Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Scotland Construction News Archive for November 2008
28/11/2008
A North business which has achieved international recognition for its larger-than-life bronze castings is to invest in an expansion plan helping it to reach even greater heights. Black Isle Bronze, the foundry that cast The Falconer statue by sculptress Leonie Gibbs, for the Eastgate Centre in Inve
28/11/2008
The home building industry has welcomed details of the £9m housing investment announced yesterday by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon which will enable housing associations to purchase completed and part-completed stock from the private sector. This represents the second tranche of funding fro
28/11/2008
Six new apprentices have just started a four-year training program with River Clyde Homes (RCH). The apprentices, consisting of two joiners, two plumbers and two plasterers, were selected from over 300 applications. RCH is working with Inverclyde Council's Economic and Social Regeneration Service
28/11/2008
Over £300k will be spent on providing a range of community facilities and environmental improvements for residents of the Lionthorn Estate and the surrounding area. After substantial consultation with the local community, final proposals were yesterday agreed by Falkirk Council's Environment and He
28/11/2008
Measures announced in the Chancellor's pre-Budget report will allow the Scottish Government to spend £260m on new capital projects in the next two years, Finance Secretary John Swinney said yesterday. He stressed that school building projects would be the highest priority, both to provide new facil
28/11/2008
A court case has highlighted the need for workers to be aware of the dangers to elderly people after an 81-year-old woman fell through an open hatch in her home. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned companies undertaking central heating installations and those responsible for managing i
28/11/2008
Affordable housing is available to buy in Barrhead, thanks to a partnership between Cube Housing Association and the Scottish Government. And an agreement with the council means that East Renfrewshire residents or people with a local connection get the first chance to buy. The semi-detached two an
28/11/2008
An agreement has been reached between the Scottish and UK Governments to give Scotland full responsibility for its coastal waters out to 200 nautical miles. The deal, brokered through the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC), also sets out that Westminster and Holyrood will work together to deliver a
27/11/2008
Over £300k will be spent on providing a range of community facilities and environmental improvements for residents of the Lionthorn Estate and the surrounding area. After substantial consultation with the local community, final proposals were yesterday agreed by Falkirk Council's Environment and He
27/11/2008
Decisive action to help the construction industry tackle current economic challenges was pledged today. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed that accelerated investment of £9m will finance a string of housing developments across Scotland. The funding will allow housing associations to p
27/11/2008
The downturn in mortgage lending continued in the third quarter with 15,100 house purchase loans granted in Scotland, an 18% decline from the previous quarter, according to new data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders Scotland. A similar decline was experienced across the UK in the same period.
27/11/2008
David Mackay, Chairman of Transport Edinburgh Limited, has been appointed as Interim Chairman of tie, the arms-length company of the City of Edinburgh Council, which is project managing Edinburgh’s tram construction. Approved at last Thursday's full Council meeting, he takes over from Willie
27/11/2008
The Dundee office of Mansell has secured contracts amounting to almost £10m. Contracts include £4m, to design and construct an extension for Parkhill Primary in Leven, Fife, around £3m, to construct the new international headquarters for learning and development company Insights within Dundee's Te
27/11/2008
Drivers Jonas LLP (DJ), is celebrating being crowned Green Property Advisor of the Year in the Estates Gazette Green Awards. Alasdair Ramsay, partner in charge of DJ Scotland, said: "We were the first commercial property company to achieve Carbon Neutral status and DJ has focused on broader environ
27/11/2008
After collapsing during a severe storm in August this year, work to re-build Dunglass Bridge in Southend is progressing well. Over the last few months, Argyll and Bute Council has considered various options for replacement of the bridge, with a single span bridge coming out on top as the best solut
27/11/2008
The Highland Council is carrying out works between Portree and Loch Fada on the A855 Staffin road in Skye to improve the carriageway to twin track width. Highland Quality Construction Ltd. (HQC) are the contractors for this £500,000 contract, which attracted ERDF funding. To carry out these works
27/11/2008
Members of the public are invited to view the proposals for the new Aviemore Community School at Aviemore Library, units 1 & 2, Market Hall, Aviemore on Monday 1 December 2008. The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Officers will be in attendance to answer any questions from 14.00-1700
26/11/2008
Scottish local authorities are being invited to apply for a share of £25m to help kickstart a new generation of council house building. The Scottish Government and COSLA have pledged to ensure that support is focused on councils that are best placed to deliver much needed new homes quickly. The me
26/11/2008
Simple and inexpensive measures can make your home more energy efficient, a conference will hear today at The Hub in Edinburgh. Historic Scotland-lead research will show that traditional buildings are much maligned in their energy efficiency performance, and can make a positive difference to combat
26/11/2008
The supply of new housing in Scotland has increased by 5 per cent, from 26,200 in 2006-07, to 27,500 in 2007-08 according to the latest housing statistics for Scotland . This shows a return to similar levels witnessed in 2004-05 and 2005-06 and is higher than levels in the previous half of the deca
26/11/2008
Over £28m has been granted under the Rural Priorities scheme – less than four months since the full application process opened for business. Of the 424 cases considered in the first two assessment rounds, 350 have been approved in principle, with the majority of final agreements expected to be sign
26/11/2008
A summit to explore barriers and solutions to the problem of litter is being held in Edinburgh today. Subjects for discussion include public attitudes, enforcement, support for voluntary initiatives, links between litter and recycling and the role of businesses. The conference has been organised b
26/11/2008
Monday's pre-budget report will have little impact on Scotland’s crisis hit construction industry, according to the Scottish Building Federation. The Federation recently predicted that up to 20,000 construction jobs will be lost in Scotland by Christmas and had been lobbying for a targeted cut in V
26/11/2008
In a major schools investment programme, City Building (Glasgow) LLP is currently building 16 new primary schools in Glasgow for the City Council at a cost of over £128m and each is to have its hot water services supplied through a heat-traced single pipe system using Raychem HWAT self-regulating he
26/11/2008
Businesses across Scotland will save over a million pounds following moves by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to waive or restrict some of the fees they charge. The environmental regulator will waive application fees for environmental permits, a move which will save over 2,000 bus
25/11/2008
A new hub putting Scotland at the heart of European green energy research will be launched by Jim Mather in Brussels tonight. The Scottish European Green Energy Centre (SEGEC) will play a pivotal role in putting Scotland at the centre of European research, development and deployment of clean energy
25/11/2008
A collaboration between Historic Scotland, Constructionskills Scotland, and Scottish Qualifications Authority has been launched in a bid to tackle the skills gaps in the traditional building sector in the construction industry. The three organisations have come together, for the first time, to esta
25/11/2008
Delegates from China yesterday were shown some of Glasgow's successful regeneration and affordable housing projects as part of the Government's UK/China Sustainable Development programme. The group of 12 planners, engineers and economists from the cities of Nanjing and Wuhan, located on the Yangtse
25/11/2008
Edinburgh's City Centre Neighbourhood Partnership launched an ambitious three-year community plan at the City Chambers yesterday. The event also played host to an interesting exhibition of nursery school children's photos of what they think is 'good' and 'bad' about the city. The main aim of the pl
25/11/2008
The refurbished Market Square in Melrose has won further recognition at the annual Saltire Society Awards for Civil Engineering. The Saltire Society commended the project "in recognition of the design, development and construction skills used to deliver an attractive and functional town centre for
25/11/2008
A Scottish Government consultation document has been attacked by Labour for suggesting that money could be raised through offering commercial leases for some of Scotland's forests. The consultation suggests that "long leases and cutting rights" could be made available for "some" of the nation's for
25/11/2008
Two new schools on one shared site in Wishaw were officially opened last week by North Lanarkshire Council Provost Tom Curley. Wishaw Academy and St Ignatius Primary School had individual official openings on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 November. And on both evenings Provost Curley was joined by North
25/11/2008
The Scottish home building industry has described the Chancellor's pre-budget report as yet another missed opportunity. Having previously called for a temporary abolition of stamp duty on house price transactions, the reintroduction of "Mortgage Interest Tax Relief" and huge increases in investment
25/11/2008
CCG's Asset Management Division has seen an excellent trading quarter with a range of tender bid successes bringing in a stream of future work, especially in the affordable housing sector. Among the new projects secured are kitchen and bathroom renewals for Broomhouse Housing Association, 188 house
25/11/2008
An Aberdeenshire stone specialist has underlined the benefits of using products from its range of quality building materials. Kirk Natural Stone - who specialise in supplying the highest quality sandstone building materials - already supplies the trade from its large stock of specialist materials.
24/11/2008
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, to grasp the opportunity to provide major investment for housing in Scotland. Ms Sturgeon has said now is the time for the Chancellor to inject major capital public sector investment in affordable housing in Scot
24/11/2008
A year on from earlier 'threats' to move his £1 billion dream to build 'the world’s finest golf course' to Northern Ireland, it emerged yesterday that millionaire developer Donald Trump may yet dump his project in Scotland and take it to the province after all. He is said to be ready to shelve the
24/11/2008
Scientists and experts from around the world will arrive in Edinburgh in eight days to launch a global challenge on marine renewable energy. The Saltire Prize Challenge Committee will meet to define the biggest ever contest for innovation in green marine energy - the Scottish Government's £10m Salt
24/11/2008
Scottish Energy Minister Jim Mather met Energy Minister Arlene Foster, his Northern Irish counterpart, in Belfast last week to discuss the energy challenges facing Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Ministers have agreed to meet on a regular basis to share thoughts and to work on projects that can
24/11/2008
A bridge which leads to Glen Etive is to be removed by Argyll and Bute Council because of concerns it will collapse. River bank erosion at Clashgour Bridge, Bridge of Orchy, has become so severe over the last few months that there are fears the bridge may be swept away. The Council has said it rec
24/11/2008
Luxury housebuilder Applecross scored a hat trick at this year's Scottish Building Edinburgh and District Association Craft Excellence Award. For the third year running, the company scooped the award for its South Oswald Road development, which is set in the Capital's exclusive Grange area, for its
24/11/2008
Members of the public are invited to attend a community meeting to discuss future projects for Arnhall Moss, Westhill. The meeting, which will be hosted by Aberdeenshire Council's ranger service and environmental planners at Westhill Academy, will start at 7pm tonight. Fiona Banks, Garioch area ra
24/11/2008
The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) made history by being the first British professional construction industry Institute to hold its AGM in Hong Kong. The momentous occasion took place at the Harbour Plaza Hotel in Kowloon on 22 November with CIAT members gathering from ac
24/11/2008
Sainsbury's supermarket has submitted plans for a new store in the Scottish Borders. The full planning application is for a 30,000 sq ft store at Pinnaclehill in Kelso. The Scottish Borders Council backed outline plans for the supermarket in May. The council turned down rival plans for a Tesco
24/11/2008
Historic Scotland inspectors are to visit Perth to identify the city's important buildings and to review existing listings. The team will visit the city looking for buildings that merit listing while giving a fresh appraisal to properties already on the list. This will ensure that area has the appr
21/11/2008
The play area on the old bowling green in Duns has now been vastly improved after a complete renovation. The Scottish Borders Council had identified a need to replace the old equipment as, due to the popularity of the play area, it had suffered wear and tear. Children from Duns Primary School were
21/11/2008
A consultation began today as part of a Scottish Government-commissioned review of the existing laws on fatal accident inquiries (FAIs). This system of public inquiries is used whenever a death raises public concerns or happens in the workplace, or in police custody. The Government reports that bet
21/11/2008
Primary school pupils from Aberdeen had a lesson in safety outside the classroom on recently with a visit to the city's iconic new retail development, Union Square. The £250m retail destination, currently under construction, is perfect place to help the youngsters build the foundations of life-long
21/11/2008
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) lends its support to CO (carbon monoxide) Awareness Week, organised by campaign group CO Awareness. Often referred to as 'the silent killer', CO fumes are particularly dangerous because they cannot be smelt, seen or tasted and in extreme cases can kill in hours.
21/11/2008
Property developer Dandara is celebrating after its gh2o development recently scooped its 5th award of the year. The Daily Mail five star award for Best Development in Lanarkshire adds to the row of crystal ware complementing the gh2o marketing suite, showing that gh2o has proved incredibly popular
21/11/2008
Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction, services and investment Group announces the appointment of Andrew McNaughton to the new role of Chief Operating Officer and to the Board of Balfour Beatty plc. The appointment, as Balfour Beatty continues to grow successfully in both size
21/11/2008
Miller Construction has been awarded a £7m project to build a new residential and community care centre in Staveley, Derbyshire. The 65 week project will see Miller Construction create a two-storey residential home, complete with a single-storey day centre, in the Middlecroft area of the town. Wit
20/11/2008
New advice for planning authorities on wind farms has been published today by the Scottish Government. The Planning Advice Note (PAN) will help councils and national park authorities prepare their own guidance for considering wind farm applications to aid the development of clean, green energy acro
20/11/2008
Building and maintenance services group Rok is celebrating the superb achievements of its younger employees. In the Highlands of Scotland, where the company has more apprentices than all other building firms combined, a hat-trick of successes has been notched up by students of the construction scho
20/11/2008
Police have launched an investigation after a fire destroyed two blocks of flats under construction in the Oxgangs area of Edinburgh. The fire which started at the building site in Firrhill Drive at 2am on Friday raged for approximately 14 hours causing millions of pounds worth of damage. The fire
20/11/2008
New fossil fuel power stations should be ready for carbon capture technology, according to new guidance published today. The Scottish Government is consulting on requirements that new power stations over 300 Megawatts should be able to incorporate carbon capture technology in the future. In prac
20/11/2008
Scotland's town and city centres are the 'heartbeat of our economy', the Vital and Vibrant Town Centres conference in Stirling was told yesterday. Finance Secretary John Swinney said the Scottish Government was determined to support businesses and high streets the length and breadth of the country.
20/11/2008
Award winning recruitment firm, has received a visit from Jobcentre Plus (JCP) Scotland District Managers to discuss effective diversity strategies at SkyBlue Rail Duddeston branch. The event which happened recently at Birmingham Rail Depot, Pitney Street was part of JCP Integrated and Employment S
20/11/2008
A series of breaches of planning laws regulations have been identified and tackled by Aberdeen City Council's planning officers. The officers work year round to tackle problematic planning issues, which could potentially have serious ramifications for health and safety, or for the environment. Mor
20/11/2008
The home building industry has applauded the range of initiatives announced on Tuesday by Glasgow City Council in order to stimulate much needed development in light of the credit crunch. The measures unveiled by city council leader Steven Purcell include: increased flexibility in the Council's lan
20/11/2008
West Lothian Council is pressing ahead with a major new planning blueprint. The Council Executive has approved a detailed follow-up report into the new West Lothian Local Plan. A total of 503 objections were received to pre-adoption modifications to the local plan. But the council has concluded t
20/11/2008
Craigmillar will be a land of adventure with the launch of a high-flying new play area tomorrow. The £100,000 Jubilee Play Park is the first new play park created in Craigmillar for many years and will become part of the attractions at Craigmillar Castle Country Park. Cllr Edie said: "This superbly
19/11/2008
First Minister Alex Salmond today officially opened the new Clackmannanshire Bridge over the Firth of Forth, which aims to help reduce traffic conjestion, improve road safety, and open up the wider area to economic benefits. The £120m crossing, designed to alleviate traffic pressure on the Kincard
19/11/2008
Students of Jewel & Esk College got their first sight of one of Scotland's most exciting and high tech teaching facilities yesterday as the doors opened on the college's ambitious £55m e:volve campus redevelopment project. Initiated in September 2005, the project has seen the creation of a new camp
19/11/2008
Work to reduce journey times and increase frequency of service between Glasgow and Edinburgh is ahead of schedule and key design contracts will be signed next month said First Minister Alex Salmond. The First Minister was speaking at Glasgow's Eleventh State of the City Economy Conference where he
19/11/2008
The Highland Council is giving top priority to tackling the impacts on Highland communities of the Credit Crunch and large rises in energy bills. A task force of councillors and officials has been set up to effectively respond to the downturn in the economy. Already the Council has organised semin
19/11/2008
Plans for a new Aberfeldy Conservation Area will be discussed by the Perth & Kinross Enterprise and Infrastructure Committee today. The approval of Conservation Area status would safeguard Aberfeldy's historic townscape for future generations. Councillors will be asked to approve the Aberfeldy Con
19/11/2008
A new state-of-the-art library opened its doors on Monday 17. It will offers users a full range of traditional library services as well as many other unique features. Meadowbank Library in Polmont is the first library to be built completely from scratch and all of its stock such as books, dvds, cds
19/11/2008
Following the introduction of competition in the water industry in Scotland, the independent Cave Review has recommended legislation be introduced to permit over 162,000 public and private sector organisations in England and Wales to choose their own water and sewerage retailer. The new interim rep
19/11/2008
A £160,000 contract to refurbish and repair four council properties in the Pinkie area of Musselburgh was has been approved A £160,000 contract to refurbish and repair four council properties in the Pinkie area of Musselburgh was approved on November 11th at East Lothian Council's Cabinet meeting.
19/11/2008
Fife Council will have a new housing allocations policy in place from next April backed by people power. Members of the Housing and Communities Committee heard how more than 100 tenants had attended a series of autumn meetings to hear about the new policy which will allow the authority to make the
19/11/2008
A new gym specially designed for young children is to be opened at Aberdeen's St Joseph's RC School on Friday November 21. Staff at the school were keen to improve its early years play facilities, and successfully for capital grant funding to do just that so they could promote the Curriculum for Ex
18/11/2008
Delivery of a vital improvement project on a key South Lanarkshire route has taken another step closer with publication of important statutory orders. The Draft Road Orders and the Environmental Notice of Determination have been published for the safety upgrade of the A702 Candymill Bend - which li
18/11/2008
The Crown Estate is inviting initial proposals from developers for the UK's first commercial marine power sites, located in the Pentland Firth and surrounding waters. The Round 1 leasing programme is aimed at delivering 700MW of new offshore wave and tidal power by 2020 and is expected to bring sig
18/11/2008
Ahead of next Monday's keenly anticipated pre-budget report by the Chancellor, the Scottish home building industry has reiterated the case for a substantially funded UK-wide economic reflation package - emphasising that Scotland must not be ignored. In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Jonatha
18/11/2008
Glasgow's housing stock could be boosted with 2100 new homes if a bid for additional funding from the Scottish Government is accepted. A list of potential land acquisitions and new housing projects was approved by the Council's Executive Committee today. It was drawn up after the Scottish Governmen
18/11/2008
Plans submitted to North Lanarkshire Council to convert almost two million sq ft of grassland between Coatbridge and Glenboig into a huge rail freight terminal have met fierce local opposition. The £100m scheme for one of the biggest rail freight terminals in Europe proposed by Kilgarth Development
18/11/2008
Scotland's Social Housing Sector is closely monitoring the now high profile 'Mitchell' case about to be heard by the Law Lords, and the outcome of which could have far reaching implications for the management and liability of Housing Associations across Scotland. A final hearing on the case is set
18/11/2008
Edinburgh's Meadowbank stadium redevelopment has been put on hold until the value of land recovers, according to council officials. In March Edinburgh City Council agreed a third of the land was to be sold off to help fund the new £25m arena. However the value of the land has dropped from an estima
18/11/2008
I & H Brown have further strengthened their reputation for being at the forefront of ground breaking remediation technology with a Commendation from The Saltire Society for work carried out at a former gasworks in Dundee. Civil Engineering is one of the industries covered by the Saltire Society's a
18/11/2008
Fyne Futures, the subsidiary of Fyne Homes Housing Association, has teamed up with the Kilmun Hall and Recreation Association to help develop a sustainability plan for the historical listed building which overlooks the Holy Loch. Working closely with the Kilmun Village Hall group, Fyne Futures hope
18/11/2008
Stirling Council invited Cabinet Secretary for Education, Fiona Hyslop MSP and former pupil, Scotland and Celtic player, Gary Caldwell to officially open Wallace High School on Friday 14 November. The special guests were piped into the school and treated to a tour of the new school's facilities inc
17/11/2008
Stirling Council's Executive has set out a ground-breaking plan to build 244 new Council houses. At the Executive meeting on Thursday elected members agreed an outline programme of house building on 21 sites across the district, as part of its Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) and marks a re
17/11/2008
The City of Edinburgh Council is the only Scottish Local Authority to have made the shortlist for the LGC & HSJ Sustainable Communities Awards 2009. The Council, together with PARC (Promoting and Regenerating Craigmillar), is up against three English local authorities for the 'Regeneration' award,
17/11/2008
Edinburgh based Miller Developments has completed the investment purchase of Mall Varna, the largest new retail and leisure development in Bulgaria, from Interservice Uzunovi. The €120m deal represents Miller's biggest property transaction in continental Europe and is one of Bulgaria's largest tran
17/11/2008
Fyne Homes is celebrating success after a double commendation at both this year’s Sustainable Housing Awards and the Scottish Saltire Society Housing Design Awards for their fantastic work on the community owned Island of Gigha. The Argyll and Bute based Housing Association was named as a finalist
17/11/2008
McClure Naismith Solicitor's Social Housing team is warning that a recent ruling in Northern Ireland, in which the Information Commissioner determined that Housing Associations are Public Bodies, could have a major impact on Scotland's Housing Associations. The warning follows the news that two hou
17/11/2008
A proposal to relocate Linlithgow's health centre in the town's County Buildings has fallen through. NHS Lothian has advised West Lothian Council that it no longer plans to go ahead with the proposed move next year. Now it is planned to retain the whole of the historic building as council offices.
17/11/2008
The Highland Council has written to the tenants of 62 Council-owned flats at Glendoe Terrace, Inverness, to advise them of plans to modernise their homes in a phased programme of upgrading estimated to cost more than £3m over a five year period. Glendoe Terrace Residents' Association have been inv
17/11/2008
Kirk Natural Stone supply complete natural stone house building kits with all joinery masonry components delivered to sites nationwide. These stunning kits are based on proven timber frame designs and are available with a variety of natural building stone types to create a stunning property. Optio
14/11/2008
House prices in Scotland have suffered the biggest quarterly fall since 1992 according to Lloyds TSB's Scottish House Price Monitor. The fall was the largest in the monitor's 16 year history. In the three months to October 31 the average domestic property dropped by 4% in value. Year-on-year the
14/11/2008
Scotland's leading workplace design experts Space Solutions has been awarded the architecture and project management contracts for a £4.5m project for Champion Technologies. The company relocated its Eastern Hemisphere staff to a purpose-built office in Altens Industrial Estate three years ago. It
14/11/2008
Graham FM has been appointed to deliver Legionella Risk Assessment and Monitoring Services to Dumfries and Galloway Council until 2011. The contract will cover 468 buildings in the Council Property portfolio and includes leisure facilities, schools, police stations, fire stations and public building
14/11/2008
Willie Gallagher is to step down as Executive Chairman of tie, the arms-length company of the City of Edinburgh Council, which is project managing Edinburgh's tram construction. A report outlining interim governance and management arrangements will be presented at the full meeting of The City of E
14/11/2008
Buro Happold has just won a prestigious civil engineering Saltire award for their work on the distinctive Swan Canopy over the Forth and Clyde Canal pedestrian bridge. Buro Happold took the Project Design award category for the canopy, the design of which reflects a swan in flight, creating a new
14/11/2008
North Lanarkshire Leisure is to carry out major improvements at the Tryst Sports Centre, Cumbernauld. Councillor Jim Logue, Chair of North Lanarkshire Leisure, said: "New state of the art range of fitness equipment provided by Technogym will be installed. Technogym has been sole supplier to the Oly
14/11/2008
Historic Linlithgow has scooped a major international award. The West Lothian town received the sought-after Bronze award at the finals of the International Awards for Liveable Communities, or LivCom Awards, in China recently. Linlithgow was the only Scottish finalist at the ceremony, which recogn
14/11/2008
Trust Housing Association has helped Lauderdale Football Club achieve their goal of a new set of strips with brand new colourful sets, for their talented young players. The boys (and one girl) who play in the 12 and under team are now the brightest stars on any pitch. Trust operates a sheltered ho
13/11/2008
The Craigard House Hotel in Campbeltown is to be upgraded with the aid of a £92,500 grant from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards the business's £375,000 investment. This will allow for the development of a new 64 cover glazed restaurant extension with panoramic views over Campbeltown
13/11/2008
A North Sea supergrid to export surplus renewable electricity from Scotland would benefit the whole of Europe, First Minister Alex Salmond said on Wednesday. The First Minister was speaking at the Scottish Government's publication of a milestone study for a North Sea Offshore Grid. Mr Salmond said
13/11/2008
The new Scottish headquarters of Microsoft in Edinburgh were officially opened by First Minister Alex Salmond yesterday. Microsoft, with more than 50 employees in Scotland, has moved more from accommodation in George Street into the top two floors of the refurbished former Post Office building, Wav
13/11/2008
Balfour Kilpatrick has been awarded a £1.6m mechanical installation contract in association with a new office development in Edinburgh. The Leith Street development in the centre of Edinburgh comprises a new five-storey office block. Balfour Kilpatrick will be supplying and installing heating and
13/11/2008
After a challenging tender process, OpenHouse has won the contract to supply the online solution for the Law Society of Scotland in the delivery of home reports to solicitors across Scotland. Solicitors directly involved in the property market are set to benefit from a unique online approach to th
13/11/2008
A popular leisure pool in West Lothian is back in the swim more than a year after it was closed by a massive blaze. The Xcite Livingston leisure centre has now re-opened following a major £4m redevelopment programme The Xcite Livingston leisure centre has now re-opened following a major £4m redevel
13/11/2008
It's a common belief that students will do almost anything to save money while undertaking their university studies. But staff at Edinburgh's leading letting agent were left bewildered after one undergraduate enquired about making the ultimate term-time saving - by renting a garage to live in. The
13/11/2008
Angus Council has commissioned the design of new issue desk for Montrose Library, to meet modern requirements relating to computerised book systems and customer accessibility. The desk will be sited close to where the first desk was positioned when the library first opened in the early years of the
13/11/2008
An apprentice at Morris & Spottiswood has been rewarded for his ambition and efforts after winning a prestigious excellence award from his college. Ross Walsh, 23, from Easterhouse, won this year's Roof Tiling Excellence Award from South Lanarkshire College. The Slating & Roughcasting apprentice i
13/11/2008
Moray engineering company Forsyths Ltd is to enhance its production facilities at Buckie quayside with the help of funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). HIE is contributing £148,260 towards the cost of adapting the company's existing building and a further £18,804 towards workforce de
12/11/2008
Culture Minister Linda Fabiani today welcomed international heritage delegates to Edinburgh. The Minister met with Dr Mechtild Rössler and Professor Manfred Wehdorn at the Parliament as the pair begin a visit to report on conservation within the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site fo
12/11/2008
Significant job creation is being generated by the drive to harvest energy from the seas around Scotland. As developers get closer to producing commercial-scale power from waves and tidal currents, their efforts are already benefiting coastal communities in the Highlands and Islands. Orkney-based
12/11/2008
Four new schools are to be opened within the next two weeks. Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, will see first-hand how 3,000 pupils are benefiting from new classrooms across Scotland as she formally opens the new schools. This week, Ms Hyslop will tour the fi
12/11/2008
Acting on behalf of Fife Council, Knight Frank welcomed the Provost of Fife to celebrate the topping out ceremony for John Smith Business Park 3 (JSbp3) in Kirkcaldy, Fife with the planting of a commemorative tree. Following on from the success of the first two phases of the development, which hav
12/11/2008
Connaught, one of the market-leading providers of integrated services to both the public and private sector in the UK, will be headline sponsors at the 2009 Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland Annual Conference Exhibition. The event which takes place from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 March at Aber
12/11/2008
J&E Shepherd, one of the largest independent firms of chartered surveyors in the UK, has been awarded a residency licence from the Minister of State for Jersey and has appointed resident Iain McInnes to head its operation on the island. The firm's move to secure a permanent presence for its offshor
12/11/2008
Atrium Homes, the Kilmarnock based registered social landlord, recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary in style with a charity ball at the Park Hotel, Kilmarnock. Among the many guests welcomed by Jim Currie, JP, MBE the Chair of Atrium Homes, were former Secretary of State for Defence and Scotla
12/11/2008
A group of sixth-year Broughton High School Edinburgh pupils are spending the week at Waterfront Edinburgh Ltd’s (WEL) Granton offices, acting as consultants on the regeneration project. The six teenagers were taught a series of business consultant skills from Mindshop Excellence Training and were
12/11/2008
Figures published by the Health & Safety Executive show that falls through fragile roof materials caused over one quarter of fatal accidents in the construction sector. The HSE has responded positively to an innovative new fixing system jointly developed by FILON Products and Letchworth Roofing, tha
12/11/2008
One of the leading timber frame manufacturers, Scotframe Timber Engineering, has become the first Scottish licensee of a highly innovative new technology which promises to reduce domestic energy bills in new homes. SupaWall allows closed timber frame panels of up to 7.8 metres long to be factory in
11/11/2008
Sir Ian Wood, one of Scotland's richest businessmen has pledged funding of up to £50m to create a new street level Aberdeen city centre square on the site of Union Terrace Gardens. A Scottish Enterprise feasibility story will look into private and public sector funding and access the cost and scale
11/11/2008
The Scotland Government is to hold on to planning powers to veto the building of new nuclear power stations despite a UK Government submission to the Calman Commission on devolution warning this could undermine UK energy policy. The Scottish Government has planning powers under devolution which may
11/11/2008
Scotland has experienced a huge move of pupils from rundown buildings into state-of-the-art classrooms this autumn. In the space of only a few weeks, more than 10,000 young people moved into over 20 new schools equipped with state-of-the-art facilities fit for the 21st Century. And in the next 12
11/11/2008
The Perthshire town of Comrie is setting an example to other communities across Scotland with a groundbreaking community-led project to reduce its carbon footprint. Comrie, near Crieff, is undertaking a street-by-street home insulation project in partnership with Scottish and Southern Energy, which
11/11/2008
One of Scotland's leading lime mortar company has rebranded as part of a business growth plan to increase turnover thirty fold within ten years. Edinburgh based Masons Mortar Ltd has unveiled their striking new identity, created by corporate branding specialists Glidden Design, with the aim of refl
11/11/2008
Robertson Eastern gave architecture students from Robert Gordon University a site tour of the new Carnoustie High School on Monday November 10. The school, which is being built as part of Angus Council's £50m PPP re-building programme, will be completed and handed over by the end of November. Carn
11/11/2008
National law firm McGrigors has appointed two new partners to strengthen its 60 strong Aberdeen team. Findlay Anderson has joined the firm's energy and infrastructure practice and advises on a wide range of upstream and downstream oil and gas work in the UK and internationally. Prior to joining M
11/11/2008
The winner of the 2008 NHS Scotland Environment, Estates and Facilities Design Award is Gartnavel Royal Hospital. The announcement was made at the annual Scottish Healthcare Conference in Crieff and the award was presented to NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde by Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister and
11/11/2008
Miller Developments has completed the construction of eight architecturally striking new office pavilions at Alba Business Park, marking a key addition to the commercial property offering in one of West Lothian's premier business locations. Work on the bespoke Alba Business Pavilions, at Alba Busin
11/11/2008
The Health and Safety Executive has warned operators of aerial cableways they must ensure they have robust safety systems in place. The call, to those who work cableways such as gondola cars or chairlifts, follows an incident in the Scottish Highlands, which seriously injured five people - Theresa
10/11/2008
Research by construction union UCATT has found wide regional disparities in construction deaths. In 2007/8 there were a total of 72 construction deaths, a slight decrease of 2006/7 when 79 construction workers were killed. A regional breakdown revealed that there were: 11 deaths in Scotland, 11 in
10/11/2008
Aberdeen City Council has scooped the top prize in the prestigious UK Housing Awards. The council was named as the best UK local authority for Outstanding Achievement in Housing, for an ambitious project which cut residents' fuel bills by up to 50%. At the Chartered Institute of Housing's UK Housi
10/11/2008
Aberdeen City Council's planning committee has unanimously approved plans for a new Tesco superstore on the west side of Aberdeen. The application for the 5,561 square metre store with 407 car parking spaces on the site of the former Woodend Hospital annexe at Rousay Drive, has been given the go-ah
10/11/2008
Bricklayer Daniel McLennan of Morrison Construction, part of the Galliford Try Group, was recently acknowledged as one of the nation's most up-and-coming craftsmen when he won Highly Commended in the Adult Apprentice section of The Scottish Building Apprenticeship & Training Council - (SBATC) James
10/11/2008
Fife Council this week became the first local authority in Scotland to be publicly recognised for tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions. The council is one of only seven organisations across the country to achieve 'Carbon Trust Standard' certification, the world's first carbon reduc
10/11/2008
In August, the Council was awarded £250k from the Scottish Government's Cities Growth Fund and announced that £175k of it was to be invested in Kirkintilloch town centre. Now, two months on, the Council's Economic Development team has drafted a detailed Town Centre Improvement Action Plan for Kirki
10/11/2008
Edinburgh-based Miller Construction has been awarded the contract to build Bristol's new £25 million Civil Justice Centre. This exciting project will see the creation of modern court facilities and administration offices over six storeys. The building, which will be finished with cladding in three
10/11/2008
Plans for a new Aberfeldy Conservation Area will be discussed by the Enterprise and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday, November 12, Perth & Kinross Council have announced. The approval of Conservation Area status would be safeguard Aberfeldy's historic townscape for future generations. Counci
10/11/2008
Landscaping to improve the appearance of a former factory in Kingsway East, better access for pedestrians to the rear of Lochee High Street and a nature park at Riverside are set to benefit from a £5m cash boost. Members of Dundee City Council's planning and transport committee will be told that th
10/11/2008
Scotland has experienced a huge move of pupils from rundown buildings into state-of-the-art classrooms this autumn, the Scottish Government has said. In the space of only a few weeks, more than 10,000 young people moved into over 20 new schools equipped with state-of-the-art facilities fit for the
07/11/2008
Steps to prevent serious shortages of affordable housing in Aberdeenshire have been announced. Right to Buy has been temporarily suspended for some tenants in 88 letting areas, which have now been designated as 'pressured areas'. This will affect 5,763 tenancies or 56 percent of the social housing
07/11/2008
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations |(SFHA) has called for housing associations to be given extra funds to manage the sale and rent back of properties to homeowners struggling to keep up their mortgage payments. The call follows recommendation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that th
07/11/2008
Work on a £140,000 project to tackle speeding in Renfrew has begun this week. Traffic calming measures are being put in place at Sandy Road, Renfrew, to address a long standing problem of speeding and high traffic volume. The work fulfils a commitment made to local residents that measures would be
07/11/2008
J&E Shepherd Chartered Surveyors has been appointed by Perth-headquartered civil engineering and development company I&H Brown to market a substantial 10 acre site fronting the outer ring road Kingsway East in Dundee for sale. Following its purchase of the site last winter from power industry multi
07/11/2008
Inverclyde's Provost Michael McCormick has visited Hillend Bowling Club in Greenock to see how a Council cash boost of £5,000 has been put to use. The Provost met the club's Treasurer Donny Noble and Secretary Pat Woods, who told him how the grant from the Council’s Grants to Voluntary Organisation
07/11/2008
A problem with a Scottish Water underground service connection to the new 'ALDI' store on Telford Street means that Raynesway Construction are currently unable to switch westbound traffic from one side of the road to the other as planned. The open excavation, combined with the position of the traff
07/11/2008
Work is set to begin on making the road that goes through the heart of Clackmannanshire safer. Council has approved the project to realign the B9140 road between Glenochil and Collyland Roundabout at its meeting yesterday. The upgrading of the road is one of the Council's main long term transporta
07/11/2008
Residents of Cumnock are being encouraged to express their views on the draft Conservation Area Appraisal report produced by East Ayrshire Council’s Planning and Economic Development Staff. The report details what the conservation area is and makes recommendations for alterations to the conservatio
06/11/2008
A multi-million golf course has been given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government. The £115 million course, designed by former Open champion Paul Lawrie, will include a hotel, housing and leisure centre on the former Blairs Seminary site. The course will be on the outskirts of Aberdeen, and comes
06/11/2008
Twenty-three of Scotland's most promising young construction apprentices have been honoured at a special celebration of skills in Perth. The apprentices were attending WorldSkills UK 2008 - Scotland awards, which recognise excellence in vocational skills across a diverse range of industries, includ
06/11/2008
A popular leisure pool in West Lothian is back in the swim more than a year after it was closed by a massive blaze. The Xcite Livingston leisure centre has now re-opened following a major £4 million redevelopment programme. The building, which was extensively damaged by fire in June 2007, has been
06/11/2008
The Highland Council is giving care home residents and their families as well as interested parties the chance to learn more about plans for new care homes which will replace existing Council-run homes at Fort William, Inverness and Muir of Ord. Outline planning consent has been granted for the pro
06/11/2008
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon has urged UK Ministers to do more to protect Scottish homeowners from sale and rent back schemes operated by private landlords. Ms Sturgeon has written to Gareth Thomas, Minister for Trade, Investment & Consumer Affairs, calling for help f
06/11/2008
Work has now started on the internal alterations and improvements at the Town House Museum, Brechin. The scheme is the first priority project to go on site as part of the City of Brechin Townscape Heritage Initiative. The cost of the project of approximately £383,000 is being jointly funded by the
06/11/2008
The foundations have been laid for the first new-build council housing in Aberdeenshire in more than ten years. Aberdeenshire Council in partnership with Braiklay Estates Ltd, Tarves, is developing affordable homes as part of a larger development. Four of the houses will be available for rent, wi
06/11/2008
An apprentice joiner from South Ayrshire Council has scooped a top honour on his college training course. Eddie Cole won the award of 'Joinery Student of the Year' at Ayr College for 2007- 2008. The College makes the decision by looking at the student's achievements over the academic year and at a
05/11/2008
Work begins today on the demolition of the old Mossband Viaduct which carried the A74 over the West Coast railway line. Thousands of tonnes of concrete and steel will be removed from over and near the railway line by giant multi wheeled transporters. The A74 is being upgraded to motorway standard
05/11/2008
Acting on behalf of a private investor, J&E Shepherd Chartered Surveyors has acquired student residence and retail investment property at 59-67 Ratcliffe Terrace, Edinburgh for £4.8m. Let to Edinburgh University for 20 years, the property comprises a multi-storey front block incorporating two retai
05/11/2008
The Miller Group, the UK's largest, privately owned Housebuilding, Property Development and Construction business, has announced the appointment of Sir Brian Stewart as a Non-Executive Director with effect from 3 November 2008. It is intended that Sir Brian will succeed Bob Speirs, who retires at t
05/11/2008
An Aberdeen-based housebuilder has announced redundancies, BBC Scotland has revealed. The Stewart Milne Group has announced 44 redundancies across its UK businesses. Meanwhile 73 further jobs are at risk. It is understood the company was forced to make the cuts due to a further drop in house sa
05/11/2008
The Raploch Urban Regeneration Company (URC) was a big winner at the first ever Government Opportunities (GO) Excellence in Public Procurement Awards for Scotland. The URC won the GO Sustainability Award - given to them for the social and economic impact the regeneration has made locally to date.
05/11/2008
Building company, akp, has launched a major initiative, Building Pride, to encourage staff to strive to attain the highest possible standards and to demonstrate to clients the value and pride everyone places on their role to deliver quality jobs. Managing Director, Ian McEwan, who founded the busin
05/11/2008
Lord Provost John Letford has officially opened the first school constructed under Dundee City Council's £90m Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme. Claypotts Castle Primary held a celebration event to mark the historic occasion. The last new school to be opened in Dundee was over 30 years ago in
05/11/2008
More than 65 high-profile delegates from 10 major international energy cities will arrive in Aberdeen next week to attend the annual general meeting (AGM) of the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP). The city has previously hosted the AGM when the organisation was first founded and Aberdeen - alo
04/11/2008
Culture Minister Linda Fabiani has announced that more than £1.6m has been awarded in Historic Scotland grants. Six projects, including two castles and the station house of the world's first roll-on roll-off ferry, will benefit from the Building Repair Grant scheme. Ms Fabiani said: "By giving gra
04/11/2008
Projects as diverse as thermal imaging to spot heat escapes, allotments and a new cycle path for children are among the latest beneficiaries from funding to cut Scotland's carbon footprint. A total of £1,165,761 has been allocated to 18 community projects across Scotland as part of the next round o
04/11/2008
Rail passengers across Scotland are set to benefit from timetable improvements introduced this winter. The new services will take effect from the commencement of the winter timetable on Sunday 14 December. Operated by First ScotRail, improvements for rail passengers on the Aberdeen to Inverness vi
04/11/2008
Plans are to be lodged for a new £70m Stena Line ferry terminal in south west Scotland. Irish Sea services would be moved from Stranraer along the coast to Old House Point at Cairnryan cutting journey times to and from Belfast. For the plans to be approved the company must submit an environmental
04/11/2008
A motion by Bailie Dr Nina Baker, supported by Councillor Philip Braat, to provide short term public green space on vacant development sites in Glasgow has been passed. The global financial situation has put a small number of developments in Glasgow on hold, and Bailie Baker's motion proposed that
04/11/2008
Stirling Council's Roads Maintenance Team is taking to the road with a very adaptable addition to the fleet - a new Velocity Jetpatcher. The new machine will carryout a programme of long-term repairs to potholed and poor quality road surfaces and form part of the Council's rural roads quick respons
04/11/2008
R34, a new restaurant, has opened in a stunningly renovated A-grade, Art Deco building directly behind Glasgow International Airport just 15 minutes from Glasgow city centre. Named after the airship that completed the first transatlantic air crossing in both directions in 1919, the R34 was construc
04/11/2008
A bill aimed at improving local bus services has been introduced by Labour MSP Charlie Gordon. It follows complaints from members of the public and disabled people about bus services, particularly about access to buses. A public consultation on the bill will run from now until February 27. "Buses
03/11/2008
The Scottish Government has decided to grant outline planning permission for the application by Trump International Golf Links Scotland to develop a golf resort in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire. This decision subject to satisfactory conclusion of legal agreements between Trump and Aberdeenshire Council f
03/11/2008
Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) has awarded its new five-year repairs and maintenance contract valued at £200m to two companies - City Building (Contracts) LLP and Connaught Partnerships Limited. City Building won the contract for two areas of the city - the north east and north west and Connaugh
03/11/2008
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney on Friday visited a Government-funded improvement on the A90 which has been delivered almost completely with recycled materials. The £750,000 Transport Scotland improvement scheme, at the A90 Finavon junction between Forfar and Brec
03/11/2008
Dunne Group said it will explore acquisitions to support its continued growth after announcing further record results to the year end October 31, 2008. The Bathgate-based building contractor and concrete frame specialist delivered a turnover up 66% at £60m and a pre-tax profit up 71% at £2.6m. Man
03/11/2008
The £26m new Millburn Academy, Inverness, opened its doors today for the first time. The new school features a range of classrooms for both general and specialist teaching; an integrated special unit for pupils with additional support needs; a four court games hall, gymnasium and dance studio, fitn
03/11/2008
A plan to build a new Tesco superstore on the west side of Aberdeen has been recommended for approval. Aberdeen City Council's Planning Committee will consider the application for the 5,561 square metre store with 407 car parking spaces on the site of the former Woodend Hospital annexe at Rousay Dr
03/11/2008
A total of 56 non-emergency staff were evacuated from the Heather Alpha platform in the North Sea on Friday after an oil spillage. Around 34 core staff remained on board the platform, which is based about 60 miles off the north coast of Scotland, to deal with the spillage. A spokesman for Petrofac
03/11/2008
North Ayrshire Council has told the NHS that it supports the construction of a new hospital for acutely-ill mental health patients in Irvine. Responding to NHS Ayrshire and Arran consultation on the location of the hospital the Council has gone for the single site new-build option in the grounds of
03/11/2008
To celebrate the opening of the Clackmannanshire Bridge campaign the Clackmannanshire Council is holding a community party in Alloa Town Hall. Around 300 people from all over the county are being invited to the event which will coincide with the official Clackmannanshire Bridge opening ceremony. I
