Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Housebuilding work ‘not breaching rules’
A CONST RUCT ION company has claimed it is not breaking government lo c kdow n r u les a f te r re-sta rt i ng work on a housing development in Dundee.
Workers were spotted on the site of the Haddington Gardens development in Whitfield this week, in spite of Scottish Government guidance which says all non-essential construction work should cease.
Merchant Homes, the company carrying out the work, insisted the government has merely issued
“guidance”. The company has said the work is limited but is in preparation for full site opening and major operations beginning within the next fortnight, subject to further government guidance.
“You will no doubt be aware that neither UK Government nor Scottish Government legislation requires construction sites to close at this time,” a spokesman said. “There is guidance only from the Scottish Government that construction sites should close.”
The rule issued by the Scottish Government came into effect on April 6 and outlines that “no nonessential work should continue at this time”. It does however, permit work relating to Critical National Infrastructure to continue, providing social distancing is adhered to.
Work on domestic housing is expected to remain halted at this stage, subject to “limited exceptions”. Despite this, the spokesman argued the current work did not breach government rules.
He added: “Legislation requires that all businesses take all reasonable steps to comply with social distancing criteria which includes construction sites.
“This means that, legally, any construction site can remain open so long as social distancing policies are followed.”
Merchant Homes insisted that social distancing measures have been put in place on the site.
But a Scottish Government spokesman said any nonessential business that remained open was potentially risking the lives of workers.
He added: “The first minister has been absolutely clear that all construction work must cease unless, for example, it is for an NHS facility.
“While lockdown remains in place, every non-essential business that opens and every increased physical interaction, risks lockdown being in place longer. The advice to close all but essential construction sites is based on public health grounds. That remains the Scottish Government’s position.
“We expect all non-essential businesses to adopt a precautionary approach by remaining closed to protect the lives of their workers and their families.”