Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Scotland Construction News Archive for September 2012
28/09/2012
Fife Council has rejected plans to build a brand new windfarm near Kenly. The application by St Andrews University was rejected by the North East Fife Area Committee on Wednesday. St Andrews have confirmed they will appeal the decision and a spokesperson has claimed the application was "mishandled
28/09/2012
Small Scottish construction firms are being urged by a Glasgow law specialist to ask for stronger guarantees when taking on projects. In order to better protect cash flow and guard against insolvency, Frazer Wardhaugh of HBJ Gateley in Glasgow has suggested small and medium enterprises (SMEs) shoul
28/09/2012
More Scottish homeowners are looking to their unused basements as a means to make use of previously uninhabitable space. The Property Care Association (PCA) says there is an increasing trend of property owners - particularly in Edinburgh and Glasgow – creating basement conversions. A basement conv
28/09/2012
The second stage of the major redevelopment of Glasgow School of Art’s Garnethill Campus has been announced. The development will be a Graduate and Research Centre intended to be provide a hub for postgraduate and research communities. The Glasgow School of Art Development Trust was announced by t
28/09/2012
A body representing Scottish farmers has blamed planning controls for stifling investment in renewable energy across the country. The National Farmers Union of Scotland yesterday challenged the Scottish government help the country create a fuller uptake of renewable energy projects. Speaking at a
28/09/2012
A Glasgow based swimming pool specialist has won a contract to assist in the building of a new water ride for European holiday company Center Parcs. Barr & Wray, based in Hillington in the south of the city, won the £700,000 contract to work with Canadian firm ProSlide Technology as part of a refur
28/09/2012
Mainland Scotland’s most northerly airport is to be re-branded as a cash-in on the recent facelift at John O’ Groats Wick Airport will now be renamed as Wick John O’ Groats Airport, as the company seeks to capitalise on the multi-million pound redevelopment of the John O’ Groats area. John O’ Groa
28/09/2012
Plans to build a superstore on the site of Atholl House have once again been rejected. South Lanarkshire Council have upheld a decision to refuse the application to build a foodstore and associated carparking on the site. The original application to build on the five-storey site was lodged in July
28/09/2012
Inverclyde Councillors and head teachers have been visiting a new education project, set to be one of the biggest campuses in Scotland. The new Port Glasgow shared campus is being built by Inverclyde Council and will be home to Port Glasgow and St Stephen’s High Schools. The campus will also be th
28/09/2012
Glasgow City’s historic Barras market and the surrounding Calton area are to be given funding to the sum of £3.5m over the next five years. The Calton Barras Action Plan comes as a result of the Calton Area Development Framework (ADF), which was approved by the City Council on 30 August 2012. Rege
27/09/2012
A proposed National Retrofit Programme of Scottish homes will require a major injection of additional public money to have a real impact, according to the Scottish Building Federation (SBF). An SBF submission to the Scottish government’s public consultation on its Sustainable Housing Strategy said
27/09/2012
£15m in National Lottery funding for buildings, creativity and public art projects has been announced by Creative Scotland. Sixteen new projects have been revealed, including a new home for Edinburgh’s Print Studio, a centre for children’s literature and the conservation of Campbeltown’s Picture Ho
27/09/2012
Renewable electricity generation in the first half of 2012 increased by almost 13% when compared with the corresponding period in 2011, according to the Scottish government. 2011 had previously been Scotland’s record year, however the latest figures from the Department for Energy and Climate Change
27/09/2012
Lifting solutions and mini crane hire company, GGR Group, have successfully completed work on a long-term project to help refurbish one of Glasgow city centre’s landmark high rise buildings, St Andrews House. The 17 storey St Andrews House tower on West Nile Street has been transformed from a dated
27/09/2012
Glasgow City Council is facing a potential deficit of £50m by 2015, according to the latest forecast. Scotland’s largest local authority will have to make savings over the next two years to deal with a predicted deficit of £48.8m. A briefing paper handed to City Council members has blamed rising c
27/09/2012
Alex Salmond announced today the development of a new manufacturing facility for a global US company in Scotland. The First Minister revealed life-science and technology company Sigma Aldrich will be expanding its Scottish operations by investing in the development of a new powder manufacturing fac
27/09/2012
The most dangerous road in Scotland is to be given £3bn by Holyrood in line with new trunk road improvements. Transport Scotland has appointed consultants to design the new scheme, which will see road widening along 80 miles of the A9 between Perth and Inverness. The road is notorious throughout t
27/09/2012
The final plans for a 9,000-home new development in Aberdeenshire have been submitted. Chapleton of Elsick, around 10 miles south of Aberdeenshire, will be situated at a 2,000-acre area of farmland near Newtonhill. Developers the Elsick Development Company (EDC) say it will create thousands of job
27/09/2012
The Scottish government’s claims that its new budget outline for 2013/14 would encourage growth have been dismissed as "out of touch with reality." Michael Levack of the Scottish Building Federation (SBF) said: "To suggest that this budget or any budget at this time could be a budget for growth in
27/09/2012
Perth and Kinross Council have approved controversial proposals to redevelop Pitlochry centre. Campaigners opposed the plans to build a hotel and shopping complex in a conservation area. The plans to knock down the old Bank House and a former bakery have, however, been approved by members of the D
26/09/2012
Applications have been invited for funding from £10m being put up by the Scottish government to support the Oil and Gas sector. Increasing investment in the sector was a key component of the Scottish Government’s Oil and Gas strategy, published earlier this year. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing today
26/09/2012
67 new schools are to be built in Scotland by March 2018. The Scottish government has injected £1.25bn which will see places for 46,000 pupils created in every part of Scotland. An extra 12 schools are due to be built under the third and final phase of Scotland’s Schools for the Future, after £80m
26/09/2012
New official statistics on the quantity and location of affordable housing securing planning consent have been released today by Scotland's Chief Statistician. The statistics show an estimated 4,767 affordable housing units were granted planning consent during the 2011/12 financial year, indicating
26/09/2012
Scottish whisky makers are set to become the first distillery in the world to use by-products to create eco-friendly bio-fuel. Perthshire malt whisky makers Tullibardine have signed a deal with Celtic Renewables Ltd. which will see the development of technology capable of producing biobutanol as a
26/09/2012
ScottishPower Renewables and Vattenfall have awarded contracts worth over £17m for the creation of two weather-monitoring stations for the 7200MW East Anglia offshore Wind zone off the Norfolk and Suffolk coast. The project’s capacity is said to be capable of generating green energy enough to power
26/09/2012
A 113-year-old theatre in Perth is moving ever closer to renovation, following a substantial funding boost from Creative Scotland. Horsecross Arts, the organisation behind Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre, has been awarded £2m towards the upgrade of Perth Theatre, bringing the total funding rai
26/09/2012
Further job losses in the Scottish construction industry could lead to serious problems in the future, regarding the delivery of large-scale infrastructure projects. The Scottish Building Federation (SBF) says the past three years have seen nearly 600 Scottish construction companies close. SBF has
26/09/2012
The Scottish government has announced a new Greener Homes Innovation Scheme, which is set to deliver a £10m fund to create hundreds of eco-friendly homes and bring down heating bills. The scheme will employ modern, environmentally friendly methods of off-site construction, whereby walls, floors, pi
26/09/2012
Councillors have confirmed the £2m upgrade and redevelopment of Dundee's City Square. The local authority's development committee approved the bid by Tayside Contracts, which will see the renovation of the city centre site. The bid was made last week, and was awaiting approval from the city’s coun
26/09/2012
Aberdeenshire Council has marked the finishing of 37 new homes in Banff at an opening ceremony. The new homes, at Old School Place, are the first council homes in the town in nearly ten years. Councillors were shown around the new developments, the completion of which forms part of ‘Phase 2’ of co
25/09/2012
The new driving range and short-game development project at Pitlochry Golf Course has begun, with project completion intended for late Spring 2013. The new extension to the course will boast the best facilities in Highland Perthshire, with a 7-bay, covered driving range and short-game practice area
25/09/2012
Fife Council have approved another application by drinks conglomerate Diageo Scotland to develop a large site at Begg Farm in Kirkcaldy. The new development will consist of 276,000 sqm of bonded warehouses and associated buildings, along with the required functionary structures. The new site will
25/09/2012
Work is set to begin on the newest secondary school for Aberdeenshire, with contractor Land Lease due to commence work following councillors’ approval of project costs. The cost of building the new 17-acre site will be £23,377,662. The contract was awarded in June 2012. The building of the new Mear
25/09/2012
The site for the new £200m Dumfries general hospital has been announced by NHS Dumfries and Galloway. The new acute hospital will be at Garroch, close to the Garroch roundabout at the western end of the A75 Dumfries bypass. The site was selected following a period of formal consultation will the p
25/09/2012
Councillor Cammy Day, Housing Leader for Edinburgh City Council, has visited one of the city’s newest affordable housing developments to view its current progress. West Gait is a £10m development by Places for People, which is set to create 93 new homes over the next year. Construction started rec
25/09/2012
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has called on Westminster to transfer £400m to the Scottish government to help boost the country’s economy. The request was made during a joint meeting with representatives from the Welsh and Northern Irish governments at the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) in
25/09/2012
Campaigners have launched a petition to oppose the proposed extension at Holyrood, which will create a brand new security facility at the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) took a decision earlier this month to proceed with the project, which will see a £6.48m add
25/09/2012
The Scottish Government has announced it will invest £40m in affordable homes. The news comes as part of the draft budget for 2013/2014, with funding set to start this year. Finance Secretary John Swinney said this would provide an immediate stimulus to the construction industry. "In difficult ec
25/09/2012
This week’s budget will enable more Scottish householders to become energy efficient, according to Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities Nicola Sturgeon. It is hoped that the £20m allocated to encourage energy efficiency throughout the country will, i
25/09/2012
Ross Martin, of the Centre for Scottish Public Policy, commented in last weekend’s Scotland on Sunday: "Towns are the backbone of the community in Scotland. We shape our towns, but they shape us aswell. They make us who we are. They shape our values and our character." The feature marks the build-u
24/09/2012
A local resident has been handed the keys to a brand new home in Rochford district. The new homes in Oaklands Mews, Hawkwell, have been made available for rent by Rochford Housing Association, part of leading housing and care provider Sanctuary Group. Resident Charlene Winstanley has collected the
24/09/2012
Local businesses across Inverclyde receive £19.5m from the council through contracts and tenders for local services. The figures were revealed at Inverclyde Council's policy and resources committee where councillors discussed how more local businesses could access council work. Inverclyde Council
24/09/2012
The commitment to establish Elgin as a compelling visitor destination through the Castle to Cathedral to Cashmere initiatives will be further strengthened at a public meeting this week. The meeting at the Gallery in Elgin library on Thursday, September 27 will see the lead consultants, LDN Architec
24/09/2012
Green homeowners across Scotland will open their doors on Saturday, 29 September to show first-hand how different renewables systems work. Working with Dumfries and Galloway Doors open day the Green Homes Network will give you a unique opportunity to hear about actual costs and savings, and get tip
24/09/2012
A new ski slope and ski run are planned for the Aberdeen Snowsports Centre in Garthdee. Members of Aberdeen City Council's Development Management Sub-committee will consider a planning application for the site when they meet this week, Thursday, 27 September. A new ski slope, about 68 metres long
24/09/2012
Argyll & Bute council's planning and regulatory services team are launching a new customer service charter aimed at improving standards. The charter explains what standards of service you can expect depending on how you contact the service and the nature of your request. All customers can expect to
24/09/2012
Fife Housing Association held its Annual General Meeting at the Pitbauchlie Hotel, Dunfermline where members were told by Chairperson, Lorna Paterson, to expect tough challenges ahead as the Association deals with the continuing recession, cuts in housing development grants and prepares itself to ma
24/09/2012
Pupils and staff have celebrated the opening of the new Meldrum Primary school. The primary school in Deans, Livingston has undergone a £2.9 million redevelopment and was formally unveiled at a celebratory ceremony. A significant part of the school was demolished and replaced with a state-of-the-a
21/09/2012
Finance Secretary John Swinney has pledged to spend £180m on skills, construction and the green economy in Scotland over the next two years, in what he called a "budget for jobs and growth". His optimism was echoed across the construction sector, as investment measures included £40m of additional s
21/09/2012
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) brought together Politicians, journalists and a solicitor to debate the issue of Scottish Independence and the impact it would have on the UK construction industry, at Dunblane Hydro Hotel on Saturday 15th September. The debate, the first of its kind, include
21/09/2012
Eildon Housing Association celebrated another busy and successful year at the Annual General Meeting. Speaking at the event Eildon's Chairman, Heather Cuckow, spoke of the range of activity the Association is engaged in and highlighted various achievements, including increased support and advice be
21/09/2012
Councillors have rejected a community bid to operate Leith Waterworld but left the door open for an improved submission in four months time. In a motion tabled by the Capital Coalition, voted through at today's Council meeting, dedicated assistance was offered to the campaign group, Splashback, to
21/09/2012
The first stage of the £21 million River Ness Flood Alleviation Scheme, Inverness, which will protect approximately 800 homes and 200 businesses in the city centre, is due to start on 22 October. Work will involve the diversion of gas, water, electricity and telecommunication services required to a
21/09/2012
Highland Councillors have warmly welcomed news from the Scottish Government that Conon Bridge Railway Station will be reopened in time for the resurfacing works being Work on the £600,000 project is expected to start next month. Closed since 1960, the station will service the Far North and the Kyl
21/09/2012
The 2013-2014 draft budget for Scotland drew some criticism from CBI Scotland. Assistant director David Lonsdale said the budget was a "missed opportunity" to contract public services out to private companies. Mr Lonsdale said: "The Scottish Government's Budget contains a number of positive announ
21/09/2012
The Scottish Building Federation has welcomed the draft budget, particularly its commitment to affordable housing. But it called for Westminster to drop the cuts programme and urged Holyrood to set a definite target for rebuilding apprenticeship numbers in the construction industry. Chief Executiv
21/09/2012
Home building industry body Homes for Scotland welcomed the additional £40m capital investment in affordable housing announced in the Draft Budget yesterday. But it also called for a repeat of the Scottish Government's Innovation Fund of which an initial £10m was allocated as part of its 2010-11 Af
21/09/2012
Finance Secretary John Swinney has announced a Green Economy and Skills investment package, including £30 million for energy efficiency and low carbon schemes, and the creation of an Energy Skills Academy. The package will deliver a new employer recruitment initiative which will create up to 10,000
20/09/2012
A new town for 10,000 people is to be built near Inverness Airport over the next 40 years. Councillors upheld a decision to approve plans for the new town between Inverness and Nairn. Highland Council's planning, environment and development committee yesterday voted 17 to three to support the plan
20/09/2012
A three-dimensional map of Scotland has been given listed status. The Great Polish Map of Scotland, in the grounds of Barony Castle Hotel at Eddleston village in the Scottish Borders, was built in 1974 by a group of Polish nationals who wanted to thank the Scots for their hospitality to Polish sold
20/09/2012
A new £150m building on an Edinburgh car park will replace the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences. An outline business case for the new facility has been approved. The building, which planners hope will be completed by 2017, will be located at the Royal Infir
20/09/2012
An Aberdeenshire haulage firm was fined £20,000 after a worker was run over and severely injured. Ian Mackie, 43, from Turriff, was one of a team of drivers who worked for a haulage yard run by R & J Milne Ltd in Norwood, Ardmiddle, Turriff. On 12 November 2010, Mr Mackie was one of five drivers w
20/09/2012
An offshore safety conference is being planned to mark the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster. 167 men died in 1988 in an explosion and fire at the North Sea oil platform, the worst such incident ever. Piper 25 will be a three-day event at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre from 1
20/09/2012
A window company in Fife has become an early adopter of new Google technology that allows customers to look inside the store from home. The Google 360 tour on The Window Store's website
20/09/2012
Councillors are to be asked to approve a bid by Tayside Contracts for the work which will see new landscaping, lighting, drainage and other improvements to the City Square, Dundee. Will Dawson, convener of Dundee City Council's city development committee said: "With the massive amount of work going
20/09/2012
Local residents are being invited to view plans for a new community campus in Alford. Plans to create a new academy, primary school and swimming pool will go on show in Alford Community Centre on Tuesday, September 25, from 3pm to 7.30pm. Aberdeenshire Council is urging local residents to come al
20/09/2012
A pioneering homelessness project funded by the City of Edinburgh Council is in line for a top award. The Homelessness Prevention Service, run by Edinburgh Cyrenians, has been nominated in the Public Sector Partnership category of the Third Sector Excellence Awards 2012. The service is designed to
20/09/2012
The advertising watchdog has criticised an anti-wind farm campaign group for using images of Hawaii. Communities Against Turbines in Scotland ran a regional press ad campaign showing a picturesque Scottish landscape blighted by rusty, broken wind turbines, with a banner headline, "Welcome to Scotla
19/09/2012
New figures from Scottish Renewables have shown that island communities in Scotland's first Marine Energy Park are continuing to face massive costs to connect their marine energy projects to the grid. Analysis, published at the Marine Energy Conference in Inverness, reveals charges in the Pentland
19/09/2012
Planning Minister Derek Mackay has updated parliament on progress towards planning reform, and outlined a major review of Scottish Planning Policy and the programme for delivery of Scotland's third National Planning Framework. In a statement to Parliament, Mr Mackay stressed the importance of the p
19/09/2012
Margaret Burgess, the recently appointed Minister for Housing and Welfare will address a special conference on innovative housing delivery, at one of her first public platforms in her new role. The Edinburgh event, run by industry body Homes for Scotland, will bring together a mix of home builders,
19/09/2012
The importance of a new scheme which aims to help overcome the barrier to home ownership caused by large deposit requirements is today reinforced by research from Bank of Scotland highlighting that over half the respondents of its housing confidence survey consider this a major hurdle with an averag
19/09/2012
New research into the minimum cost of living in rural Scotland has been commissioned by a partnership of Scottish organisations focused on economic and social development. The 'Minimum Income Standard for Remote and Rural Scotland' study will look at the price of goods and services required by diff
19/09/2012
South Ayrshire Council have installed new safety railings at the new play area at Garvine Road, Coylton. Earlier in the year, local residents had used a public consultation exercise on roads, held at the Citadel in Ayr, to voice concerns that a small number of young people using the play area had b
19/09/2012
A scheme that could see nearly £600m worth of investment and more than 8000 local jobs created over the next 25 years has moved another significant step forward with Falkirk Council submitting its business case to Scottish Government for approval. Through Make It Falkirk, a Tax Incremental Funding
19/09/2012
The B769 Stewarton Road (Dodside Road) in Newton Mearns is to be closed for five days from Monday 24 September until Friday 28 September 2012. This will affect part of the road from a point about 750m northeast of the Bannerbank quarry access road to a point about 150m southwest of the access road.
19/09/2012
The First Minister has told 200 energy CEOs that Scotland will continue to be a major centre for global investment. Speaking at the FT Global Energy Leaders summit in London, Alex Salmond cited recent inward investments in oil and gas and renewables, and pledged to continue to work with the interna
19/09/2012
Sporty youngsters welcomed guests to celebrate work underway on the superb new all-weather sports pitch at Auchinleck Academy. The Council is constructing the new floodlit synthetic grass pitch to FIFA one star football quality. It will be used for 11-a-side football games, or as two seven-a-side p
18/09/2012
East Lothian Council and Dunedin Canmore Housing Association (DCHA) have delivered 18 new homes at Rollo Court, High Street, Prestonpans. A partnership of East Lothian Council and Dunedin Canmore Housing Association (DCHA) has delivered 18 new homes at Rollo Court, High Street, Prestonpans, with ni
18/09/2012
Construction suppliers in Scotland are being invited to a free event, hosted by Constructionline, to meet potential clients and find out about upcoming work opportunities in their local area. The event, being held on Wednesday 3 October at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, between 9am and 4pm,
18/09/2012
A £766,000 major renovation of the Grade B listed Cambuslang Institute has got underway. Working closely with Historic Scotland, the council, which is funding the work, will renovate the Institute which dates back to 1898 to ensure that the building elements highlighted by the survey are carried ou
18/09/2012
A top award has been presented to Dufftown in Bloom by Scotland's leading charity for the environment in recognition of efforts to improve the local community. The award was made by the charity Keep Scotland Beautiful at a ceremony in Motherwell. The prestigious Beautiful Scotland award ceremony,
18/09/2012
Midlothian Council has successfully completed the first phase of its new build social housing programme. The last house in the last development in Phase 1 has just been finished, and it is now moving on to Phase 2. 864 quality, affordable homes for Midlothian families were built since 2006 at a c
18/09/2012
Members of The Highland Council's Inverness City Committee were recently given a tour of the fourth and final phase of the South West Inverness flood relief channel works. The contract is due for completion in late November 2012 and the contractor RJ MacLeod has already completed the works within L
18/09/2012
Fife Council Transportation & Environmental Services will shortly begin resurfacing Main Street in Comrie. Work is due to start on Monday 1st October 2012, and is expected to take one week. The works are being carried out by Newlay Civil Engineering Limited. To ensure minimum inconvenience to roa
18/09/2012
It is hoped that six well known local public greenspaces in the Falkirk Council area will have protected status under a scheme that aims to safeguard the future of sports facilities and open spaces across the UK. A meeting of the Policy and Resources committee heard that six of Falkirk Council’s ‘c
18/09/2012
A £50,000 project to re-align disabled parking bays in Aberdeen begins this week. More than 1,000 bays across the city will be altered to bring them into line with new Scottish Government legislation. Contractor Mark-On will carry out the first phase of the work, which is expected to take about thr
18/09/2012
The Link group of charitable registered social landlords, voluntary organisations and social enterprises celebrated its 50th birthday, with a reception at The Sheraton, Edinburgh. Link Housing Association Ltd was created shortly after the 1962 Housing (Scotland) Act. The aim was “to carry on the in
17/09/2012
Robertson, the infrastructure, construction and support services company, has started work on the new Maggie's Centre in Aberdeen. The new centre is being built at Forester Hospital in Aberdeen through an ambitious fundraising campaign by Maggie’s and the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation (EMF), whi
17/09/2012
Perth & Kinross Council’s Planning and Regeneration Service has been commended at the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning (SAQP) for its handling of the Taymouth Castle development. The awards ceremony was held at The Lighthouse in Glasgow, where and the Minister for Local Government and Planni
17/09/2012
First-time buyers and those on council house waiting lists are among those eligible to buy new affordable housing in Peterhead. Aberdeenshire Council, in partnership with Scotia Homes, is offering 4 three bedroom properties for £113,119 in Inverugie Meadows, Peterhead. It is estimated that two of
17/09/2012
Edinburgh's Bus Station will stay open during the next phase of the tram works on York Place and buses will have access all the way along Princes Street from this weekend, the City of Edinburgh Council has announced. The decision was taken after productive joint discussions between the Council, in
17/09/2012
A FREE course for taxi drivers is on offer in Dundee that will help them save fuel and protect the environment. Cabs that clock up to 20,000 miles annually could be pumping out an average of half a tonne less carbon dioxide and saving almost £300 each a year on fuel, if drivers use the eco-driving
17/09/2012
Councillor Cammy Day, Housing Leader for Edinburgh City Council, checked in for a progress report on one of the city's newest affordable housing developments yesterday. He visited West Gait, a £10m development by Places for People which will deliver 93 new homes over the next year. Construction wo
17/09/2012
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has told Parliament that proposed electricity market reforms must maintain the Scottish Government’s existing ability to apply a Scottish approach to supporting renewable energy. Opening and closing a debate on the UK Government's draft Energy Bill which saw MSPs unanim
17/09/2012
An ambitious plan to make sure communities across Scotland reap the rewards of renewables has been launched by the First Minister. The Community Benefit Register gives information on the benefits to local areas of having renewable energy projects nearby. It helps communities make comparisons with s
17/09/2012
Kingdom competed against more than 500 other nominations and was presented with the two awards at the prestigious Green Apple Environmental Awards ceremony in Edinburgh Castle. The housing association was awarded the Green Hero Awards and also received a Silver award for the Housing Innovation Sho
17/09/2012
New Housing and Welfare Minister has opened a £9 Million Affordable Housing Development in Kincardine. Charles Milne, Chairperson of Kingdom, said: "The project has been a significant redevelopment of the area, providing good quality new homes to meet the needs of tenants who previously lived in th
14/09/2012
Shepherd Chartered Surveyors has relocated Dieselink, part of the fuel division of international business services group Fuel Card Services, from Motherwell into a 3,366sq ft first floor office suite at Murdostoun House, a two storey office pavilion in Avondale Campus at Strathclyde Business Park.
14/09/2012
The successful deployment of STATS Group’s BISEP isolation technology prevented the costly shutdown of a Malaysian pipeline and allowed it to maintain uninterrupted gas production at full operating pressure of 78 barg. Pipeline engineering specialist STATS was approached by PETRONAS Carigali to pro
14/09/2012
A Tayside property agent has lauded a scheme launched yesterday by the Scottish Government and Homes for Scotland which could enable thousands of homebuyers in the area to purchase new properties without first having to save up the large deposits, but urges caution to those seeing it as the sole ans
14/09/2012
Montrose-based oil and gas training company The Safety Hub has reported a bumper year for 2012, with the addition of new directors and a brand new division to facilitate further business growth. The company has been providing specialist health, safety and environmental training to the oil and gas i
14/09/2012
Councillor Paul Godzik expressed his disappointment with the decision taken by the Court of Session in relation to the building of the new Portobello High School. He has instructed Council officers to consider the judgement fully and look at the grounds for appealing against the decision. While th
14/09/2012
Work is underway on the superb new all-weather sports pitch at Loudoun Academy. The Council is constructing the new floodlit synthetic grass pitch to FIFA one star football quality. It will be used for 11-a-side football games, or as two seven-a-side pitches. The pitches will also be able to cater
14/09/2012
Over £78 million is expected to be invested in infrastructure across Aberdeenshire in 2012/13. A report to Policy & Resources Committee advises that the council is on track to deliver the commitments in the capital plan which details all major building and refurbishment programmes across the counci
14/09/2012
Orkney Housing Association Ltd (OHAL) has been allocated £120,000 funding from the Scottish Government to enable it to continue to offer Open Market Shared Equity in Orkney. Open Market Shared Equity allows eligible individuals to receive Scottish Government assistance to purchase a house on the o
14/09/2012
Scottish national and regional housing bodies have joined forces to send a strong reminder to the Scottish Government and to social work and health authorities that housing makes a highly significant contribution to enabling people to live at home independently. Responding to the Scottish Governmen
14/09/2012
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has confirmed levels of support for renewables in Scotland for the next four years. It includes the retention of current rates for hydro, reductions in support for onshore wind and biomass, and a proposal for higher support for offshore wind. Announcing the proposals i
13/09/2012
Umbrella company, Tarpon, are encouraged by a new study looking at the financial priorities, lifestyles and motivations of the contracting industry. The study has enabled an in-depth view into the reasons behind many choosing to become a contractor in the UK. The outcome of the study, conducted by
13/09/2012
The Crianlarich Bypass is expected to get underway next summer and be completed the following year. The timings were confirmed as Transport Scotland prepare to publish the Made Orders for the £5.5 million scheme, confirming the final line the new road will take, later this week (6 September). Info
13/09/2012
Commenting on newly released figures on employment in the Scottish construction industry in the second quarter of 2012, Scottish Building Federation Chief Executive Michael Levack has said signs of a rise in job numbers between April and June should be treated with extreme caution. Mr. Levack said:
13/09/2012
Owners of a 500-acre arable farm north of Inverness have put their trust in biomass heating. BioWIN boilers by Windhager will now heat the farmhouse and cottages and Mounteagle Farm, replacing oil central heating. The boiler room was constructed within an existing building and comprises two 45kW
13/09/2012
A Scottish Government guarantee is enabling Scotland's big banks, building societies and house building companies to back a scheme that will help up to 6000 households gain easier access to new homes. Nationwide and the Royal Bank of Scotland are throwing their weight behind the national mortgage i
13/09/2012
Officials at Perth and Kinross Council have calculated they have spent almost a million pounds dealing with appeals from green energy companies that have had planning permission refused. In all but a handful of cases, the original decision to block the application was upheld on appeal but the local
13/09/2012
Plans for a new Portobello High School on land at Milton Road, in Edinburgh, have been halted after protest group Portobello Park Action Group (PPAG) won an appeal at the Court of Session. The new £41m school was first proposed 10 years ago to replace the ageing 1960s building in Duddingston Road.
13/09/2012
A new scheme has been announced that will make 95% mortgages available to homebuyers. It is hoped the plan will boost the housing industry and help first time buyers who will only need a 5% deposit. The scheme will run for three years for new properties up to £250,000. The industry body, Homes fo
13/09/2012
The fall in the construction sector shows “just how economically damaging the Chancellor’s decision to slash Scotland’s capital budget” have been, Finance Secretary John Swinney told MSPs. Mr Swinney was leading a Scottish government debate on Tuesday entitled "Actions to deliver sustainable econom
13/09/2012
Lovell, based at the Glasgow Business Park, is celebrating once again achieving the Customer Service Excellence standard – the Government's national standard recognising organisations which provide a high-quality service to customers. In 2011, Lovell, which has 350 employees in Scotland, was the fi
12/09/2012
North Ayrshire Council Leader Councillor Willie Gibson has visited Millport to see the work of the Council and its partners on the island. Councillor Gibson was joined by Chief Executive Elma Murray and Depute Leader Councillor Alan Hill during the visit to Council-run premises at Garrison House; M
12/09/2012
Profits for Edinburgh housebuilder Cala have increased £2m to £11.4m in just the last year - the highest since the group was taken private in 1999. The company completed 666 homes in the 12 months to 30 June - a 24% increase on the previous year. Cala said its strong performance was down to its po
12/09/2012
Council workers in Midlothian are celebrating the end of the first phase of a multi-million pound housing development. The last of 806 affordable homes has just been finished, completing a project that started in 2006. £108m was spent on developments in Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Newtongrange, Gorebridg
12/09/2012
Ahead of the new Budget next week, finance secretary John Swinney has pledged, in an effort to kickstart growth, to pump fresh cash into the ailing construction sector. As Scotland recently followed the UK into a double dip recession the cabinet secretary says his spending plans for 2012-13 will be
12/09/2012
Blairs Windows supply timber windows across the UK and have recently completed the supply of quality traditional sliding sash timber windows to the Clarendon Primary School in Helensburgh. The project required windows to be replaced with exact replicas with the qualities of a modern high performan
12/09/2012
The Cabinet will meet this week to consider a proposal from East Ayrshire Council, who is seeking £3.877m in funding from the Scottish Government to construct 134 new council houses. Under the terms of new government guidance on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, the Council has been invited
12/09/2012
The Perth and Kinross public and business community are being asked to take part in a major consultation exercise that will help to shape the future of the Fair City. The restoration of Perth's City Status in March 2012 has presented the Council with an opportunity to capitalise on the economic, so
12/09/2012
Shetland Islands Council were due to start work on the replacement of Laxaburn Bridge on the west side on 10th September 2012 for a period of up to 16 weeks, however it has been deferred for a year. Due to a number of representations received from the local community about the length of time the wo
12/09/2012
Clearance work is set to begin on the banks of the River Forth at Riverside to open up views to the river and restore and enhance Stirling's historic harbour area. On a visit to the site, Provost Mike Robbins said: "A river is the lifeblood of a community, and we have an opportunity to breathe ne
12/09/2012
Fifteen new apprentices have started their training with West Lothian Council. The new recruits will be spread across the council's Housing, Construction and Building Services and Operational Services. There are four Horticultural Apprentices, three electricians, one plumber, one joiner, two roofer
11/09/2012
Work to demolish the former Bankhead Academy in Bucksburn began yesterday, 10th September. Parts of the school were badly damaged in a fire set in June and had to be taken down because of the extent of fire damage and to ensure that the site and remaining structures were in a safe condition. A con
11/09/2012
Former pupil Alex Neil MSP joined new pupils of Patna and St Xavier’s to celebrate its reopening following a £10m upgrade. The new state-of-the-art building includes two primary schools, a nursery and a supported learning centre, as well as a community centre, library and local office. The nursery
11/09/2012
Construction sites across Scotland will come under closer scrutiny from the Health and Safety Executive in a bid to cut the number of deaths from working at height. 49 people died in the 12 months to April this year, with falls being the most common cause of fatal injury. Inspections will focus on
11/09/2012
The chairman of a community land trust has said he believes new crofts will help to tackle historic population decline of Hebridean’s Western Isles. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries families were cleared from the land to make way for large scale farming and sporting estates. Angus MacMillan,
11/09/2012
The foundations of a new £2.2m plan to provide nineteen new high-quality, socially affordable houses have been laid at Forehill in Ayr. Pupils from Forehill primary school, joined local councillors and South Ayrshire Council officers to set out the marker posts for the new homes in what has been de
11/09/2012
Following a loss in the same period last year, building giant Miller Group has reported a profit for the first half of the year2012. The Scottish firm made a pre-tax profit of £400,000, compared with a loss of £52.9m in 2011. During the period, the Edinburgh based Miller Group, completed a £160m r
11/09/2012
Galliford Try, the housebuilding and construction group, has announced that its Scottish business, Morrison Construction, has been awarded a £28 million construction contract forming part of a £45 million Moray Council project to upgrade flood defences at Forres (Findhorn & Pilmuir) in Northern Scot
11/09/2012
An award-winning University of Strathclyde spin-out company has been awarded £1.4 million to help it harness tidal energy. Nautricity will use the grant towards the total cost of building and testing its CoRMaT tidal current turbine in the sea south of Machrihanish, Argyll, Scotland. The award was
11/09/2012
The Council is to continue talks with the Government and local government umbrella body COSLA over a funding shortfall for the 2nd and 3rd phases of flood prevention works on the Water of Leith. The Council was unsuccessful in bidding for Government support in December 2011, as the decision was tak
11/09/2012
Plans to fast-track a major regeneration of a large area of Glasgow as part of the city’s bid to host the 2018 Youth Olympic Games were unveiled today (Friday 7 September, 2012. Sighthill has been revealed as the preferred site for the Athletes’ Village if the city secures the Games. The area's siz
10/09/2012
One of Aberdeen's leading independent schools has just got a £3.5m facelift and had new buildings constructed. Infrastructure, support and construction group Robertson led on the construction side of works at 145-year-old Albyn House. And the Duke of Gloucester officially opened the new school. R
10/09/2012
Highlighting hundreds of millions of pounds of future investment, Aberdeenshire Council hope to reassure the local business community of the authority's belief in the area's economic future. Speaking ahead of an economic summit being held on Monday, Councillor Jim Gifford emphasised the council's c
10/09/2012
A new wind farm 1.5km west of Stornoway, which will generate 129.6 megawatts electricity or enough to power 60,000 homes, has been granted planning permission. Approved by Energy Minister Fergus Ewing, the farm will have 36 wind turbines, supporting 75 jobs in the Western Isles and generating contr
10/09/2012
A national initiative to help revive the country's town centres is to be spearheaded by leading Scottish architect, Malcolm Fraser. Starting this month Fraser will chair the Scottish government's National Review of Town Centres. The assembled panel of experts will aim to tackle issues around plann
10/09/2012
Britain's oil and gas industry will hold its first ever skills summit in Aberdeen this month to discuss a growing shortage of talented recruits to the industry. Warning of an "emerging talent and recruitment crisis", accountancy experts PwC said that companies based in the city would need to recrui
10/09/2012
The Highland Council's vision to support the sustainable economic growth of the Highland's has been commended at a national awards ceremony. The Highland-wide Local Development Plan received a Commendation at the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning in the Quality of Service Category. This year
10/09/2012
Housing and empty property rates reform aim to regenerate Scotland's communities, Local Government Derek Mackay said ahead of a stage one debate on the Unoccupied Properties Bill. The Bill will allow councils to remove existing discounts and increase council tax on certain long-term empty homes, wh
10/09/2012
Dundee city council is preparing an action plan for work at Camperdown Park over the next two years. It is being proposed which could see play areas and the main car park improved. Upgrading is also being planned for the lighting system in Baxter Park, as well as paths in other parks and around th
10/09/2012
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce appointed a new President, Mr Alex Macleod, at its recent Annual General Meeting. He is the Operations Director for Skanska, the international construction and project development company, with its headquarters in Sweden. Alex succeeds Robert Carr, the Chairman of the
10/09/2012
CIH Scotland has welcomed new Minister for Welfare and Housing Margaret Burgess. Alan Ferguson, Director of CIH Scotland, said: "CIH Scotland congratulates Margaret Burgess on her appointment and warmly welcomes her to her new role. Her citizens advice background will stand her in good stead to tac
07/09/2012
Supermarket chiefs are attempting to garner support for an out-of-town development in Glasgow after council planners recommended it for refusal. Sainsbury's held a public meeting yesterday to speak to local traders and the general public, about its multi-million pound plans for a disused bus depot
07/09/2012
An SEE subsidiary has responded to the publication of an aerial photograph highlighting landscape damage caused by its upgrade programme. The above photograph, taken by a Highlands-based photographer, shows the project track for contractors working on the Beauly to Denny power line in the Drumochte
07/09/2012
The head of CBI Scotland has used an annual dinner speech to urge the Scottish Government to invest in housing, among other areas, to kick-start the economy. Speaking at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow, Nosheena Mobarik told members to look overseas for business opportunities and export as much as pos
07/09/2012
Lochgelly residents have called for permanent air monitoring as the first turbines of a windfarm are being erected near a petrochemical plant, The Courier has reported. In a case with wide-reaching implications for planning policy and the renewable industry, they fear that benzene from Fife Ethylen
07/09/2012
A church in Angus has restored three prominent stained glass windows, The Courier reports. The windows celebrate the legacy of former minister Patrick Bell, who also revolutionised farming by inventing the reaper machine. They will be unveiled over the next week. The renovation work focused on a
07/09/2012
The leader of Aberdeen City Council has welcomed a proposal to create a bonds scheme which could attract £500 million of investment in North-east infrastructure. Councillor Barney Crockett said the plans, which are at an early stage, were visionary and could transform Aberdeen city and shire. The
07/09/2012
At a media briefing in Inverness last week, Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd (MORL) announced that it had submitted an application to the Scottish Government for consent to develop offshore wind power at three sites within Zone 1 of The Crown Estate's Third Round of offshore wind licensing. The applic
07/09/2012
A total of 20,000 households in the Highlands are being given the chance to take advantage of a free offer to keep their homes warmer this winter and cut their energy costs. Households in The Highland Council wards of Cromarty Firth, Tain and Easter Ross and Aird and Loch Ness received letters from
07/09/2012
Chancellor George Osborne has announced a tax allowance that will support investment in older 'brown field' North Sea oil and gas fields, the BBC reports. Industry body Oil and Gas UK has estimated in the past that tax breaks could stimulate investment by up to £2bn. And the chancellor said the ch
07/09/2012
Building new homes is the answer to a broad range of policy targets - that's the message Homes for Scotland wants to convey to the new Scottish Government cabinet. The home building industry body said that keeping housing at the top of the political agenda could help the Government meet housing nee
06/09/2012
The cost of constructing the Scottish Hydro music arena has put a £30m dent in the profits of the company behind it, the Scotsman has reported. Figures approved last night by the board of Scottish Exhibition Centre Ltd will show the firm absorbed a £36.1m impairment as the accounts digest the cost
06/09/2012
Barr Construction workers are putting the champagne on ice as they just started on a cool £1m contract to construct new skiing facilities at the Newmilns Snow and Sports Complex in Ayrshire. The operators of the complex plan to replace the existing ski slope and form two new slopes to cater for beg
06/09/2012
A shake-up at the Scottish Cabinet has put Nicola Sturgeon, deputy first minister, in the infrastructure, investment and cities role. Ms Sturgeon takes over from the previous infrastructure minister Alex Neil who has swapped for her old job and become the new cabinet secretary for health and wellbe
06/09/2012
A group has been set up in Edinburgh to fight for empty homes to be brought back into use. The City of Edinburgh Council set up the group, which will put together a bid for funding from the Scottish Government’s Empty Homes Loan Fund, consider the need for advice to owners of empty homes, and attem
06/09/2012
A hotel group with plans for a 'village urban resort' at the Pacific Quay development would create 120 new jobs in Glasgow, Scottish Development International has claimed. The resort would include a hotel with 120 rooms, a gym, business facilities, a restaurant, a bar and a cafe. The development,
06/09/2012
A late 18th century building in Princes Street has been refurbished with a contemporary feel in open-plan style. The building, formerly occupied by GAP, was taken on by BAM Properties and now offers 10,000 sq ft of retail space over two levels. It also has views of Edinburgh Castle, and is close t
06/09/2012
A new managing director has stepped in to look after operations in Scotland and the north-east of England for Kier Construction. A chartered surveyor by background, Brian McQuade has 25 years' experience in the construction industry covering consultancy, construction and services provision. He join
06/09/2012
Construction sites across Scotland can expect visits from health and safety inspectors this month as part of a drive to cut the number of people falling at work. The bid will hopefully reduce the chances of cases like the death of Gary Currie, who fell from a faulty cherrypicker while working on th
06/09/2012
A new £17m leisure facility is planned for Ayshire to replace the 1975-built Magnum centre. The Glasgow Evening Times has reported on the plans for the centre in Irvine. North Ayrshire Council spokesman on communities and culture, Councillor Alan Hill, said the centre has high running costs due to
06/09/2012
Proposals being considered at Edinburgh council next week could lead to more tenants being charged for deliberate damage to their homes. A Rechargeable Repairs Policy being considered next week would see full enforcement of charges come in across the city. If workers from Edinburgh Building Servic
05/09/2012
First-time house buyers in Scotland have been given an extra boost from the Scottish government. Alex Neil, the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, announced that the budget for the Open Market Shared Equity Scheme has been doubled from more than £10m to more than £20m. An
05/09/2012
The organisation behind a new cinema and music venue in Shetland has said it will not defend itself against legal action from the contractor. DITT, a Shetland-based construction company which built Lerwick's new arts centre, Mareel, has begun legal action against Shetland Arts in a row over how to
05/09/2012
Home owners should be incentivised to carry out energy efficiency work when Scotland’s replacement for stamp duty comes in, CIH Scotland has said. CIH urged the government to use the changes to tackle energy inefficiency in the private sector, a "much greater challenge" than controlling the social
05/09/2012
Lawyers warned this week that construction companies in Scotland are among those that are performing poorly on health and safety. Analysis from law firm Pinsent Masons showed that enforcement actions from the health and Safety Executive jumped by 38% in the first six months of this year. Figures s
05/09/2012
Scottish businesses are getting better at respecting the law around waste management and pollution, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The agency’s figures for 2011, published this week, show a slight overall improvement. 87% of operators achieved a licence compliance
05/09/2012
A hydraulics firm which supplies to offshore and industrial clients has set its sights on expansion. Aberdeenshire firm ITC Hydraulic Services, run by a husband and wife team, has spent £200,000 on extending its workshop, modernising its offices and adding new equipment including a five-tonne crane
05/09/2012
Aberdeen faces a tall order if it is to realise its potential as a global energy capital - within the next ten years, it must recruit as many new workers as are already based there. That's the view of accountants at PwC, who said 120,000 new workers were needed in the city by 2022. The figure came
05/09/2012
A Scottish property and construction consultants company has overseen the final stage of refurbishment work at Coatbridge College. Hardies Property & Construction Consultants helped upgrade the lecture theatre, a new street area, the entrance foyer, several classrooms and a refectory in the North C
05/09/2012
Glasgow residents flocked to a protest meeting against plans for an energy-from-waste plant yesterday, the Glasgow Evening Times has reported. About a hundred people were present at a local primary school, and many said they had not been consulted about the plans. The meeting was arranged by the G
05/09/2012
A Scottish renewable energy specialist is celebrating after winning the right to distribute Energie solar panels in the UK. The technology from the Portuguese company heats water all year round using thermodynamic panels, and works on cloudy days and at night and when the air temperature is low - r
04/09/2012
Glasgow City Council has approved a development framework for the Calton area for the next ten to fifteen years. The Calton Area Development Framework will act as the local planning policy for the area, which lies to the east of the city centre and will be on the route to the Commonwealth Games ven
04/09/2012
Tenants have moved in to ten new council homes in Conon Bridge in the Highlands. The ten new homes are part of a 202-house Highland-wide project supported by the Scottish Government. The new tenants at Marjorie Mackenzie Place were welcomed on Friday by Councillor Dave Fallows, chairman of the fin
04/09/2012
Plans for a plant creating energy from waste have come under fire and hundreds of local protestors are expected to attend a public meeting tonight. Viridor (Glasgow) Ltd has a 25-year contract with Glasgow City Council to run a giant facility in Polmadie, processing up to 200,000 tonnes of rubbish
04/09/2012
Construction work is progressing on the new swimming pool in Dundee's Olympia centre, a member of the project team has told the Courier newspaper. Bob Duncan, chairman of Leisure and Culture Dundee, said the swimming pool will be open for people to enjoy "very soon". The centre, which will feature
04/09/2012
Business owners along the route of a proposed tram line in Edinburgh have been offered rates reductions as a compensation for the disruption caused by a year of roadworks. The Lothian assessor agreed to the reduction for traders on Shandwick Place, where works that started in autumn 2011 to lay the
04/09/2012
Four Scottish teenagers have won apprenticeships with their housing association’s maintenance contractor, City Building. The quartet beat 23 other teenagers from Sanctuary Scotland homes to get on the partnered scheme, after making their way through a rigorous recruitment process. Three of the fou
04/09/2012
An energy company that originally planned to build 21 turbines on a Scottish turbine looks set to have its most recent attempt - for just nine turbines - rejected. E.On reduced its original plans for Corsbie Moor, near Westruther in the Borders region, after negative feedback from local people. An
04/09/2012
Glasgow City Council has set aside £8.4m for repairs and maintenance at run-down homes across Glasgow. The move comes as a new report shows that repairs are needed urgently at almost half of Glasgow’s privately owned homes. According to the Glasgow Evening Times, the report finds that the worst af
04/09/2012
An Aberdeenshire construction company has featured on a TV program on the Home channel. George Knox of Findon traveled up and down the country in the search for companies to help him build a luxury house, and settled on Deeside Timberframe. The case study followed the erection of his five-bedroom
04/09/2012
Members of the public are being invited to get involved in Scotland's plans for offshore renewable energy, as the government pushes for its target of100% renewable energy by 2020. At public meetings hosted by Marine Scotland over the next few weeks, information will be on hand about the planning pr
03/09/2012
Business leaders have called on the government to test all new policies for their impact on the economy, and to fund new infrastructure projects by cutting some ties between Scottish Water and the public purse. CBI Scotland announced its priorities ahead of the Scottish Government's announcement, e
03/09/2012
New housing supply has decreased by 2%, official statistics show. Although the figures released by Scotland's Chief Statistician showed that starts on private newbuilds are up, overall the amount of new housing supply (new build, refurbishment and conversions) is down. In 2010-11, 17,267 units we
03/09/2012
A Perthshire firm has stepped in to overhaul the eco credentials of a 1948 terrace built to commemorate a Second World War hero. The Gaymer memorial cottages, in Norfolk, were built to commemorate a Gaymer family member who fought and died in the war. But they had never been modernised before and
03/09/2012
A sixth of the axed jobs at a South Ayrshire concrete factory have been saved after the firm was sold to a consortium led by its former managers. Barr Limited announced in March this year that it would close the Solway Precast plant in March, cutting 60 jobs, after sustained low demand for precast
03/09/2012
Free home insulation is to be made available across Glasgow to help householders cut their bills and their carbon footprints. The Universal Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS) previously focused on areas with high proportions of older sandstone tenements - for instance Dennistoun, Govanhill and Pollokshi
03/09/2012
Not enough women work in the Scottish construction sector. That’s the view of the networking group Association of Women in Property, set up 25 years ago to build female representation in the industry. Despite the organisation celebrating its silver anniversary last month, its chairman Jane Meneely
03/09/2012
Construction and infrastructure giant Balfour Beatty has been named as the preferred bidder for a £110m project at the University of Edinburgh. The planned Holyrood Postgraduate Student Accommodation and Outreach Centre will house 1,160 postgraduate students, as well as the University's community-b
03/09/2012
A historic Scottish castle that underwent a multimillion-pound refurbishment has beaten attractions including the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament to be rated the UK’s favourite heritage attraction. Stirling Castle was restored to its Renaissance finery at a cost of £12m and re-opened i
03/09/2012
Two Scottish construction companies have entered insolvency proceedings in the last week. Ritchie Brothers (Scotland) is in liquidation after a downturn in trading coupled with a dispute over a public sector contract. The family business, which had been operating since 1948, was based at Seafield
03/09/2012
Scotland is the most affordable part of the UK to buy a house, a new study has revealed. Mortgage payments here are just 20% of take-home pay for new borrowers, according to the Bank of Scotland. This compared favourably to the UK-wide average of 26%, adding up to good news for first-time buyers a
