Scotland’s hottest comedian will give some light hearted relief to the housing industry as guest speaker at the third annual Scottish Home Awards which takes place in four week’s time.

Kevin Bridges will entertain a 500 strong audience at the show which celebrates the best new homes built in Scotland and takes place on Thursday 17 June 2010 in Edinburgh.

Bridges, currently on a UK wide tour, will co-host alongside BBC TV Scotland’s news anchor, Catriona Shearer.

This year’s Scottish Home Awards programme is expected to be the biggest yet following a 35% increase on the number of entries in 2009 and a 29% increase on numbers in 2008. 33 new companies entered the programme for the first time this year including Taylor Wimpey, Bellway Homes, Bett Homes and RMJM.

52 businesses have been shortlisted as finalists from across Scotland. 18 trophies will be presented at the black tie dinner to the best luxury houses, apartments, terraced housing, affordable flats and rural developments in 2010.

The awards are run in partnership with house builders, architects, housing associations, sponsors and judges to create an annual celebration of the best new homes built in Scotland.

The 2010 Scottish Home Awards is sponsored by ros.gov.uk, the leading provider of free property prices for the public and service provider to professionals seeking property and land information. The awards are also supported by The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday newspapers, Gillespie Macandrew legal firm, family advertising, MCL and What House? Magazine.

The Scottish Home Awards 2010 Dinner and Ceremony takes place on Thursday 17 June 2010 at 7pm at Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh. To book your table, please contact Isla@kdmedia.co.uk; 0131 337 6232 or visit www.scottishhomeawards.com.

52 businesses have made the finals in the national awards competition for new build housing in Scotland.

The Scottish Home Awards, sponsored by ros.gov.uk, revealed the shortlist following a long day of judging over 130 entries which were received in the annual programme which recognises and celebrates house building of all types.

The entries have been judged on a range of criteria including energy efficiency, location, design and materials and marketing and incentives.

17 awards will be presented ranging from detached houses, apartments, terraced housing, affordable flats and rural developments.

A number of team awards are also presented for housing associations and housebuilders, large and small.

The ultimate award of the day, the Gillespie Macandrew Housebuilder of the Year, is presented to the company which has performed best throughout the competition in the eyes of the judges.

Chair of the judging panel, Margo Macdonald MSP, commented;

“Times have been tough, but we have seen a very positive response to the Home Awards this year which indicates an industry on the mend. 33 companies have entered this established programme for the first time this year so we’re pleased to have reviewed some very impressive work.

“The range of housing being created is very substantial from tenanted social housing in deprived areas, to design rich architecturally significant pieces of work. Many of these are very different but they share a common goal of creating new quality housing in Scotland, creating jobs and much needed homes.”

THE FINALISTS

APARTMENT OF THE YEAR

Meridian Homes, The Baird, Avon Court, Hamilton
Miller Homes, Ferry Village, Braehead, Glasgow
Oberlanders & AMA, Jex Blake House, Springside, Edinburgh
Springfield Properties PLC, Moravia Apartments, Elgin
Stewart Milne Homes, Ythan View, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Studio DuB, Microflats 11 - 19 Peffermill, Edinburgh
Taylor Wimpey & Bett Homes, The Strada, Edinburgh

ARCHITECTURAL EXCELLENCE AWARD

JAMstudio Ltd, Little Maldron Mill, Torphins, Aberdeenshire
Lorn Macneal Architects, Greenhill Gardens, Edinburgh
Meridian Homes, Ardnablane, Dunblane
Nord Architecture, Tigh Na Gcearc, 1 Linthills, Lochwinnoch
OMI Architects, The Coach House, Falkirk
Red Door Cottages & McEachern MacDuff Architects, "Well House", Drum Farm, Kippen
RMJM, Park House, Glasgow
W. Burrell Homes Ltd, Lawside Meadows, Strathaven, East Kilbride WTArchitecture, 33 Circus Lane, Edinburgh

CITY APARTMENT OF THE YEAR

Dandara, gh2o, Glasgow
Gladedale Capital Ltd, Quartermile, Edinburgh
Manor Kingdom, The Palazzo, Merchant City, Glasgow
Miller Homes, Varcity, Type 21, Edinburgh
Oberlanders & AMA, Inglis Point, Springside, Edinburgh
RMJM, Park House, Glasgow

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR

R3 - Taylor Wimpey/Cruden Homes, Stirling Bridge, Raploch, Stirling Springfield Properties PLC, The Glassgreen Centre, Elgin

CONVERSION OF THE YEAR

Crichton Wood Architects, 10 Orchard Road South, Edinburgh
Dumfries & Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP), Municipal Terrace & Millburn Avenue, Dumfries
Gladedale Capital Ltd, Quartermile, Edinburgh
GRS Homes, Easter Greenrigg Farm, Nr Falkirk
HBS Winston Barracks, Sandhurst Building, Lanark
JAMstudio Ltd, Little Maldron Mill, Torphins, Aberdeenshire
Ogilvie Homes Ltd, Dovecot Steadings, Haddington
The National Trust for Scotland, The Old Schoolhouse, Logie
Unicorn Property Group, Clock Tower, Dundee
W. Burrell Homes Ltd, Lawside Meadows, Strathaven, East Kilbride WTArchitecture, 33 Circus Lane, Edinburgh

WATERSIDE DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR

Dandara, gh2o, Glasgow
Manor Kingdom, Kip Village, Inverkip
Miller Homes, Ferry Village, Glasgow

DESIGNER HOUSE OF THE YEAR

Red Door Cottages & McEachern MacDuff Architects, "Well House", Drum Farm, Kippen
Studio DuB, 9 Craiglockhart Loan, Edinburgh
West Residential Ltd, "Leanachan", The Braes, Kirkton of Auchterhouse, Nr Dundee

HOUSE OF THE YEAR

ATD Developments & McEachern MacDuff Architects, "The Caprington" Fenwick Glade, Ayrshire
Bellway Homes Scotland, Glentress, Forest Walk, Callander
Meridian Homes, The Windsor at the Spires, Crossmichael, Castle Douglas
Miller Homes, Newton Park, The Jura, Cambuslang
Nord Architecture, Tigh Na Gcearc, 1 Linthills, Lochwinnoch
Redrow Homes, "Graemeslea", Aberuthven, Perth
Stewart Milne Homes, The Noblewood, Leathan Mews, Portlethen, Aberdeenshire
Story Homes, Summerpark, Dumfries
W. Burrell Homes Ltd, Cottage 3 - Lawside Meadows, Strathevan, East Kilbride

LARGE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR

Cruden Homes (East) Ltd, Plots 20/20A Forthquarter, Granton
Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Oxgangs Regeneration, Edinburgh
Oak Tree Housing Association & Cooper Cromar, Grieve Road/Wren Road Regeneration Project, Greenock
Port of Leith Housing Association, Goosander Place, Edinburgh
R3 - Taylor Wimpey/Cruden Homes, Stirling Bridge, Raploch, Stirling

LARGE HOUSING ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

Cube Housing Association
Dumfries & Galloway Housing Partnership
Hillcrest Housing Association
Link Group
Servite Housing Association

LUXURY HOUSE OF THE YEAR

Bett Homes, The Sandringham II at Bearsden, Glasgow
Forbes of Kingennie, Type 1 House, Kingennie Fields, Dundee
Manor Kingdom, The President at Keil School, Dumbarton
Meridian Homes, The Glamis at Ardnablane, Dunblane
Miller Homes, Graysmill Gait, The Lorimar, Edinburgh
Richmond Homes, Plot 19 & 20, Trynlaw, Cupar

RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR

ATD Developments & McEachern MacDuff Architects, Fenwick Glade, Ayrshire
Bellway Homes Scotland, Forest Walk, Callander
Forbes of Kingennie, Type 1 House, Kingennie Fields, Dundee
GRS Homes, Easter Greenrigg Steading, Nr Falkirk
Meridian Homes, The Spires, Crossmichael, Nr Castle Douglas
Richmond Homes, Wood of Coldrain, Kinross, Perthshire
W. Burrell Homes Ltd, Lawside Meadows, Strathaven, East Kilbride

SALES & MARKETING TEAM OF THE YEAR

Bellway Homes Scotland
Gladedale Capital Ltd
Manor Kingdom
Meridian Homes
Miller Homes
Stewart Milne Homes
Unicorn Property Group

SMALL AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR

Bield Housing Association, Pearce Street, Govan
Clyde Valley Housing Association, School Road, Stepps
Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Fleming Place, Edinburgh
Hillcrest Housing Association, Kirk Street, Dundee
Margaret Blackwood Housing Association, 670 Argyle Street, Glasgow Midlothian Council, Esk View Road, Midlothian
PARC Craigmillar, Collier Place, Edinburgh
Servite Housing Association, West Heather Road, Inverness

SMALL HOUSEBUILDER OF THE YEAR

Lomond Homes
Mactaggart & Mickel Homes
Meridian Homes

LARGE HOUSEBUILDER OF THE YEAR

Bellway Homes Scotland
Miller Homes
Taylor Wimpey

The final category is the Gillespie Macandrew Housebuilder of the Year which is given to the best overall performer in the 2010 competition and is agreed by the judges. The winner will be announced on the night.

The 2010 Scottish Home Awards is sponsored by ros.gov.uk, the leading provider of free property prices for the public and service provider to professionals seeking property and land information. The awards are also supported by The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday newspapers, Gillespie Macandrew legal firm and What House? Magazine.

The Scottish Home Awards 2010 Dinner and Ceremony takes place on Thursday 17 June 2010 at 7pm at the Edinburgh Sheraton Grand. To book your table, please contact Isla@kdmedia.co.uk; 0131 337 6232 or visit www.scottishhomeawards.com.

The Deputy President of the UK Supreme Court collected a Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards 2010 held in Edinburgh On Friday 19 March 2010.

The Right Honourable Lord Hope of Craighead PC KT collected his award in person at the annual event which celebrates excellence and achievement in the Scottish legal profession.

Twelve other winners were also announced with Harper Macleod collecting the ultimate award of the day, the DX Firm of the Year Award 2010. The firm was commended for their strategic handling of the downturn and their upturn in turnover in 2009.

Edinburgh firm, Simpson & Marwick collected two awards for Property Team of the Year, sponsored by ros.gov.uk, and Family Law team of the Year, sponsored by Edinburgh design house Pointsize Wolffe.

In the team award categories, presentations were made to Paull & Williamsons of Aberdeen for Employment Team of the Year sponsored by PRG; Digby Brown won Litigation Team of the Year, sponsored by Grant Thornton; Morton Fraser won Private Client Team of the Year sponsored by Hotel du Vin and Biggart Baillie won Public Sector Law Team of the Year, sponsored by MCL.

Individual achievement was also recognised with shipping law expert, Ed Watt of HBJ Gateley Wareing collecting the hotly contended Specialist Lawyer of the Year, sponsored by Pilgrim Systems. Audrey Dishington of Pagan Osborne collected the award for Rising Star of the Year sponsored by Scottish Law Directory and Paralegal of the Year, sponsored by Scottish Paralegal Association, went to Mary Anne Swan of Scullion of Nicholas J Scullion & Co.

The Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards recognises and celebrates the nation’s most talented and aspiring lawyers and exists to promote the sector-leading work of the profession. The event also raises funds for Children 1st Scotland’s leading child welfare charity.

Joy Glass, Partner of Scott + Co, the title sponsors of the Scottish Legal Awards 2010, commented;

“The Scottish legal business is highly regarded all round the world, but too often we are reticent about singing our own praises. The current economic climate is not the time to be hiding our lights under bushels. Celebrating success is something we don’t do often enough in Scotland so we should overcome our customary modesty and recognise just how good we are and how well we deliver for clients.”

THE WINNERS IN FULL:
DX Firm of the Year
Digby Brown
Harper Macleod
Morton Fraser
Winner: Harper Macleod

The Scotsman Lifetime Achievement Award
The Rt Hon Lord Hope of Craighead PC KT

GP Wolffe Family Law Team of the Year
Winner: Simpson & Marwick

Law Society of Scotland Support Team of the Year
Ampersand
Millar & Bryce
Morton Fraser
Winner: Millar & Bryce

PRG Employment Team of the Year
Burness
Miller Samuel
Morton Fraser
Paull & Williamsons
Winner: Paull & Williamsons

MCL Public Sector Law Team of the Year
Anderson Strathern
Biggart Baillie
Harper Macleod
Winner: Biggart Baillie

Grant Thornton Litigation Team of the Year
Digby Brown
Govan Law Centre
Harper Macleod
HBJ Gateley Wareing
Winner: Digby Brown

Pilgrim Systems Specialist Lawyer of the Year
Alison MacNeil, Miller Samuel
Andrew Rigby, Brodies
Ed Watt, HBJ Gateley Wareing
Graham Walker, Road Traffic Law
Iain Nisbet, Govan Law Centre
Karyn Watt, Anderson Strathern
Winner: Ed Watt, HBJ Gateley Wareing

Scottish Law Directory Rising Star of the Year
Winner: Audrey Dishington, Pagan Osborne

Ros.gov.uk Property Team of the Year
Maloco + Associates
Morton Fraser
Simpson & Marwick
Winner: Simpson & Marwick

Scottish Paralegal Association Paralegal of the Year
Winner: Mary Anne Swan, Nicholas J Scullion & Co

Woods of Perth Training Provider of the Year
Central Law Training
The Law Society of Scotland
Winner: Central Law Training

Hotel du Vin Private Client of the Year
Archibald Campbell & Harley
Morton Fraser
Winner: Morton Fraser

The Supervisory Board of REpower Systems AG (WKN 617703) today announced the appointment of Andreas Nauen as its new Chief Executive Officer. Andreas Nauen, currently CEO of Siemens Wind Power A/S, will join REpower at the latest on October 1st 2010.

Tulsi Tanti, chairman of the Supervisory Board, said: “I am delighted to confirm Andreas Nauen as REpower’s new CEO. Andreas has an incredibly impressive record – indeed, the Siemens business he runs today is about Euros 3 billion. He is deeply passionate about renewables and has the experience, energy and vision to take REpower through its next stage of growth.”

Andreas Nauen, incoming CEO, said: “REpower has a well deserved reputation for engineering, innovation, quality and customer experience. It has an impressive order book and my task is to now take that success and grow it – sustainably – further and faster, together with securing our place in the market as a technology leader. I hugely enjoyed my time with Siemens and now look forward to lead REpower into a new era and continue to work in a fascinating and future oriented business.”

Andreas Nauen takes over from Per Hornung Pedersen who remains an Executive Board member and moves to a new role – Chief Business Development and Business Strategy Officer. Tulsi Tanti commented: “Per has shown an extraordinary flair for developing the business over the past years. We are grateful for all he has achieved, and believe that this new role will enable him to devote 100 percent of his time to what he is outstanding at: strategy and developing our business, connecting with our customers and delivering a strong global sales and marketing backbone.”

Per Hornung Pedersen will continue in the role of CEO until such time as Andreas Nauen takes up his new role. Andreas Nauen joined Siemens in 1991 and has degrees from the Universities of Duisburg and Hagen in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration.

He spent his first three years in gas and steam project management before switching to sales. After his first integration experience in 1998 he moved to Senior Sales positions for the power plant business. In 2002 he was promoted to Group Vice President of Strategic Planning, Marketing and Communication of the Power Generation Division. In 2004, at the age of 40, he was appointed CEO of Siemens Wind Power. Andreas speaks German, English and Danish. He has worked in Germany, India, the UK, the US and Denmark.

About REpower:
REpower Systems AG, a Suzlon group company, is one of the leading manufacturers of onshore and offshore wind turbines. The international mechanical engineering company develops, produces and markets wind turbines with rated outputs of 2.05 MW to 6.15 MW and rotor diameters of 82 meters to 126 meters for almost any location. The company also offers a comprehensive portfolio of service and maintenance packages. The profitable and reliable systems are designed at the REpower TechCenter in Osterrönfeld and manufactured at its plants in Husum (North Friesland), Trampe (Brandenburg) and Bremerhaven as well as Portugal and China. With about 2,000 employees worldwide, the company, which has been listed since March 2002 and is headquartered in Hamburg, can make use of the experience gained from the manufacture and installation of over 2,000 wind turbines around the world. REpower is represented by distribution partners, subsidiaries and participations in European markets such as France, Belgium, the UK, Italy, Portugal and Spain as well as on a global level in the USA, Japan, China, Australia and Canada.

About REpower UK:
REpower UK is a private limited company wholly owned by REpower AG, the German based manufacturer. It is responsible for sales, installation and servicing of REpower wind farms onshore and offshore. Headquartered in Edinburgh, REpower UK has a team of 60 staff and a growing client list.

The first images of a £30m business park and hotel development at the eastern end of Edinburgh City Bypass have been unveiled by the owners of the site.

Three new office buildings and a landmark 120 bedroom hotel are planned for a 12.4 acre tranche of land adjacent to the Old Craighall Junction, the City Bypass and A1.

The new commercial centre will be named Lothian Park and will be East Lothian’s premier business park. The site will help to balance the provision of out of town business space between the heavily developed West side of the city with a new office and leisure facility serving the East of Edinburgh.

On completion of the development, which has outline planning consent, up to 800 jobs will be created between the 6 storey hotel and the offices which provide 64,500 sq ft of high quality business space. Property agents have commenced marketing and are approaching known hotel operators and developers, as well as prospective office occupiers with known pre-let or purchase requirements.

Mike Rutterford, the property expert who heads up the consortium of owners, commented;

“There is major gap in the provision of premier business and leisure space at the eastern gateway to the city of Edinburgh, especially when you consider the large number of commuters living in East Lothian and the Borders.

“Queen Margaret University’s new campus nearby has helped to reinforce the location’s excellent accessibility, not only by private transport but also by numerous bus routes and an excellent rail service linking the city centre to the heart of East Lothian.

“These plans will provide a new commercial centre which in time could rival Edinburgh Park. It makes no sense having so many commuters from East Lothian making their way into the city centre for work when we can provide an excellent resource at a major junction into the city.

“The leisure market also has room for growth, thanks to the location, relatively quick travelling time into the city and good golf and retail facilities nearby. It is our intention to secure contemporary high quality hotel operator to fill the gap that exists at the moment.

“We’re confident in finding partners to develop this site. Now is the time to develop so we are prepared with the right facilities in place for the return of a strong economy.”

The plans for Lothian Park represent the first phase of development and other adjacent sites will be subject to future planning applications.

Eric Young and Co and CB Richard Ellis are marketing the development on behalf of Lothian Park Ltd.

Scotland’s most promising new comedian will give an exclusive Edinburgh performance at the Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards lunch and ceremony which takes place on Friday 19 March 2010.

Kevin Bridges, one of the UK’s hottest new comedians and guest star of BBC’s Mock the Week, has confirmed that he will perform to an audience of some 400 guests at the lunch and awards ceremony which takes place at the EICC.

His performance is a major coup for organisers as this event will be his only Edinburgh show despite a UK tour which starts in April in Hull and finishes in his home town of Glasgow where he will perform for 10,000 fans.

Bridges, who hosted a sell-out run at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and earned and Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination for Best Newcomer, has appeared on ‘BBC ONE’s Live at the Apollo’ and ‘Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow’.

Joy Glass, Partner at Scott+ Co, the sponsors of the Scottish Legal Awards, commented;

“Pundits predict that 2010 will be Kevin’s year so we’re delighted to secure him for the Legal Awards. He’s had an astonishing rise to prominence and is guaranteed to give the Legal Awards a lot of fun and laughter as we reveal our winners in this important competition.”

Fans of Kevin can watch an extended version of his show at Live at the Apollo to be shown on Saturday 13th February on BBC ONE at 9.45pm. He will also be appearing as a guest on Mock the Week on BBC ONE on Thursday 18th February. Agents acting for Bridges expect to confirm that he will also return to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2010 performing two dates at the Edinburgh Playhouse.

Bridges will be introduced on stage by master of ceremonies, Dougie Vipond, who returns to the event for a second year.

The Scottish Legal Awards competition is the national programme for recognising excellence in Scottish Law. Winners from 21 firms will be announced at the event and finalists include Burness, Biggart Baillie, Brodies are joined by HBJ Gateley Wareing, Morton Fraser, Harper Macleod, Digby Brown and Anderson Strathern. Complementing the field, a number of smaller firms have also been recognised with Miller Samuel, Maloco + Associates and Govan Law Centre also making an appearance.

Limited tickets for the event remain but can be booked by emailing isla@kdmedia.co.uk. Tables of ten cost £900 + VAT including wine and a three course lunch.


About Kevin Bridges

Bridges’ debut show reveals his inner-most thoughts on a variety of topics from his homeland of Scotland to the world beyond. His unique brand of social commentary, astute observations and sharp one-liners arguable make him the hottest comedian to come from Scotland in recent times.

In 2004, aged just 17, Kevin showed his natural gift for comedy when he took his first open mic spot. Now aged 22 his natural gift makes him a regular at major comedy events up and down the country. Kevin stars in the new series of Rab C Nesbitt and will also appear on Mock the Week this month.

Read the coverage in The Scotsman here
Read the article in The Edinburgh Evening News here

REpower UK, one of the country’s biggest suppliers of wind energy, has signed a preferred supplier agreement with British manufacturer, Mabey Bridge, to supply wind turbine towers for many of its UK developments.

The news follows the announcement last month that Mabey Bridge will create 240 jobs in a new £38 million facility in Monmouthshire.

The deal means that the steel tubular towers will be manufactured in the UK for most of REpower’s planned wind farms. The REpower nacelle and the blades will continue to be made to order at the REpower factories throughout Europe.

Rick Eggleston, Managing Director of REpower UK, commented;

“Sourcing our towers direct from the UK has been on our agenda for a while and we’re pleased to have found a reliable and high quality supplier in Mabey Bridge. This agreement gives us a real boost in serving the needs of our clients and will improve our competitiveness in a tough UK market.”

“Local procurement of the towers from a reliable UK manufacturer makes sense. We have met Mabey Bridge many times now and we’re impressed with the high standard of the product and the Mabey Bridge commitment to customer care. We’re confident that we will have a productive and positive relationship with them as we both build our businesses in the UK.”

“With 25 wind farms now running across the country, we are well on our way to delivering our 400 MW target in the spring of this year.”

Lars Rytter Kristensen, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Repower Systems AG adds:

“The preferred supplier agreement with Mabey Bridge confirms our commitment to build up a competitive supply chain in the UK market and will furthermore secure REpower capacity for towers in one of our core markets.”

Peter Lloyd, managing director of Mabey Bridge, said: "This is fantastic news for Mabey Bridge and we look forward to working with REpower on wind energy projects across the UK."

Since its launch in 2003 REpower UK has delivered 22 onshore wind farms in Scotland, England and Wales and one offshore wind farm, Project Beatrice, in the North Sea. Beatrice consists of two REpower 5M turbines, one of the largest offshore wind turbines available in the world.

REpower UK is an award winning company and has a team of 60 people based in Edinburgh and across the UK. It is wholly owned by REpower Systems AG which operates in 11 countries worldwide.

About REpower UK:

REpower UK is a private limited company wholly owned by REpower AG, the German based manufacturer. It is responsible for sales, installation and servicing of REpower wind farms onshore and offshore. Headquartered in Edinburgh, REpower UK has a team of 60 staff and a growing client list.

About REpower Systems AG:

REpower Systems AG is one of the leading manufacturers of onshore and offshore wind turbines. The international mechanical engineering company develops produces and markets wind turbines with rated outputs of 2 to 6,15 MW and rotor diameters of 82 to 126 metres for almost any location. In addition to this it offers an extensive range of service and maintenance services. The profitable and reliable systems are designed at the REpower development centre in Rendsburg and manufactured at its Husum (North Friesland), Trampe (Brandenburg) and Bremerhaven plants.

The company, which is headquartered in Hamburg and has been listed since March 2002, has over 1,800 employees worldwide and can draw on experience gained in the manufacture and installation of almost 2,000 wind turbines worldwide. REpower is represented by distribution partners, subsidiaries and participations in foreign markets such as France, the UK, Italy, Portugal and Spain, as well as on a global level in the USA, Japan, China and Australia.

Mabey Bridge

Mabey Bridge is a specialist supplier of modular steel bridging, car parks and heavy plated steelwork. The company is part of the Mabey Group, a private family-owned group of companies with a turnover of £150 million and almost 1,000 employees. Mabey Bridge has a turnover of £70m and 400 employees. Based in Chepstow, South Wales, the company's history can be traced back to the construction of Brunel's Wye railway bridge in 1849.

Debt free property developer Macdonald Estates will launch a new UK subsidiary company tomorrow (Monday) in an initiative to double its property work in progress to £300m in the UK.

Macdonald Estates Property Partnerships (MEPP) will source, acquire and develop property for new commercial and residential projects.

The company will work with land and property holders in the financial sector (as well as property companies and the public sector) to structure partnerships and joint ventures that will stimulate development and determine planning solutions to release early realisation of value.

Alan Meikle, a corporate financier and former banker, is to head the MEPP venture which will employ two senior people and who will look for opportunities in retail, commercial and residential development.

Dan Macdonald, chief executive of Macdonald Estates commented;

“The banks and financial institutions are now major property owners in this country with assets that can provide immediate development turnover. Experienced property developers are required to help find the best solutions to realising development value within these portfolios. Through MEPP initiative we want to increase our understanding of the emerging thinking in the financial sector with whom we can structure new partnerships.”

In addition, Macdonald Estates will also open an office in London for the first time in its ten year history. Rick Mai, formerly of Thornfield Properties, will lead the growth of the London business where he will secure new projects, partnerships and joint ventures.

“The senior appointment of Alan and Rick is hugely significant for Macdonald Estates. Alan’s background and his understanding of property are crucial to our success in finding development solutions for land and property. Our strategic aim in MEPP is to secure deals that will offer partnership opportunities with the financial sector.

“Opening in London is essential now. The reality of the changes of the financial sector in Scotland means that decision making has to an extent moved to London. Additionally the potential of the Scottish property market has contracted and we need to expand.

“Investing in the opening of an office in London is a major decision for a company of our size at this time, but we have decided that the City presence is essential to ensure that we can react fast to opportunity, be decisive on project selection and competitive where it counts.”

Macdonald Estates finds itself in a unique and fortunate position at the start of 2010, with no debt, no problem development projects and sufficient work in progress to sustain profitability over the next 2 years. Macdonald is philosophical about the company’s new approach, he continued,

“Our challenge today is to reinvent the business of property development and re-build momentum and profit growth. This in itself will see us having to invent and adopt new development and funding structures, new style partnerships and above all a culture of trust and transparency hitherto, not prevalent in our industry.

“It is a change that recognises the adoption of a new culture and management style which is exhaustively more intense and detailed.”

In line with this changing nature of the property industry, Macdonald Estates has acted swiftly to reorganise its core business and management staff.

Directors Stewart McPhail and Joe Noble will lead a programme of planning applications for new projects in Scotland, concentrating on the absolute requirement for pre-engagement with communities, Councillors, Council officials and other affected parties well in advance of applications. This will work towards partnership approaches that will nurture common objectivity between parties that traditionally have often found difficulty in coming together.

The promotion of Alastair Ness will see him lead a staff of three assistants to head new business in the retail sector in a major move to consolidate and grow our core business particularly in Scotland. Alastair and his team will identify and secure development projects for new investment, with an estimated ten new planning applications expected in the first six months of this year.

Macdonald continued:

“Our focus is not to rescue troubled sites. We will seek and expose good opportunities where, by taking a different approach to commercial and residential use, mix, masterplanning, planning and density capacity, we can create a new formula to provide the best solutions.

“I am convinced beyond doubt that we can create the occasion and the cause for a new-style development era. By re-evaluating what previously created our successes and re-working more intensively and creatively, we will produce profitable partnerships.”

Kevin Robertson, managing director, Macdonald Estates, commented

“It’s the right time to launch MEPP. It is clear from various conversations that we have had with the main financial players that they are now looking to get to work on the significant property portfolios that they hold directly.

“Given our proven track record, and the dramatic change in the competitive landscape over the last year, we consider that Macdonald Estates is exceptionally well placed to assist the banks and others in working assets. Our approach is one that is founded on a genuine partnership philosophy. We believe that this, allied to the quality and diversity of the skill base and culture within Macdonald Estates, will prove invaluable to our selected partners going forward, particularly in relation to more challenging and complex real estate projects.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

• Alan Meikle joins MEPP as Corporate Finance Director on 1 February 2010. He brings extensive property and corporate finance experience from his previous senior roles including property lending at Anglo Irish Bank and RBS, Corporate Finance Director at AWG Property and Corporate Finance Associate with British Linen Advisers. 
• Rick Mai, joins Macdonald Estates as Development Director London from 1 March 2010. Rick returns to Macdonald Estates having previously worked with the company in 2002- 2004. He joins from Thornfield Properties where until January he was a Director.

Scotland’s most prestigious property awards programme has launched for a third year with a promise to showcase the best in new build housing across Scotland.

The Scottish Home Awards 2010, sponsored by Ros.gov.uk, is now open for entries from a diverse range of housing covering slick city apartments to rural conversions and affordable housing.

New categories for this year include Designer House of The Year, Rural Development of the Year and Sales and Marketing Team of the Year. There are also two new categories for housing associations.

The new awards are joined by the usual favourites which together make up 18 categories covering the breadth of the industry.

Winning a Scottish Home Award will leverage sales, boost your team and provide endless marketing and publicity opportunities. So come on, what are you waiting for?

Download your entry guide here

For a full list of categories click here

Read about the programme in the Scotsman click here

Register for updates click here


Guidelines for Entries

Entries are welcomed from house builders, housing associations, architects and developers. Entries should consist of a written entry of up to 1000 words and be accompanied by location plan, floor plans, specification, marketing materials and photography or CGIs. Nominated developments must be in Scotland and have commenced construction between September 2008 and March 2010.

Deadline for entries: Thursday 1 April 2010 12 noon.

Thanks to our sponsors and partners: Ros.gov.uk, Gillespie Macandrew, Family and The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and Scotsman.com

The finalists of the Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards 2010 have been revealed.

21 firms and companies have progressed to the awards finals of the prestigious programme which recognises excellence in the Scottish legal profession.

Firms large and small have been announced as finalists in 12 categories, covering major aspects of private practice in Scotland.

Burness, Biggart Baillie, Brodies are joined by HBJ Gateley Wareing, Morton Fraser, Harper Macleod, Digby Brown and Anderson Strathern. Complementing the field, a number of smaller firms have also been recognised with Miller Samuel, Maloco + Associates and Govan Law Centre also making an appearance.

Joy Glass, Partner at headline sponsor Scott + Co said,

‘Once again it was a privilege to be on the judging panel. Our judges this year were a lively mix of the established and some new faces. While the number of entries overall were marginally down on last year, the number of firms who had entered were up on 2009. Despite the tough economic times, it is clear that firms still see advantages in entering the Awards. The competitive environment has become more robust in the last twelve months, so picking up an award is extremely valuable in helping to attract new clients.

The shortlisted and winning entries are of a very high standard, showing that the Scottish legal industry has lost none if its capacity for effective, innovative work.’

The winning entries will be revealed at the awards ceremony on Friday 19 March 2010 at Edinburgh’s EICC when over 400 practitioners from across Scotland join to celebrate the legal profession’s most celebrated annual event.

The finalists emerged following the judges debate, a panel discussion of all the entries chaired by Margo MacDonald MSP. 14 experts from business, law and politics including Andrew Cubie, Michael Walker, former chairman of Maclay Murray Spens, and Professor Robert Black of Edinburgh University participated in the day’s events.

THE 2010 FINALISTS

The Hotel du Vin Private Client Team of the Year
Archibald Campbell and Harley
Morton Fraser

Employment Team of the Year
Burness
Miller Samuel
Morton Fraser
Paull & Williamsons

The Grant Thornton Litigation Team of the Year
Digby Brown
Govan Law Centre
Harper Macleod
HBJ Gateley Wareing

The Scottish Paralegal Association Paralegal of the Year
Mary Anne Swan, Nicholas J Scullion & Co.
Sarah Chambers, Archibald Campbell & Harley

The MCL Public Sector Law Team of the Year
Anderson Strathern
Biggart Baillie
Harper Macleod

Ros.gov.uk Property Team of the Year
Maloco + Associates
Morton Fraser
Simpson & Marwick

Specialist Lawyer of the Year
Alison MacNeil, Miller Samuel
Andrew Rigby, Brodies
Ed Watt, HBJ Gateley Wareing
Graham Walker, Road Traffic Law
Iain Nisbet, Govan Law Centre
Karyn Watt, Anderson Strathern

The Law Society of Scotland Support Team of the Year
Ampersand Advocates
Millar & Bryce
Morton Fraser

Woods of Perth Training Provider of the Year
Central Law Training
The Law Society of Scotland

The DX Firm of the Year
Digby Brown
Harper Macleod
Morton Fraser

There will be no finalists announced for Family Law Team of the Year or The Scottish Law Directory Rising Star of the Year and the winners will be announced on the day.

The Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards lunch and ceremony takes place on Friday 19 March 2010. To book at table please click here.

KDMedia has been appointed as PR suppliers to Scotland’s largest independent firm of Chartered Accountants after successfully winning a four-way pitch.

Johnston Carmichael with offices in 11 locations across Scotland has 45 partners and delivers first class services to a number of industries notably, leisure, tourism, retail, agriculture and professional services.

Sandy Manson, Chief Executive of Johnston Carmichael, commented;

“KDMedia offered a thorough and strategic insight into our PR requirements and we were impressed with the level of skill, experience and understanding of the team. We are looking forward to working with KDMedia.”

Johnston Carmichael specialise in providing a comprehensive range of high-quality accountancy and business services to an impressive list of entrepreneurs, owner-managed businesses, partnerships, companies and individuals.

One of the world’s most advanced suppliers of wind turbine technology has renewed its UK public relations contract with KDMedia.

REpower UK which manufacturers, services and installs wind turbines across the UK, has worked with KDmedia for over a year and has renewed their contract for PR and event management services.

Henning von Barsewisch, Managing Director of REpower UK, commented;

“We have been very impressed with the services from KDMedia and look forward to further success in managing our media profile and creating inspiring events for our customers.”

REpower UK is a private limited company wholly owned by REpower AG, the German based manufacturer. It is responsible for sales, installation and servicing of REpower wind farms onshore and offshore. Headquartered in Edinburgh, REpower UK has a team of 60 staff and a growing client list.