the impact of the big freeze on Scotland's roads. The Scottish Government will make the money available to deal with urgent repairs on local roads and cover the extra costs of winter roads maintenance. Finance Se
14/01/2011
Council house rents in the Highlands are set to be contained to 3% in 2011-12, 1.7% below the rate of inflation. The Highland Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee recommended that the average council house rent should increase from £64.15 per week to £66.07 (over 48 weekly charges) – an aver
14/01/2011
The organisation responsible for representing employers on skills issues has today, published its manifesto for the Scottish elections in May, and urged Scotland’s political parties to put skills and the delivery of a skilled workforce at the heart of their manifesto policy commitments. The Allianc
13/01/2011
Football fans in Dundee are being given the chance to give extra support to their teams thanks to a unique sponsorship package on offer at a city law firm. Warners has made an offer to supporters who are buying or selling a property in Dundee to nominate their favourite of the city's two major foot
13/01/2011
Scotland is a key region for offshore renewables potential according to the European Commission. A report published today by the European grid co-ordinator Georg Adamowitsch recognises Scotland's North Sea renewables resource and highlights Scotland's action as 'a fine example' of how to utilise d
13/01/2011
The last contract in a series of major road maintenance schemes that have seen the A76 upgraded at New Cumnock and Mauchline has been awarded by Transport Minister Keith Brown. The £675,000 scheme, which has been awarded to Mackenzie Construction, will see the reconstruction of 500 metres of carria
13/01/2011
Mott MacDonald has been appointed as consultants by Scottish Water to provide flood risk assessments of 292 of the water company’s assets at sites across mainland Scotland and its surrounding islands. The assessments are part of a strategy by Scottish Water to understand the risk of flooding to its
13/01/2011
Mechanical engineering group, EnerMech, has invested £20 million ($31.5M) in a new Process, Pipeline and Umbilical Services division and appointed one of the industries leading pipeline experts to head up the unit. Les Graves joins the EnerMech board as director and brings with him more than 30 ye
13/01/2011
Findon-based AMC Engineering Ltd is ending the year on a high note after securing another industry certification. The international torque equipment specialists have been awarded the OSHAS18001 certification, an internationally recognised assessment specification for occupational health and safety
12/01/2011
Argyll and Bute Council has agreed to suspend consultation on its proposals to reduce the size of its school estate through a programme of mergers and revisit its review of the primary school estate. The decision has been taken following the Scottish Government’s announcement that Argyll and Bute’s
12/01/2011
Funding has been committed that will enable the V&A at Dundee project to get under way in 2011. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma will be appointed to head up the V&A's design team, as a result of funding of almost £5 million from the Scottish Government over the next two years. The Government's finan
12/01/2011
Minister for Housing and Communities Alex Neil has announced the appointment of six new members to the Private Rented Housing Panel, four legally qualified Chairpersons and two Surveyor members These appointments will be for five years and will run from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2016. The fo
12/01/2011
The Scottish Government will continue to work with Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to reform electricity markets and secure Scotland's low carbon future, John Swinney said today. Finance Secretary John Swinney and Energy Minister Jim Mather this morning met Secretary of State for Ene
12/01/2011
Dumfries and Galloway Council has received the award for Parks, open spaces and horticultural services 'Most Improved Performer' at the APSE performance networks awards. Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati found local councils were streets ahead on performance when councils from across the UK b
12/01/2011
Saturday 22nd January will see traders, face-painters and others head for the town and its highly-praised revamped town centre. The first event took place in late October last year, when the town centre enjoyed a bumper day. Irvine Bay Regeneration Company, who worked hard with Ayrshire Farmers’
11/01/2011
New Road Orders enabling improvements to the M74 Raith Junction and the widening of key sections of the M8, M73 and M74 were published today. Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "The publication of the Road Orders for the Raith and M8, M73, M74 Network Improvements schemes is a major step forward
11/01/2011
House prices in East Central Scotland fell in most areas during the last three months of 2010. In Edinburgh the average house price stood at £213,685 – down 2% from £218,043 in the fourth quarter of 2009. The average price of a one-bedroom flat in Gorgie and Dalry dipped below £100,000 for the fir
11/01/2011
Excavations for the new Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo stands on Castle Esplanade have unearthed remains of the historic boundary which once separated the town from the Castle. The old boundary wall was revealed by the team from CFA Archaeology who will now look at the surrounding areas to get a c
11/01/2011
Ivanhoe Cambridge has awarded Sutton Group FM the mechanical and engineering contract for Glasgow’s St. Enoch Centre. The contract commenced on January 1st 2011 with the facilities management firm providing specialist maintenance to one of the city’s leading shopping destinations. A team of three
11/01/2011
Finance Secretary John Swinney has welcomed a deal aimed at enhancing the long term profitability of the Grangemouth oil refinery and securing more than 2,000 Scottish jobs. Operators INEOS have confirmed details of a Joint Venture with PetroChina which will see investment in its refineries in Scot
11/01/2011
The A. Proctor Group recently donated four rolls of their high specification, pitched roof underlay, Roofshield to an Eco Barn project for Burton Roofing Merchants. Jennifer Horsley, a director of the company, embarked upon a self build which incorporated many innovative products. The original farm
11/01/2011
Community-minded Port Glasgow students attended a national conference in London with support from Lovell which is building a major housing regeneration scheme locally. The company's £1,000 donation enabled 19 students from Port Glasgow High School and St Stephen's High School to go to the event org
10/01/2011
Proposals for a £30 million transformation of Edinburgh’s Fort Kinnaird shopping park will go on display next week. The exhibition on Tuesday, January 11 will take place from 10am to 7pm in a temporary building in the centre of the park. It will show how vacant land formerly occupied by the cinema
10/01/2011
With 99.8 per cent of 2,140 schools due to open yesterday having done so, Ochiltree and Fintry Primary Schools have Scottish Water to thank for being able to follow suit. Following the replacement of a frozen and ruptured water meter at Ochiltree Primary first thing yesterday, Scottish Water have t
10/01/2011
Members of The Highland Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee will be asked on Wednesday 12 January to go ahead with a major refurbishment of Invernevis Home, Fort William. It is recommended that the Committee invest £1.7 million over the next five years to upgrade the two-storey building and
10/01/2011
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has established an independent Commission to examine how communities can shape and manage their neighbourhoods in light of localism and the Big Society, and would like to hear evidence from those with expertise in the field. The Land and Society C
10/01/2011
CITB-ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for the construction industry, has warned that unless the Energy Bill adequately addresses the skills required by SME construction firms, the Government’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions will be seriously undermined.
10/01/2011
As the return to work and school continues, a multi-agency response team stands ready to help keep the vast majority of Scots on the move this morning. The team, based in Traffic Scotland's control centre in Glasgow, was activated on Sunday evening in response to weather forecasts for snow and wide
07/01/2011
A construction firm has beaten the snow to open a new Sainsbury's store in time for Christmas. Kier Scotland made "a magnificent effort" to achieve the opening of a new Sainsbury's store in Livingston, according to Sainsbury's Head of Delivery Richard Rust. In just five days a team of ten laboure
07/01/2011
Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) staff have been praised by Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil after working round the clock to keep disruption to tenants to a minimum during the Arctic weather. Staff at GHA’s Customer Service Centre (CSC), which is open 24 hours a day, every day of the ye
07/01/2011
Aberdeenshire Council has been informed that its Scottish Government grant settlement for 2011/12 is to be reduced by a further £511,000 due to an error in the complex calculation formula. Revised settlement figures have been issued to local authorities after errors were discovered. These include
07/01/2011
SilverDoor, a serviced apartment agent, has announced the launch of their iPhone application. The industry’s first application is available to download for free from the iTunes store. The “SilverDoor Serviced Apartment Search” application is designed to search for a serviced apartment wherever yo
07/01/2011
A refreshing redesign at Sizzlers Steakhouse & Ocean Grill has added an extra fizzle to Merchant Square in the heart of the Merchant City, Glasgow’s cultural, fashion and food quarter. Glasgow’s original steakhouse for steaks served the way they should be – big and juicy, prime-cut, char-grilled an
07/01/2011
The Scottish Government's innovative and popular Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) has been extended and as of this week is open to applications for the 2011/2012 round. Already the CCF scheme has invested £27.4 million in 331 community projects between in 2008 and 2011 helping reduce carbon emissions b
06/01/2011
The regeneration of Dundee's Hilltown will take another step forward with a housing development on a prominent site in the area. A report to the city council's housing, Dundee Contract Services and environment services committee on Monday recommends an agreement with Hillcrest Housing Association t
06/01/2011
Plans by the City of Edinburgh Council to kick start the affordable housing market in the Capital have moved a step closer. Up to 600 much-needed affordable homes could be built after eight developers were chosen to put forward detailed plans to join the Council in the National Housing Trust (NHT)
06/01/2011
Galliford Try, the housebuilding and construction group, has announced that its Scottish construction business, Morrison Construction, has been selected as preferred bidder for the Orkney Islands Council's £57 million Schools Investment Programme. The project which is being funded with support from
06/01/2011
Mansell has won a £3.3 million contract to extend Heathfield Primary School in Ayr for South Ayrshire Council. The works involve construction of a steel frame extension to house a gym hall, classrooms, dining hall and kitchen. A car park and access roads will also be constructed. The contract
06/01/2011
Shepherd, one of the largest independent firms of chartered surveyors in the UK, has promoted surveyors John Mackie and Steven Ferguson to associate level. The promotions, made with immediate effect, see building surveyor John Mackie become an associate in Shepherd’s Aberdeen office, overseeing the
06/01/2011
For the seventh time TROLLULL/Oscar Weil will be exhibiting at the TotallyDIY Show. TROLLULL/Oscar Weil has been a manufacturer of steel wool products for more than 100 years. The history of the company is marked by a long series of new products that have shaped the steel wool market. Due to unsu
05/01/2011
Ayr-based ARPL Architects Ltd have triumphed in the Annual Roses Design Awards for 2010. Given to recognise the best design projects in architecture and design in the UK, the Roses Awards are one of the most prestigious design awards in the country. The Architects were given the highest award in th
05/01/2011
Work is set to begin within weeks on the £9.3m refurbishment of one of Edinburgh's best loved historic buildings after councillors voted to appoint a contractor. The Assembly Rooms in George Street will undergo a comprehensive revamp of its main events spaces, including the Ballroom and Music Hall.
05/01/2011
Scottish construction firms are adding momentum to a UK-wide drive to slash waste which recently celebrated its 500th member business. The Halving Waste to Landfill commitment – an industry-wide voluntary agreement which is backed by Zero Waste Scotland – has attracted over 500 signatories since l
05/01/2011
Scotland’s leading independent property consultancy CKD Galbraith has outlined its thoughts on the residential Home Report two years on since its inception, and how it has encouraged a degree of stability in the market place. The system of producing a Home Report for the sale of residential propert
05/01/2011
Shepherd Chartered Surveyors, one of the largest independent firms of chartered surveyors in the UK, has launched an exclusive deferred payment option for Home Reports. The only deferred payment option currently available to Scottish sellers, Shepherd’s product launch follows the recent withdrawal
05/01/2011
Approval has been given to a new wind farm capable of powering double the number of homes there are in Inverness has been approved. The 33-turbine, 99-Megawatt Dunmaglass wind farm 20 miles south of Inverness will, based on average annual output, supply enough electricity for 46,000 houses and prov
04/01/2011
A hydro scheme in Argyll and Bute that can power around 1,000 homes has been approved by the Scottish Government. The 1.7 Megawatt (MW) scheme at Ederline, south of Loch Awe, will create around seven jobs during construction. Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney said:
04/01/2011
A groundbreaking new guide to help construction professionals keep control of timescales on complex projects has been published by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and Wiley Blackwell. The ‘Guide to Good Practice in the Management of Time in Complex Projects' authored by an international
04/01/2011
Finance Secretary John Swinney has hailed Scottish Water for its impressive demonstration of responsiveness in helping householders and businesses with burst pipes. As Scottish Water is a publicly-owned utility it has been able to provide additional assistance to people without water as a result of
04/01/2011
Scotland generated 27.4% of electricity demand from renewables in 2009. Responding to the publication of government statistics on renewable energy generation, Jenny Hogan, Scottish Renewables Director of Policy, said: “Scotland’s renewables industry has grown faster and further than anyone dared to
04/01/2011
A record number of households have asked for help to winter-proof homes during the recent severe weather conditions. A Scottish Government hotline has taken over 21,000 calls since the start of December. During the arctic temperatures, and as the country thaws, the thousands of callers to the Home
04/01/2011
An £18 million cash boost will benefit the tourism industry, renewable energy projects and road improvement schemes across the Highlands and Islands. Enterprise, Energy and Tourism Minister Jim Mather said the money, which has the potential to create over 60 jobs and is from the European Regional D
