Scotlands Housing Expo, Inverness

[meagain]

http://www.scotlandshousingexpo.com/news.php

Though not entirely Glasgow related, there are a lot of Glesga architects in this.
Thought it deserved a thread.

If anyone can post some ongoing construction photos it would be much appreciated.

[NorthLimitation]

I'll be in the Highland Capital for the Housing Expo

[Neighbourhood Mrs]

Originally Posted by NorthLimitation

I'll be in the Highland Capital for the Housing Expo

I hope you have something to see!

At this time the site is nowhere near finished with only 8 weeks until opening.

This Expo has been fraught with problems since the beginning having got planning permission for the development on greenbelt land.
Today Highland Council agreed another £100,000 at the organisers request to keep the Expo afloat. Will it be a waste of more public monies? Time will tell.

[NorthLimitation]

Originally Posted by Neighbourhood Mrs

I hope you have something to see!

At this time the site is nowhere near finished with only 8 weeks until opening.

This Expo has been fraught with problems since the beginning having got planning permission for the development on greenbelt land.
Today Highland Council agreed another £100,000 at the organisers request to keep the Expo afloat. Will it be a waste of more public monies? Time will tell.

- another Invernessian! Stick about, we're a rare breed

I was quite confused why it's taken so long to get things going

[Neighbourhood Mrs]

Originally Posted by NorthLimitation

- another Invernessian! Stick about, we're a rare breed

I was quite confused why it's taken so long to get things going

I am indeed a local, living at Milton of Leys beside the Expo.

Unfortunately we had snow and ice much of the winter and that caused a lot of problems. Work should have started last year but delays were due to lack of finance and getting sponsors. I believe they are rather optimistic about being ready to open at the beginning of August!
I have a feeling the Expo may be reduced to the last two weeks of the month at best.
They obviously do not want to be left with egg on their faces and massive debts so are pulling out all stops. Unfortunately just recently they have run into problems in getting the specialist finishes for some of the houses which are especially made and some possibly imported.

I personally want to see much more imagination used in construction industry along with the use of more sustainble products.

Grey harled boxes around Inverness built by Tullochs are not the way forward.

[NorthLimitation]

Originally Posted by Neighbourhood Mrs

I am indeed a local, living at Milton of Leys beside the Expo.

Unfortunately we had snow and ice much of the winter and that caused a lot of problems. Work should have started last year but delays were due to lack of finance and getting sponsors. I believe they are rather optimistic about being ready to open at the beginning of August!
I have a feeling the Expo may be reduced to the last two weeks of the month at best.
They obviously do not want to be left with egg on their faces and massive debts so are pulling out all stops. Unfortunately just recently they have run into problems in getting the specialist finishes for some of the houses which are especially made and some possibly imported.

I personally want to see much more imagination used in construction industry along with the use of more sustainble products.

Grey harled boxes around Inverness built by Tullochs are not the way forward.

Tell me about it. What was once probably one of the most beautiful settlements in the UK (1950s Inverness was stunning) is quickly nose-diving towards an identikit nightmare. The only thing that keeps Inverness' reputation as a beautiful city is our older architecture, most of our modern attempts are nowhere near up to scratch

The Kitchen Restaraunt is alright, Eden Court is so-so but the rest is generally shockingly pish. It's as though we learnt nothing from the 1960s shockers of the riverside.

Is it just me, or is the Peat restaraunt beside the river (now closed of course) not the epitome of boom and bust? I'm being very kind with the word 'boom' in the first place. Also, has the new road to Milton of Leyes been opened? That must be a Godsend considering how long you've all waited for it - any shops up there yet? I know there's a school being built?

[NorthLimitation]

Expo seeks £100,000 from council
By Lorna McCann
Published: 25 May, 2010

The Housing Expo site at Balvonie Braes.

ORGANISERS of Scotland's Housing Expo, due to take place in Inverness in August, admit they are facing further financial difficulties and need a £100,000 cash guarantee from Highland Council.

Poor advance ticket sales are being blamed for the latest problem to hit the flagship event, at which visitors will be able to look around 50 new homes equipped with the latest green technology.

The council, which itself is faced with making cuts of £36 million over the next three years, has so far spent more than £3 million of public money on the eco-housing fair, including acquisition of the site at Balvonie Braes on Inverness's southern outskirts and £40,000 towards advertising and promotion costs.

Critics yesterday urged councillors not to set aside more money, claiming it could be better spent on helping to save Inverness's threatened community centres from closure.

"The council should not be funding these things, it is not our duty," insisted Councillor Roddy Balfour. "It is pure affront even to ask the council to fund them and the council should resist strongly."

The fair's business plan estimates 30,000 people will visit between 1st and 31st August but Councillor Balfour believes this figures to be "hugely ambitious".

"We are in the midst of a financial crisis and we are supposed to be custodians of the public purse," he said. "Doing this is a total waste of money and those involved should consider their positions in the council."

The expo has already been put back 12 months because of the recession and as well as disappointing advance ticket sales it has struggled to attract sponsors. The managing board, comprising councillors, representatives of other public bodies and Highland Housing Alliance, are currently reviewing the budget.

Councillor Jean Urquhart, chairman of the board, said yesterday if the money was not forthcoming they would have to scrap the event now.

"That is not possible," she said. "The houses are being built and the event will happen and people will come."

She explained that income from ticket sales would be generated throughout August.

"But we really need some of that money now to get ahead on some of the facilities. So what we are asking for is for £100,000 to be under written so we can use it just now and if all goes well with the fair we will have the money to give back."

Tomorrow councillors will be asked to underwrite the board's cash-flow up to £100,000. The money would come from the authority's planning and development budget.

Councillor Thomas Prag, a member of the ruling Independent/Lib Dem/Labour coalition, played down the significance of the request, pointing out it was a one off and not comparable to the ongoing funding of community centres.

"This is a fairly modest short-term guarantee," he said. "Of course we should not be throwing money at it (the expo) if we thought it was going to be lost but this seems like a simple cash-flow issue. There is a risk with lots of things but we have already put a lot of support behind this. Now is not the time to hold back, we are only a few months away."

However, Veronica Mitchell, chairwoman of Inverness South Community Council, argued if the planning department had £100,000 available to give to the expo then surely the authority could maintain front line services.

"They are trying to close four community centres to save £133,000," she said.

[alonzo-ny]

Can't they simply sell the houses for after the expo.

[Neighbourhood Mrs]

Originally Posted by alonzo-ny

Can't they simply sell the houses for after the expo.

The site alone cost £1.3M plus the usual additional costs in servicing the site, roads etc. Expensive landscaping of the avenue and village square.
Their is of course the actual cost of running the fair over and above the house construction costs.
52 homes in total, with a variety of types. 2,3, and a couple of 4 bed properties. No big expensive properties as such. Flats will be for rent from Cairn Housing later I believe.

Budget forecasts indicate that, as well as generating £180,000 from ticket sales, the Expo must make £80,000 from sponsorship, £27,000 from parking charges and £20,000 from brochure sales. I don't believe the sponsorship exercise was successful.

The Scottish Expo are running the show and promoting it. Over £5M in total has been put into the event so far. It is going to be very tight to recoup the monies spent so far.

[NorthLimitation]

THE leading project manager on Scotland's Housing Expo has quit just two months before the showcase event is due to take place in Inverness.

Fiona Porteous is understood to have resigned her position about two weeks ago.

Yesterday, however, she refused to comment on her reasons for stepping down.

Highland Council's Fiona Hampton, director of Highland 2007 and Highland Homecoming, has since stepped into the role.

Councillor Jean Urquhart, chairman of the expo board, confirmed yesterday Ms Porteous had resigned but she was unable to offer any explanation for the move.

"She was not directly employed," she said.

"She was working independently as project manager. These things happen - she must have other things on."

The revelation comes as it also emerges the board is seeking a further £60,000 of public money - this time from the Inverness Common Good Fund.

If granted, it is understood the money will be used to subsidise free entry to the fair for all school children in Highlands and further afield.

The application is due to be considered by members of the Inverness City Committee on Monday. However there is some confusion as to whether it will be discussed in secret.

Councillor Urquhart confirmed an application had been made but refused to go into detail, claiming the information is confidential and had been leaked.

"I really have no comment to make," she said.

"No members should be talking about pink papers and that is in the code of conduct.

"I do not approve of it."

[NorthLimitation]

Expo gets more cash from the public purse

By Lorna McCann
Published: 08 June, 2010

Taking shape - an aerial view of the latest work on the Expo site at Balvonie Braes.

A FURTHER £60,000 of public money is to be spent on funding Scotland's Housing Expo in Inverness with new plans now emerging to encourage more people to attend the event.

This time the council money will go towards subsidising free admission to the event in August for school children.

It comes less than two weeks after Highland Council agreed to underwrite the event at Balvonie Braes to the tune of £100,000 because of further financial difficulties faced by the expo board.

They blamed poor advance ticket sales and sponsorship for the problems and yesterday it emerged the board is now looking to reduce the £9 cost of tickets to encourage more people to go along.

Around 30,000 people are expected to visit the flagship event which will feature 52 homes equipped with the latest green technology.

Councillors were told yesterday the event will contribute in the region of £550,000 to £680,000 to the local economy and put Inverness on the map in terms of innovation and design.

The £60,000 from the Inverness Common Good Fund will be used by the board to operate a Kids Go Free scheme to the event.

This will give youngsters the opportunity to have a go at making crafts, developing wildlife gardens, have their face painted, develop nature trails and see the latest in energy-saving technology and products.

The majority of Inverness's councillors were supportive of the scheme with Councillor Thomas Prag insisting the legacy of the event would remain for at least the next 100 years.

"People will come to see this as part of the architectural development of Scotland," he said.

Others however, were less convinced, with Councillor Roddy Balfour claiming councillors were being asked to support a speculative commercial venture with common good money.

"I do not disagree this is a fantastic event and we do need something like this here. It is a tremendous opportunity.

"There is however a degree of propaganda and this is over egging the pudding."

Councillor John Holden agreed, saying whilst he would encourage people to attend the expo he did not want to see one penny of common good money spent on supporting it.

Around £3 million of public finance has already been spent on the eco-housing fair - a large proportion of which has come from the council, which faces making cuts in the region of £41 million over the next three years.

Geoff Robson, the local authority's head of environment and development, branded the expo an "unmissable" opportunity for the public.

The fair is expected to open from 10am until 6pm with a late night opening once a week.

Councillors voted 15-2 in favour of granting the £60,000. There was one abstention.

[NorthLimitation]

Excellent

Children get free entry to Scotland's Housing Expo

The exhibition was formerly known as the Highland Housing Fair

Highland Council has agreed to fund free entry for children to a homes exhibition to be held in Inverness in August.

A £60,000 grant has been awarded to Scotland's Housing Expo.

Last month, the local authority agreed to underwrite the show of more than 50 "cutting edge" designs by £100,000 while ticket sales picked up.

Free entry has not been sought for members and officials at the council, which is a backer of the project.

The properties are being built on a site near Milton of Leys in Inverness.

The city's provost Jimmy Gray said: "Inverness is proud to host this event and the benefits are already evident, not least through building 52 houses when housing building activity is low.

"We fully recognise the support we have received from the Scottish government to stage an event that promises to bring so much benefit to the city and the wider Highlands."

Formerly called the Highland Housing Fair, the expo will be held during the whole of August.

[NorthLimitation]

Also, going to get some early bird photies in the bag soon - my dad's involved so we're going for a quick peak soon

[NorthLimitation]

Ahhh! Here it is, couldn't find this thread for a while there! Any chances of moving it Dave / Goth / another kind soul?

[M_Riaz]

Move all of these as well Gothic while you at it will you please.

Thanks.



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[gothicform]

thanks i'll sort those out.

[NorthLimitation]

What a useful little chicken you are Mo

[NorthLimitation]

Bit of a crap story, but here we go.

2010-07-05
CITY’S HISTORICAL COBBLES FIND NEW HOME AT EXPO

Granite cobbles that once paved the streets of Inverness city centre have been given a new lease of life as part of Scotland’s Housing Expo.

In keeping with the Housing Expo’s aim to promote eco-friendly living and the use of sustainable materials, the cobbles and setts, which date back to the late 1800s, will now be incorporated in to the landscaping of the development at Milton of Leys.

Once part of Union Street and Church Street in Inverness, the cobbles formed the street surfaces until they were overlaid between the First and Second World Wars. They were excavated over a period of time over the past 10 years as part of the city’s Streetscape Scheme and have remained in storage under the protection of The Highland Council.

The incorporation of cobbles and setts support the Expo’s environmentally -friendly commitment which enabled a new use for the formerly surplus, yet historic, materials.

Inverness Provost, Councillor Jimmy Gray visited Scotland’s Housing Expo to mark the incorporation of the cobbles and setts into Scotland’s Housing Expo. Laying one of the setts, Provost Gray said: “It’s very fitting that a part of the city’s history will play a role in Scotland’s efforts to shape the future of living in Scotland and the rest of the UK.”

[NorthLimitation]

Originally Posted by ratemyflat

I am an Architect living and working in Sheffield and I have created a web site aimed at creating the UK's largest database of rental properties with real life feedback from real life people.

I have dsigned lots of residential projects- flats, houses and self build and extensions and I am passionate about the design and property industry!

I am also a tenant in a flat and dreamt up this web site from my experiences....I want to know what makes an apartment, house or bedsit truly great and I want to know what makes them truly bad.

The design could be great but if its poorly managed with smelly lifts, tatty gardens and no natural light then it may be the worst place to live... also, which cities have the best properties and which have the worst? Which developer is guilty of sin and which are worthy of praise?

I want honest people to rate where they have rented so I can help other avoid renting the worst places and also make sure the great landlords and properties achieve their proper acclaim! This could raise the bar of design and put an end to noddy boxes...

www.ratemyflat.co.uk is my labour of love and I need people to join in and help my revolution!

Please log in and get rating...please spread the word!

Ahhhh! Fuck off!

[NorthLimitation]

Videos!