CCG (Scotland) Newsletter Issue 6

Few projects typify the positive outcomes of early contractor engagement quite like Craigmillar Town Centre.

Before we go into that, we must go back to 2015. CCG (Scotland) is underway at The Schoolhouse, a development of 66 mixed-tenure homes delivered on the site of the former Niddrie Mill Primary School, including the exquisite retention of the main school building facade.

It is a site to behold to this day but the importance of the development and the precedent it set for CCG moving forward cannot be understated as our relationship with The City of Edinburgh Council 's Housing and Regeneration team, then Parc, established a housebuilding programme that has helped change the face of Craigmillar forever.

CCG's work in the west Edinburgh district since 2015 has conceived five residential developments - nearly 600 mixed-tenure homes - as well as the re-born Thistle Centre for Health and Wellbeing (former Tudsbery Centre).

The 194-home Craigmillar Town Centre development was the last project to have been delivered in 2021 but what is miraculous about this project is the delivery in itself. With a then newly-adopted approach to contractor procurement via the SPA (Scottish Procurement Alliance) , CCG was directly appointed and challenged to take the project forward, in its entirety, from concept to completion.

Challenge accepted.

With an appointed design team that included Anderson Bell + Christie and David R Murray & Associates LLP , work to realise the Council's vision for the final phase of regeneration in Craigmillar's town centre began in 2017. After just eight weeks, we had our masterplan and a collaborative working partnership with the Council’s development team helped to deliver a 20-MONTH saving on the pre-construction programme with time and cost savings only realised by early contractor engagement.

The USP to its overall delivery naturally came from CCG's capabilities in offsite Modern Methods of Construction and our integrated divisional expertise. The entire development (108 homes for affordable rent and 86 homes for mid-market rent) was constructed using CCG's 'iQ' Timber System - our timber kit programme alone was undertaken in a net period of just 33 weeks - whilst our integrated expertise ensured we were able to meet our client's expectations for quality whilst ensuring delivery.

The use of 'iQ' and the flexibility it brings to design at the Town Centre was also used as a platform for research and development. Working with Carbon Futures , six pilot homes were delivered in partnership with The Mackintosh Environmental Architecture Research Unit to Gold Aspect 1 standards (27% reduction of CO2 compared to Silver Active Section 7) to test and understand buildability and in-use performance.?

A worthy exercise that set the Council on a journey to net zero and continues with CCG to this day with over 500 net zero homes now on-site...

Not only did our collaboration realise value in pence and pounds, but it also realised value in the community with economic and social benefits of these new homes supporting that ranged from the creation of six jobs, 3 apprenticeships and 14 work placements to engagement with schools and the ￡20,000 donation of works to create a community car park.

The philosophy seen at Craigmillar Town Centre is a practice we have adopted since; most of CCG's developments currently under construction are being delivered thanks to early contractor engagement and as a result of a direct award.

By working with our clients and supply chain partners, as well as using streamlined procurement routes, we continue to deliver much-needed homes on budget at pace across the country, ensuring that we continue to address affordable housing supply whilst pioneering the carbon agenda...

And there is much more to come ...

Craigmillar Town Centre was announced as the Scottish Home Awards Housing Regeneration Project of the Year in 2021.