Potential opportunity for gym operator at the Energy Park, Bridge of Don AM Sci Tech has announced the submission of a planning application to Aberdeen City Council, seeking a change of use for the Innovation Centre, within Aberdeen Energy Park in Bridge of Don, proposing a shift from Class 4
Aggregate Industries, part of the leading Holcim Group, has announced the appointment of Kevin Murgatroyd to its Executive Committee, as Managing Director for its Contracting business. Kevin’s promotion into this role follows more than two years with Aggregate Industries. He joined the business as Regional Director for the South in
New findings show changes to the VAT rebate scheme for the heritage sector would better safeguard the country’s fragile historic attractions, widen public access, and provide an economic boost. Historic Houses, the association that represents Britain’s independently owned historic houses, castles, and gardens, urges government to make simple changes to
If you live in a part of the country where disasters like wildfires or flooding take place often, you will probably want to consider buying homeowner’s insurance. The policy you buy should feature protections that kick in if a disaster, whether natural or otherwise, destroys or badly damages your home.
Potential opportunity for gym operator at the Energy Park, Bridge of Don AM Sci Tech has announced the submission of a planning application to Aberdeen City Council, seeking a change of use for the Innovation Centre, within Aberdeen Energy Park in Bridge of Don, proposing a shift from Class 4 (Business Use) to Class 11 (Leisure Use). This exciting proposal positions the building as an ideal home for a gym operator, meeting the growing demand for fitness and well-being facilities in the area. Located at the heart of a thriving and rapidly developing community, the Innovation Centre on Exploration Drive is a standalone building, set over two floors and measuring approximately 14,000 sq ft (1,300 sq m). It is perfectly placed to serve a diverse and growing population, offering a bright welcoming foyer, with the calming environment of a beautiful atrium, with natural light from the large glass roof. Around the atrium, it offers a generous floorplan, high ceilings and ample parking facilities, making it well-suited to be converted into a modern gym or fitness studio. Its convenient location ensures easy access for the growing number of residents, as well as professionals working within the business park. The site’s excellent transport links to Aberdeen city centre and proximity to key arterial roads (including the AWPR) add to its appeal, ensuring it is well-connected and accessible. Over recent years, since the demolition of the former Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre, the surrounding area has seen a surge in new residential developments, with hundreds of new homes currently being built and many more in the planning pipeline from leading developers like Cala and Persimmon Homes. This future influx of residents has created a significant need for local amenities, particularly fitness and leisure facilities, making this proposed change of use both timely and strategic. Overall, almost 900 homes are currently being built or are in the planning system. Gordon Pirie, Asset Manager at Aberdeen Energy & Innovation Parks said: “We are very excited to submit this Change of Use Planning Application, which we believe reflects the evolving needs of the parks and the local community. With the area undergoing significant residential growth, there is an increasing demand for high-quality leisure facilities and we believe a gym operator would thrive in this prime location. This development will not only benefit residents but also add value to the wider business park.’” Aberdeen Energy & Innovations Parks have already established itself as a key hub for commerce, with a mix of modern multi-let office and industrial units that support a diverse range of businesses. The introduction of a leisure facility such as a gym would further enhance the appeal of the park, offering an additional amenity to workers and creating a vibrant destination that promotes health and well-being. This Change of Use Planning Application comes at an exciting time for the area. Alongside the ongoing and planned residential developments, significant investment in local infrastructure is paving the way for a more connected and prosperous community. The inclusion of a gym or fitness centre would complement this growth, delivering a vital service that aligns with the needs of the local population and encouraging active, healthy lifestyles. Subject to planning approval, AM Sci Tech is keen to progress this transformation and is actively seeking expressions of interest from gym operators and leisure providers. For more information or to discuss potential opportunities, interested parties are encouraged to contact Gordon Pirie on 07525 240 453. Knight Frank and Ryden are joint agents for Aberdeen Energy & Innovation Parks. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Aggregate Industries, part of the leading Holcim Group, has announced the appointment of Kevin Murgatroyd to its Executive Committee, as Managing Director for its Contracting business. Kevin’s promotion into this role follows more than two years with Aggregate Industries. He joined the business as Regional Director for the South in 2022, managing ten Asphalt plants and the southern contracting business. Since April last year he has had overall responsibility for the Contracting division and its circa 400 employees. Taking up the Managing Director role will now see Kevin lead on the business’ strategy development, maintaining key customer relationships with National Highways and other tier one and two contractors, as well as ensuring strict compliance to sustainability targets. Aggregate Industries is a UK leader in sustainable construction, with clear and specific 2025 goals focussed on decarbonisation, nature, circular economy and people and communities. With a proven track record in a career spanning more than 25 years, Kevin has consistently led improvements in profit margins and operational efficiency, successfully mobilised high-profile contracts and implemented strategic cultural and operational changes. Commenting on his new role, Kevin said: “I’m delighted to have taken up the role of Managing Director for Aggregate Industries’ Contracting business and stepping up to the Executive Committee. Having joined the company two years ago, I can already see the incredible work Aggregate Industries offer to its customers, not only in the services and products we provide, but doing so sustainably. “To work for a company that has such a clear desire to do better for the planet, in a traditionally carbon-intensive industry is really exciting, and there’s so many strides we can take in the Contracting business especially to lower our carbon footprint in our transportation and the products we supply. I’m thrilled to be on this journey with them.” Lee Sleight, Chief Executive Officer for Aggregate Industries, said: “Kevin has a proven track record in leading the operations for a number of high-profile companies, and at the same time demonstrating significant growth and improved profit margins. Since joining us in 2022 he has shown incredible leadership skills and strategic thinking and is so very deserving of his promotion to Managing Director for our Contracting business. I look forward to working with him closer as he joins the Executive Committee at an incredible time of growth for Aggregate Industries.” Aggregate Industries is one of the UK’s leading national surfacing contractors, with over 85 years of experience delivering asphalt and hydraulically bound pavement solutions to projects nationwide. For further information, please visit www.aggregate.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
New findings show changes to the VAT rebate scheme for the heritage sector would better safeguard the country’s fragile historic attractions, widen public access, and provide an economic boost. Historic Houses, the association that represents Britain’s independently owned historic houses, castles, and gardens, urges government to make simple changes to the existing VAT rebate scheme following new research. The research, carried out by Harlow Consulting, found that government is unnecessarily exacerbating an already daunting backlog of urgently needed repairs currently costed at an estimate of £2bn (as reported by Historic Houses members)– threatening the fabric of some of the UK’s best-loved buildings. Ben Cowell, Director General of Historic Houses, said: “The average property surveyed spends around £160,000 on its repairs and maintenance each year, but the investment is diminished in value by around 18% as VAT eats into tight budgets. Given the scale of the preservation task they face, it’s not surprising that owners report that almost all money recouped from the tax (90%) would be ploughed into further much-needed work.” About 80% of Historic Houses properties open to the public are VAT-registered, meaning they can reclaim VAT-able expenditure on buildings that form part of their business operations. This can reduce net VAT payments to somewhere between 2% and 5% for those attractions. However, not all buildings qualify for VAT reclamation, including those that provide free public access, which disqualifies them from the role of ‘business operations’ that the VAT reclaim system is designed for. These sites include not just independent places represented by Historic Houses, but free attractions in the care of charities like the National Trust, such as Castlefield Viaduct in Manchester, and English Heritage, which includes Ironbridge in Shropshire, and Kenwood House in London. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) already recognises that VAT can create disincentives for the maintenance of invaluable heritage, which is why it created a multi-million-pound pot for VAT rebate grants to churches under the Listed Places of Worship Scheme (LPOW). The LPOW scheme was recently confirmed for 2025/26, to support the restoration of thousands of listed places of worship. Historic Houses estimates that extending eligibility for the existing rebate scheme to listed buildings that open to the public for at least 28 days a year would cost not much more than £6m, and yield as much as £5.5m in additional vital repairs and maintenance. On top of that, additional public access incentivised by this scheme would help direct millions of pounds worth of new economic activity to rural areas, and boost other taxable business activity, potentially netting the Treasury an overall fiscal gain. Ben said: “This targeted support would allow owners to choose the best contractors for the job, increasing the demand for specialist heritage skills, and it would encourage almost certainly encourage beneficial reinvestment of recovered VAT expenditures into additional repair and maintenance works.” James Legard, Associate Director at Harlow Consulting, said: “This report provides new insight into the impact of VAT on repair works for historic buildings. Research of this kind can help inform policies that better support the conservation of the UK’s cultural and historical assets.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
If you live in a part of the country where disasters like wildfires or flooding take place often, you will probably want to consider buying homeowner’s insurance. The policy you buy should feature protections that kick in if a disaster, whether natural or otherwise, destroys or badly damages your home. If you don’t have such a policy, it can come back to bite you. Having the proper disaster insurance policy becomes crucial if you lose everything. Many individuals and families in California face that situation at the moment. You can take a lesson from them if you don’t have the right policy in place for your home yet. Now, let’s take a few moments to talk about how to get your insurance company to pay promptly after a disaster if one ever happens to damage or destroy your home. Contact Them as Soon as Possible First, you should know that reaching out as soon as possible after a disaster damages or destroys your home can only benefit you. Conversely, if you decide to wait for any reason, that will probably delay the moment when you’re holding a reimbursement check in your hands. You might have a lot on your mind if a fire or some other disaster damages your home and possessions. However, you need to prioritize contacting the insurance company. If you wait, then that pushes back the date you’ll get the money that’s your just due. Keep that in mind and make the initial contact with your insurance company as soon as you get a moment. Pay Attention to What the App or Website Says You Need You probably will find an app or website where you can contact your insurance company after a disaster. Maybe you have a card from them with that information on it. Failing that, you may have some paperwork. Of course, if the disaster damaged or destroyed your home, then you may not have that paperwork or that card anymore. Find the right way to contact your insurance company online. It shouldn’t prove too difficult. When you look at what the website says about filing a claim, take note of what the company says you need. Every company might have slightly different requirements. If you pay attention to what they say they need and make sure you have it handy when you contact them, that should help you. If you don’t have everything that they say they need, that will delay this whole process. Talk to Someone and Note Their Name and Operator Number When you contact the insurance company, it is probably best that you talk to someone on the phone. Don’t email the company. If you do, they might take days or weeks to get back to you, and you definitely don’t want that. By speaking to someone on the phone, you make it much more likely the company will start your claim process without delay. You should also take down the name of the person you talk to. They might also have an operator number. Get that as well. Take note of what they say about the steps they’ll put on motion that same day. Make sure you get a good idea of what kind of timetable you’re looking at for getting your money. Make the person you speak to give you as many details as possible. If you don’t think you can remember everything they say, you can always record the conversation with your smartphone. Most cell phones these days will easily let you record a conversation. You might also download an app that lets you do that if your current phone does not have that capability. Get Lots of Video Footage and Take Lots of Pictures Many times, to get the money you’re due, you will need to take lots of pictures and video of the damage. You can do that with the average smartphone as well, since they virtually all have cameras these days. If you need to take dozens of pictures, then do that. Do whatever the person you spoke to said you needed to do. Then, get the pictures and videos to your insurance company without delay. Follow that up by calling them again to make sure they got the pictures and videos. Again, note the date and time you made contact, as well as the operator’s name to whom you spoke. If they need you to fill out any forms online as well, do that. You need to keep at this with dogged persistence to get the best results. Continue Reaching Out Regularly Once you do everything the insurance company mentioned, you should continue contacting them often. Maybe you’ll annoy them a bit, but that’s not your concern. If you’re homeless or have very little left after the disaster, then the insurance company feeling annoyed shouldn’t bother you. Keep note of the updates they give you. If they need to send someone out to look at the damage, do all you can to accommodate that. If you need to meet with this person and show them the property, set up a time when you can do it. Contact a Lawyer if That Becomes Necessary If you do everything we mentioned, then you will probably get your check sooner rather than later. If you don’t, though, then you can always contact a lawyer who can help you with this situation. Hopefully, you won’t have to hire them. You can always threaten the insurance company with legal action if they’re dragging their feet, though. If you need to contact a lawyer and have them go after the insurance company, that’s not ideal, but sometimes, it has to happen. Many insurance companies will pay you without any issues, but some will try delaying tactics or to give you less money than you feel you’re due. If that happens, and you need a lawyer’s help, then contact one who knows about this area of the law.
