Plans to develop a world-class research and technology centre at the University of Strathclyde have been given the go-ahead by Glasgow city planners.

The Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) will bring together academics and partners from industry and business – from across the international scene – to develop solutions to challenges which are central to economic regeneration and to address key technological challenges faced by society. It is due to be open for business in 2014.

Professor Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde, said: "Today’s news marks an important milestone in a development which will reinforce our position as a leading international technological university, attract major inward investment to the city, create jobs and help businesses compete on the world stage.

Image: Strathclyde TIC, 'Enables world-class researchers to work side-by-side with business'

Hub North Scotland has appointed Angus Macfarlane as chief executive. Comprising Alba Community Partnerships, 18 Participants and the Scottish Futures Trust, hub North Scotland aims to deliver £435 million of community facilities over the next 10 years.  

 Angus said: “My knowledge and experience of establishing new businesses and joint venture partnering will benefit hub North Scotland in both implementing its development and growth strategy, as well as establishing on-going long term relationships with our partners.

“As we move forward, hub North Scotland, along with its partners, will strive to bring value for money to the projects we secure, create jobs in the local communities where we work and secure the involvement of local sub-contractors where possible.”

Angus Macfarlane: 'Implementing development and growth strategy'

A £6 million Scottish Land Fund is being launched today (20 February 2012) to help rural communities buy local land. The funding will be delivered by Big Lottery Scotland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Launching the fund at Galson Estate in Sutherland, environment minister Stewart Stevenson said: “Galson Estate, which today marks its fifth anniversary in community ownership, is a fantastic example of what a community buyout can achieve.

“Community land ownership can bring tremendous benefits both to communities themselves and Scotland as a whole. Land ownership is key to building independent, resilient rural communities and creating a sense of confidence and community empowerment.

Work is underway in Irvine to create an international class innovation and industrial investment location in the south-west of Scotland. 

At i3 – Irvine Industry and Innovation park – landscaping work is already underway to transform the appearance of the site. This will include the removal of accumulated rubbish and dereliction from parts of the surrounding area.

The awarding of contracts follows hard on the heels of the Scottish Government announcement that an Enterprise Area would be created in Irvine, focussing on life sciences – with i3 forming the key part of the Enterprise Area.

Formerly called Riverside Business Park, i3 is now a major part of the plan to attract inward investors to the area. Working with Scottish Enterprise, the idea is to market the extensive park in three distinct campuses, innovation, industry and investment. 

Clydebank Re-built Urban Regeneration Company (URC) has received £350,000 from the Scottish Government to deliver workshop space at Clydebank East.

Working through the West HubCo, Clydebank Re-built will use the funding to lever a further £250,000 from other public and private sector organisations.  With existing funding in place, this new allocation will take the budget for the project to £2.1 million.

Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, said: “Community regeneration remains a significant platform of our regeneration strategy and this announcement reflects our commitment to support communities to make a difference locally.

“Clydebank Re-built is addressing a fundamental need locally to create more workshop space and this project will go some way to meeting the demand.  As we continue to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit and new business start-ups, we need to put the infrastructure in place to support business generation, jobs and economic growth.”

Eleanor McAllister, managing director of Clydebank Re-built, said: "The new money will help create over 20 new jobs in the area and allow us to take forward the development of the Clydebank East site for workshops and small factory units off Glasgow Road."

Image: The Titan Crane, symbol of Clydebank's regeneration

The announcement yesterday (Monday 13 February 2012) that the Programme Board of the East Central hub Territory – comprising 17 public bodies – has formed the East Central hub Scotland Limited, (a joint venture company with a private sector consortium) will be welcomed by Scotland's construction firms as a boost to securing future work. 

The deal by the local authorities, health boards and other public bodies in the Tayside, Fife and Forth Valley areas will help secure long-term opportunities for local employment, as the region’s pipeline of work is valued at £500m over the next ten years.  

The private sector consortium comprises two Stirling-based companies, Robertson and the FES Group, along with Amber Infrastructure, an investor in social infrastructure projects.

The East Central hub Territory partners include:  Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Perth & Kinross and Stirling Councils, as well as Central Scotland Fire and Rescue, Central Scotland Police, Fife Fire and Rescue, Fife Constabulary, NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Tayside, Tayside Fire and Rescue and Tayside Police.

The multi-million Lomondgate regeneration scheme on the A82 at Dumbarton has just received a major boost – the opening of Scotland’s first Drive Thru Costa Coffee outlet. 

The 1,850 sq ft outlet, which was built by contractors on behalf of the Walker Group and handed over for fit-out by Costa at the end of October, features a striking curved building offering seating both indoors and outside for around 100 people. It is only the fourth Drive Thru in the UK. 

It forms part of Lomondgate Services, along with the adjacent £4.1m Premier Inn Hotel and Malt & Myre pub/restaurant.  A petrol filling station and other roadside facilities and visitor services are also planned. 

Mike Edward, The Walker Group’s development director, said: “It is amazing to see Lomondgate really coming to life after so many years in the planning. To have the first Drive Thru Costa Coffee on the site is a major coup and a tremendous vote of confidence in the whole project.” 

Argyll and Bute Council is to kick-start the regeneration of Dunoon waterfront via £8.6 million funding. The project is part of the council’s CHORD project, which aims to regenerate the five coastal towns of Campbeltown, Helensburgh, Oban, Rothesay and Dunoon.

The council’s Dunoon improvements include changes to the road layout in front of the Queen’s Hall, creating external space for exhibitions, events and displays. A contribution will also be made to improve passenger facilities at the ferry terminal, adjacent to the Queen’s Hall.

In a major transformation, a number of services and facilities will be brought together in the Queen’s Hall, making it an attractive destination for visitors and residents. 

The building will be extended, a learning centre introduced and the main hall and stage improved. There will also be a large soft play area for family visitors to use in all weathers. Once completed, it is hoped the Queen’s Hall facilities will help encourage people to spend more time and money in Dunoon, boosting the local economy and supporting other investments such as the tourism development at Castle Toward.

Image: Queen's Hall on Dunoon waterfront

The 1.1million sq ft Collegelands development on the east side of Glasgow’s city centre will see its first office block – at 220 High Street – open its doors to office staff this week.

When complete, Collegelands will comprise Glasgow’s first new city centre quarter in decades, featuring over 1.1million square feet of commercial and residential space when complete.  The development has been created through a partnership between Glasgow City Council and Dawn Group.

The project has seen the reclamation of the former College Goods Railway Yard at High Street / Duke Street, a site that lay vacant for more than 40 years.

The first phase of the scheme includes: 102,000 square feet of office space; student accommodation units, offering 600 bed spaces; and a 1220 space multi-storey car park. The student accommodation is already full and the car park opened in late 2011.

Korean giant Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) is to base its first European offshore wind project in Fife, an inward venture that the Scottish Government says is worth up to £100m and is expected to create more than 500 new jobs in Scotland.

The announcement came at the Scottish Offshore Wind and Supply Chain Conference in Aberdeen. 

In conjunction with its decision to develop its offshore wind technology at the Energy Park in Fife, SHI has signed a multimillion pound deal with East Kilbride-based David Brown Gear Systems (David Brown), to supply gearbox systems for its next generation offshore wind turbine. David Brown is owned by Clyde Blowers.

SHI will now work closely with Scottish Enterprise and Fife Council under a strategic agreement to develop the company’s ambitious project in Fife. Subject to successful test and demonstration gear box assembly, blade manufacturing and other processes would be carried out in Scotland. 

SHI activities at Methil will be subject to the appropriate planning consent.

Samsung’s announcement follows investments by other companies including Taqa, Avaloq, FMC Technologies, Aker, Ineos, PetroChina, Dell, Gamesa, BNY Mellon, State Street, Amazon, Hewlett-Packard and Mitsubishi Powers Systems.

First Minister Alex Salmond, said: “Samsung’s choice of Scotland as their first base in Europe for renewable technology development is testament to the fact this country is fast becoming the European centre for research and development in new offshore wind technologies. 

Image: Fife Energy Park

Another £1.75 million of Government funding has been committed to the V&A at Dundee over the next three years. It brings total Scottish Government support for the project to more than £18 million, including the £15 million capital investment already confirmed.

The £1 billion transformation of Dundee’s Waterfront spans 240 hectares stretching 8km along the River Tay.  As Scotland’s second-largest regeneration scheme, Dundee Waterfront is now in the top twenty such projects throughout the UK.  The waterfront’s flagship project is the V&A’s new £45m museum, which is due to open in 2015.

The new £1.75 million revenue funding was announced by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop on a visit to Dundee’s waterfront where the new museum will be built. Preparatory work at the site began earlier this week.

Image: Marine soundings begin at V&A Dundee's waterfront site

Exemplar Properties is to buy Edinburgh’s most prestigious development site, in a dramatic entry on to Scotland’s large-scale development scene, according to Property Week.

The London developer is believed to be paying around £65m for the Scottish capital’s Quartermile — a half-built mixed-use scheme that was put up for sale by Gladedale Group.

It beat bidders such as Moorfield and Axa Real Estate Investment Managers, and is believed to be in talks with several funders to form a joint venture to complete the development. Of these, Area Property Partners is the frontrunner.

Full story here

After many years of planning, work has started on site to build Inverness Campus.

Morgan Sindall, Highlands and Islands Enterprise's (HIE's) contractor, moved onto the land at Beechwood at the end of last week to start the site set-up, creating a base for up to 250 workers over the course of the project.

From 2015 Inverness Campus will be home to a number of business, education, and community partners including Inverness College UHI, the Centre for Health Science, the Scottish Agricultural College, Albyn Housing Society and the Calman Trust.

Community and sports facilities, as well as opportunities for other research and education partners and business activity will follow.

Image: Inverness Campus, 'Vital for long term growth of Highlands and Islands'

Lifestyle hotel company Malmaison is to open its first new hotel since concluding a refinancing agreement last year. An agreement to lease has been concluded for a new 91 bedroom hotel in Dundee.

The new Dundee Malmaison is being created on the site of the old Tay Hotel, a listed city centre landmark building and will be Malmaison’s 13^th hotel. Bounded by Whitehall Crescent to the north and west and Dock Street to the south and east, the redevelopment will start in spring 2012 with completion expected in May 2013, creating 120 new jobs

The new hotel is the latest high profile investment attracted to Dundee Waterfront, and joins a growing number of local businesses choosing to locate in the area.

The vacant Tay Hotel is being redeveloped by M.E.C. Services (International) Ltd. The developer will work closely with the Malmaison team to create an international standard lifestyle boutique hotel.  

Image: V&A on Dundee waterfront (centre-left)

Dr Mark Robertson of Ryden comments on Finance Secretary John Swinney’s announcement on Scotland’s Enterprise Areas:

“Ryden welcomes the Scottish Government's confirmation of the four Enterprise Areas. Today’s (18 January) rise in Scottish unemployment highlights the need for initiatives, such as EAs, to bring jobs to locations across the country and generally make Scotland more attractive to high growth firms and inward investors.

“The incentives on offer, which are expected to include reduced business rates, will provide a boost for small to medium companies in the designated EAs, in sectors such as renewable energy and where we anticipate new investment and growth.

Image: Dr Mark Robertson, 'EAs will be targeted heavily at occupiers rather than developers or investors'  

Opinion: Doug Smith, CBRE Scotland’s chairman, comments on today’s announcement of four Enterprise Areas:

The announcement today (17 January) by the Scottish Government that a number of new Enterprise Areas are to be designated is welcome news for the Scottish economy and the Scottish property sector.

Some observers may wrongly look to previous Enterprise Zones as the template for this latest tool in the economic toolbox, but in reality these new Enterprise Areas are much different.

The focus this time has been to identify sectors of the economy offering growth and, by implication, employment potential. Having identified these, Enterprise Area status is then applied as a means of accelerating and enhancing that potential in a limited number of locations.

Image: Doug Smith, 'any mechanism which encourages investment is to be welcomed'

Four enterprise areas comprising 14 strategic sites are to be created in Scotland. The Scottish Government’s aim is to focus on “dynamic industries with the greatest potential to create new employment opportunities, stimulate private investment and boost economic growth”.

Finance Secretary John Swinney announced the 14 sites while on a visit to Glaxosmithkline in Irvine this afternoon (17 January). 

The Glaxosmithkline site will form part of the Life Sciences Enterprise Area. Scotland's life sciences industries have an annual turnover of £3 billion and Irvine will be joined by sites in Moray, the Highlands, Edinburgh and Midlothian.

There are two proposed Enterprise Areas for Low Carbon and Renewables. The Renewable Energy Enterprise East Area will comprise the Port of Dundee and the Port of Leith, while the Renewable Energy Enterprise North Area will focus on Hatson and Lyness in Orkney, Arnish in the Western Isles and Nigg and Scrabster in the Highlands.

Image: Port of Dundee

First Minister Alex Salmond has signed an energy development agreement with Masdar, an Abu Dhabi-based renewables developer. 

The signing at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi follows discussions between the FM and Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Chief Executive of alternative energy company Masdar, during the FM’s visit to the UAE in November last year. 

In the first agreement of its kind between Masdar and a nation, the framework outlines a detailed plan of activity to deliver tangible clean energy projects. The agreement focuses on development opportunities, investment in low carbon projects, technological cooperation, policy making and best practice initiatives.

WORK is poised to begin on the first phase of the £14 million Clyde Gateway East Business Park, in Glasgow’s East End. The project marks Glasgow’s first major new-build industrial scheme in over three years.

Developer SCOT Sheridan will create 57,500 sq ft of modern, flexible business accommodation in three separate buildings at the park, which has a prime location off the newly completed M74 just four miles from Glasgow city centre. The development is accessed close to Junction 2a of the Motorway.
 

Work begins this week (16 January) on the next phase of breathing new life into Trinity Church, one of Irvine’s historic landmark buildings.

Clark Contracts has been appointed to carry out a package of advance works – designed to prepare the site in advance of the main redevelopment works and to provide additional information for the main tender.

The project sees another major step taken in the Irvine town centre initiative and also on the town’s Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme, supported by Historic Scotland.

The advance works would also cover issues such as utilities, statutory consents and archaeological interests. It is expected to take approximately eight weeks to complete this stage. The main redevelopment works will start later this summer, continuing until spring of 2013. 

A team of 150 workers is fitting out the Eastgate office building near Bridgeton Cross, to ensure that it opens on time in Spring 2012 for occupation by Glasgow Community & Safety Services.

The 6000 sq m building, which is being funded by Aviva Investments and being built by Dawn Construction, is on time and budget.  The external cladding is in place as is all of the glazing, and the majority of on-going works are connected with the internal fit-out.

Councillor George Redmond, a member of the Clyde Gateway Board, said: "The pace of work at Eastgate has been astonishing and everyone locally is delighted that everything is on schedule to open early next year.

"I’ve met a fair number of local people who have been working on Eastgate all year long and there’s no doubt they’ve been very happy to have been given the opportunity.  I’m really looking forward to the office opening and the staff from GCSS coming to the East End to play their part in the on-going regeneration success story."

Glasgow, Leeds and Cardiff City Councils have joined forces to launch a Commission into the Future of Local Government.  A key component of the joint initiative is a Call for Evidence, inviting individuals and organisations to express views on possible new ways of collaborative working through the concept of Civic Enterprise.

The concept is based on the premise that services built on real partnership between the public, private and third sectors will lead to enhanced quality of life outcomes for local people. This means pooling the sectors’ combined strengths to bring greater efficiency and dynamism to service delivery, while ensuring fairness and accountability throughout.

The aim of the Commission is to produce a report that reassesses the potential role of local government in the future, suggesting practical actions that could revitalise local democracy and public service, and enable greater ‘civic’ responsibility from businesses, public agencies and the third sector. 

The proposed blueprint for Aberdeen's future development has been backed by independent Reporters appointed by Scottish Government, following a detailed examination.

The Proposed Local Development Plan identifies land to meet the housing and employment land allocations laid out in the most recent Aberdeen City and Shire Structure Plan [2009]. It also contains policies which meet the aims and objectives of the Structure Plan.

Aberdeen will accommodate at least half of the new housing and employment land required to meet the strategic needs of the North-east over the next 20 years. This means that greenfield sites for 21,000 new homes and 175 hectares of employment land are required up to 2030.

Image: 'The Plan proposes 10,000 homes on brownfield sites and 5,000 in regeneration areas' 

This week sees the Scottish Government publish an infrastructure pipeline comprising more than 50 major projects and 30 programmes across Scotland.

The government says that these have been identified as the key capital investments for delivering growth, supporting jobs and keep Scotland’s economy moving “despite savage Westminster cuts to the Scottish Government”s capital budget” and the Chancellor”s Autumn Statement, which was “far too little, far too late”.

Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment said the publication of the Infrastructure Investment Plan demonstrates Scottish Government action, but also underlines the “urgent and pressing case” for substantial new borrowing powers to allow even more investment.

Neil said: "This week I will publish a plan to invest billions in more than 80 major capital projects and programmes. They are all significant developments that will both boost growth and deliver a lasting legacy that benefits generations to come.”

Image: Forth Replacement Crossing

Scotland’s largest group of Category 'A' Listed buildings at risk, the Broadford Works in Aberdeen, is set for regeneration and restoration.

A planning application has been submitted to restore the vast abandoned site, to create a major mixed-use scheme. Proposals include residential development, retail space, places to eat, a nursery, and new public spaces that will allow public access for the first time in its history.

A cross-sector Steering Group, led by The Prince's Regeneration Trust, has put together the proposed strategy which will be delivered in phases over time. 

Other members of this group include site owner Ian Suttie, Aberdeen City Council, Historic Scotland, Tenant First House Co-operative, and architects and planning consultants, Halliday Fraser Munro. 

Image: 3.5 hectare site contains over 100 buildings close to Aberdeen city centre

Glasgow's International Financial Services District (IFSD) has attracted 15,500 jobs over the past ten years, according to an economic study commissioned by Scottish Enterprise to coincide with the District's tenth anniversary.

The list of companies creating jobs in the IFSD over the past ten years includes some of the biggest names in global finance, such as Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Barclays Wealth, BNP Paribas, HSBC, esure and Aon.

The new study, undertaken by EKOS, reveals that in the ten years since the IFSD's launch in 2001, some 2.75 million sq ft of new or significantly upgraded Grade A office space has been created in the IFSD, along with 1,600 hotel rooms, 700 residential apartments and 100,000 sq ft of retail and leisure floorspace. 

Image: IFSD by night

Massive investment programme moves step closer

The start of construction on around £500m of public sector infrastructure projects in the South West of Scotland moved a step closer today (30 November 2011), when the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) announced the shortlist of three bidders who will now go through to the final stages of the tendering process.

The shortlisted bidders are:

*Triarch (comprising Laing O’Rourke PLC, Hochtief Concessions AG, Dawn Group Limited and Currie & Brown UK Limited) 

*WMS Partnership (comprising Wellspring Partnership – Morgan Sindall Group PLC, Apollo Capital Projects Limited, Community Solutions Investment Partners Limited – Miller Corporate Holdings Limited and Cyril Sweet Group PLC 

*Alliance Community Partnerships (comprising Equitix Holdings Limited, Kier Scotland, Galliford Try PLC, Davis Langdon LLP and John Graham Holdings Limited) were chosen from seven applications by the SFT and the South West hub programme board.

Comments on the implications of the Autumn Statement welcome, send to Stewart@compropscotland.com

Support for property, but concerns remain – British Property Federation (BPF): 

Given the perilous state of public finances and the economic maelstrom at home and abroad, the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement went about as far as the property industry could have reasonably hoped today.

With many of the announcements widely trailed ahead of time, there were few surprises. Notable successes included the Chancellor dismissing the spectre of a Financial Transactions Tax (FTT), continuing to support reform of the planning system and moves to kick-start house building and mortgage lending – all of which the BPF has been encouraging the government to deliver.

While the National Infrastructure Plan, which supports the creation of 35 road and rail projects, was welcome, the BPF was left frustrated with government missing an opportunity to unleash enterprise zones to go for growth. 

As things stand, the zones are unlikely to attract developers to build within them without extending the capital allowances on offer. With many of the zones currently being empty plots of land, the need to incentivise developers to build is great. 

Liz Peace, BPF’s chief executive, said: “Given the financial climate, there were never going to be mass handouts and tax cuts in the Autumn Statement. That being said, there were several announcements that the property industry will want to throw its weight behind and support."

The property industry has strongly backed government plans to attract pension funds to invest in infrastructure, but warns that the overall scale of the UK’s infrastructure challenge is beyond what can be afforded by the public or private sector. 

Innovative solutions, such as tax increment financing (TIF), need to be implemented as soon as possible, says the British Property Federation (BPF). 

The BPF is also urging the UK government to examine whether REITs (real estate investment trusts) could provide a better and simpler vehicle for investing in infrastructure. 

Image: Pension funds to pay for infrastructure like motorways?

The new owner of the Artizan Shopping Centre in Dumbarton, La Salle Investment Management, is finalising plans for its proposed £5m redevelopment of the dilapidated centre. 

The plans include creating a glass frontage to the Centre, a canopy covering the entire shopping area and a mixed-use upper floor for office and leisure purposes.  By attracting a variety of new retailers, the developers believe that around 150 new jobs could be created.

Simon Usher of La Salle Investment Management said: “The Artizan Shopping Centre sits at the heart of Dumbarton’s High Street and its redevelopment is vitally important in creating a vibrant town centre.  It has suffered in the current economic climate and from a lack of investment.  We believe it has significant potential and have the funds in place to carry out the refurbishment. 

“Our plans to remodel the shopping centre will make the Artizan an attractive environment for shoppers, existing retailers and attracting new occupiers to the site.  The upper floor redevelopment we see as perfect for creating a gym, crèche, soft play area, bars, restaurants or offices.

Government and business must adopt a two-pronged approach to deliver both short and long-term solutions to the housing crisis, says the CBI. 

In its report, Unfreezing the housing market, the CBI says boosting housing activity could be a major game-changer for growth and economic recovery, and that a well-functioning housing market is a “critical precursor” to long-term economic health.

The CBI is calling on the Government to rise to the twin challenge with a two-pronged solution, to get the housing market moving in the short-term and help tackle structural failures to ensure long-term stability.

Short-term recommendations include introducing a Mortgage Indemnity Guarantee (MIG) insurance scheme to enable first-time buyers to take out low-deposit mortgages, allowing them to access savings locked up in their personal pension pots to boost their deposits.

The Big Lottery Fund is pumping £9 million into the Community Spaces Scotland scheme, an initiative aiming to rejuvenate local areas throughout the country. 

The fund will improve local spaces and places by developing allotments, parks and community gardens, as well as improving village halls and community centres. 

Speaking in Loanhead at the launch of Community Space Scotland, Jackie Killeen, Big Lottery Fund Scotland’s director, said: "We all know of those outdoor and indoor spaces in the heart of our local areas that with some care and attention could make our communities better places to live."

At the end of another brick'n week when Andy Murray crashed out of the French Open, editor Stewart McIntosh reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of the bricks and mortar game:

Monday 30 May

Not all developers hate their local planners. Tim Allan, of Dundee-based developer Unicorn Property Group, told us that his ‘forward thinking Council has led the way in a bold regeneration of the Dundee Waterfront and has followed rhetoric with hard money and action’.

Tuesday 31 May

Consumer confidence is flat on its back. A shudder ran along the high street with the news that 77% of British people are pessimistic about their job prospects, turning us into ‘a nation of savers’, according to the latest figures from the Nielsen Company and the British Retail Consortium. 

Wednesday 1 June

There’s still some fizz left in the pub trade. Alan Gordon of agents DM Hall argued that lenders should be rolling out the barrel for would-be pub purchasers – there are licensed trade ‘gems’ available on the market.

Residents in Skye are racing against the clock as they pull together the final parts of a funding package to buy a massive 440 hectares of Sleat woodland for their community.

The Sleat Community Trust (SCT) must secure £336,000 before the month is out. Highlands and Islands Enterprise is the latest to invest in the project with a £72,000 grant.

Community ownership of Tormore Forest will provide a wide range of benefits, offering the means to generate income which can be used for community development projects. 

The Trust is managed by a team of 12 local directors on behalf of around 450 members and the wider community. It has widespread community support for a number of plans which will improve amenities in the Sleat peninsula.

Local people get their big chance to help shape the future of Irvine Bay when Irvine Bay Regeneration Company holds its Annual Public Meeting on March 24th.
 

The organisation charged with breathing new life into the five towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats, Stevenston, Kilwinning and Irvine received welcome news recently, when – despite difficult economic conditions – the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise joined with North Ayrshire Council in maintaining existing levels of support for the company’s work, ending a period of uncertainty.
 

Image: Ardrossan North Shore, where Irvine Bay's partnership with Peel Holdings/Clydeport will create a £70m mixed use scheme on a former oil refinery site

Law firm HBJ Gateley Wareing's social housing and regeneration department has maintained the top Tier 1 position in this year's Legal 500, the UK legal directory.
 
Headed by Heather Pearson, a partner with the firm for over 15 years, the 10 strong team has worked on a number of high profile deals - including Dunedin Canmore Housing Association's acquisition of multi-development sites in Edinburgh, Midlothian and West Lothian. Other clients include Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, Weslo Housing Management, Hillcrest Housing Association, Link Housing Association and Unity Bank Trust.
 

A significant step in the reconstruction of one of the UK's most iconic buildings has been taken with a topping out ceremony at Marischal College.

The ceremony took place on the highest point in the 100-year-old A-listed building, which is being transformed into Aberdeen City Council's new civic headquarters by contractors Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd.

Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Peter Stephen, The Lord said: "This is a significant and exciting step forward in the Marischal College renovation programme. The topping out ceremony marks the hard work carried out to date, not only by the firms involved but also by council officers who have ensured that the work has continued apace and considerably below the budget originally set for it. Marischal College is a remarkable, stunning and world-renowned building which the people of Aberdeen are extremely proud of. It is fitting that Marischal College should be a public building for the people of the city."

Argyll and Bute Council has decided not to part-fund a yacht berthing facility in Oban Bay. The decision was made following the conclusion of a second report into the proposed facility by AECOM, the independent consultancy appointed to assess the viability of the proposal.

The council will now investigate how the £900,000 allocated to Oban Bay and Harbour development should now be spent. The proposal was part of Argyll and Bute's £30 million CHORD programme which aims to assist regeneration and economic development in five towns - Campbeltown, Helensburgh, Oban, Rothesay and Dunoon. The idea of a yacht facility was originally put forward by Oban Bay Marine (OBM), which had requested that CHORD funding be used to provide £900,000 towards the total cost.

The multi-million pound project to reconnect |Dundee city Centre with its waterfront is ahead of schedule. Work on realigning the on/off ramps at the Tay Road Bridge to create a crucial new road junction finished weeks before it was due.

The new junction, at the foot of the widened off ramp adjacent to the Tayside House council HQ, will allow drivers to turn right as well as left, after a gap was created in the central reservation.
Dave Doig of DD One, the city's traders group, said: "It is great to see that work is ahead of schedule with minimum disruption to date. DD One welcomes ongoing dialogue with the project team to ensure feedback and concerns from city centre businesses are taken on board. We hope that work continues on schedule, with minimum disruption, and look forward to the benefits it will bring local residents and people visiting Dundee."

RICS Scotland announces results of top property awards.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in Scotland has announced the winners of its property awards, which recognise the achievements of land, property and construction professionals.

The winners in the four categories are:

Sustainability: Roseisle Distillery, Elgin

Building Conservation: The Old Schoolhouse, Logie

Regeneration: Maxim Office Park, Eurocentral, North Lanarkshire

Community Benefit: New Campus, North Glasgow College, Glasgow

Plans to regenerate Portpatrick via a marina complex have been holed below the waterline.

The scheme for the Dumfries & Galloway town had been redesigned following an earlier refusal, but although it had the backing of planning officials the project was rejected by the local Wigtown area councillors - who were supported by the local community council and the Portpatrick Trust.

Opponents claim that the project would have a negative impact on the listed harbour and was out of character with the town's conservation area.

The application included the installation of pontoons, along with construction of a harbour office, flats, a bar, a restaurant, workshop and storage facilities.

LOCHGELLY took its first step towards a dramatic expansion, and future of low carbon dwelling, when the Charrette was officially launched last night (Monday, 8 March).

One of only three schemes in Scotland to be part of the charrette process, which involves an intense period of consultation about urban design, Lochgelly is the only one being promoted and led by its local authority.

The proposed new development includes 1,750 new houses, 100 acres of employment land as well as open space. The Lochgelly project aims to provide a model for sustainable community living, developed with extensive public consultation and with a focus on implementing innovative solutions. In particular, the aim is to promote energy efficiency including consideration of density, low carbon output, green space and active travel.

LOCHGELLY COMMUNITY caught a glimpse of how its town and surroundings might look in the next 15 to 20 years, when renowned architect Andres Duany and his team delivered an interim review of their designs.

Members of the public gathered in Lochgelly Town Hall last night, Thursday, 11 March, to view potential plans and drawings and to hear Andres Duany describe the vision which the design 'Charrette' has produced so far.

The closing presentation takes place on Saturday, 13 March in Lochgelly Town Hall, where members of the public are encouraged to attend and to hear Duany present his final proposals for the long term future of Lochgelly.

To keep up to date with events taking place at the Charrette visit the website, www.scotlandcharrettelochgelly.co.uk

Link Group, the Falkirk-based social housing and regeneration specialists, will soon bid farewell to Brenda Higgins, their well-known director of regeneration and development.Brenda has decided to stand in June in order to devote more time to her other interests and commitments.

Brenda has been a stalwart on the Scottish housing scene for a long time, having started at Viewpoint as assistant housing manager in 1984 then as director at various associations, culminating in her current position at Link. Brenda has also been a member of several housing association boards, forums and working groups.

Link's Chairman, Robbie Robertson said: "Having driven Link's development, community regeneration, wider role, building for sale and new initiatives such as the LIFT Open Market Shared Equity Pilot since joining us nearly ten years ago, Brenda has contributed significantly to Link's growth and good reputation.

"I'm sure everyone will join me in wishing her good health and good fortune in her future adventures."

The first phase proposals for an ambitious mixed-use scheme in West Lothian have been given the thumb-up from locals.

An April 28th exhibition on the latest phase of the Armadale Station development revealed "overwhelming" support to plans for 170 homes, a 60 bed care home and associated roads, footpaths, landscaping, play area and SUDS (sustainable urban drainage system).

Armadale Station is a comprehensive redevelopment of former opencast brownfield site to the south of Armadale, within the Armadale Core Development Area (CDA).

The development plan is focused around a new railway serving the proposed Bathgate/Airdrie rail link. The CDA seeks to create a sustainable community of up to 2,000 houses and 35 hectares of employment land.

A proposal of application notice for the residential and care home elements has been lodged with West Lothian Council. Work will start on site this year should planning permission be granted within four months of submission.

Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) has appointed Alex McGuire as its new Executive Director of Development and Regeneration.

Alex, 44, joined GHA in April 2008 as Head of Investment, with responsibility for the city-wide capital investment, revenue, repairs and maintenance programmes.

He became Acting Executive Director of Housing and Customer Services last year.  A father of three, Alex grew up in Armadale, West Lothian, and was educated at Napier University in Edinburgh.

His remit in his new role at GHA includes overseeing the delivery of around 3000 new-build houses for tenants, while continuing the massive investment programme required to modernise homes and make them warmer, safer and drier.

Martin Armstrong, GHA Chief Executive, said: "Alex's commitment to improving homes and communities, as well as driving continuous service improvement, make him the ideal candidate to help lead GHA as we step up our efforts to become a first-class landlord."

Alex said: "I'm thrilled to be given this great opportunity to help GHA play a major role in the regeneration of Glasgow. I look forward to working with staff, tenants and our partners to create homes and communities the people of Glasgow are proud to live in."

www.gha.org.uk