BUILDERS BACK ON SCOTLAND’S BIGGEST JOB
On site with new safety rules as Sighthill’s regeneration gets restarted
THE shovels were in the ground, then coronavirus hit Scotland and they were unceremoniously laid down. Three months later and with lockdown gradually easing, work on Scotland’s biggest regeneration project is now carefully restarting.
Sighthill, north of the city centre, is being transformed from an enormous 56-hectare derelict site, following the demolition of the old grey and run-down slab tower blocks, into a new community with homes, a school, which has already opened, shops, a public square, park and improved connections.
Whereas before, people were hemmed in by the M8 and the main rail line out of Queen Street station, new bridges over both and new roads and cycle ways will join the new Sighthill with the city centre and surrounding communities. George Square is just a 15-minute walk from the centre of the site.
Site preparations started as far back as 2017, with contaminated land cleaned and capped and the building of some homes started but then work had to be put on hold and dozens of workers placed on the UK Government’s furlough scheme.
The Glasgow Times told in March of staff fears when they were required to continue working despite Nicola Sturgeon telling construction companies they should close.
Glasgow City Council withdrew its staff from the site over safety fears but Morgan Sindall forced its workers to carry on, citing advice from the Westminster government.
The Scottish Government was forced to intervene, as were union bosses, and finally the site closed down.
Now steel toe-capped boots are returning to the ground and tools and machinery are back in use but not as before.
New safety rules are added to the already strict building industry, health and safety protocols to ensure no-one with coronavirus symptoms enters the site and no-one catches it when on site.
A Covid-19 checklist is completed at the vehicle entrance, then a scanner takes each worker’s temperature at the site office, to check for signs of fever.
On site, indoors and out, a strict two-metre distance rule is in place, no matter the job.
On site indoors and out, a strict two metre distance rule is in place no matter the job.
The canteen which used to house 120 workers at meal breaks can now only accommodate 20, with no face-to-face interaction.
Works manager Davie Robertson said: “Every job is risk assessed before we start. There are a lot of control measures. The way of working has changed.”
Just now Morgan Sindall is completing the ground works, laying foundations for drainage and utilities and preparing for roads and footpaths, landscaping and other works.
When it is complete, Sighthill will provide almost 1000 new homes.
The old Sighthill was a colourless concrete housing scheme, grey and drab, with only some allotments providing an oasis of nature.
The new Sighthill will have greenery around the site with 600,000 bulbs being planted, 90,000 square metres of grass seeding and more than 1200 trees in place.
Around the huge site, the work is slowly restarting, preparing for the next batch of houses to be built. The full workforce is not back on site and won’t be for some time yet until regulations allow.
Roger Reid, operations director for Morgan Sindall, said: “Like the whole of society it is a big challenge. We furloughed the whole team, including myself, for a while.
“Having the gradual start up and making the changes has allowed us to restart works.”
He said the workforce has been consulted on the measures and