A residential development in Shawfair, south of Edinburgh has been rescued from collapsed developer, Stewart Milne to be successfully delivered by independent property developer, Dundas Estates.
Dundas has recently completed the purchase of a site on the well-established Shawfair development six miles south of the city, which boasts excellent road and rail links into the heart of the capital, as well accessibility to the airport and nearby motorway network.
Construction will shortly commence to build 59 homes, the properties will consist of a mix of 3 to 6 bed homes. By stepping into the project, Dundas has committed to delivering high-spec homes that exceed industry standards – with the aim of delivering the first homes by late autumn 2024.
As a new neighbourhood on the edge of the city, Shawfair offers a mix of local retail and community health facilities, as well as 3km of cycle paths that easily connect homeowners to the train station, schools and Park & Ride.
Craig Fairfoull, Sales & Marketing Director at Dundas, said: “We appreciate there may have been unexpected challenges and uncertainties faced by prospective homeowners engaged with the previous developer.
“However, our primary goal is to make the transition as smooth as possible, and we urge those who had reservations with Stewart Milne for one of these plots to contact us immediately.
“We aim to deliver these much-needed homes in the coming months, allowing prospective buyers to finally move into the homes they have been looking forward to.”
The development will see Dundas complete various house types that remain similar in style and specification to the previous developer, including terraced, semi and larger detached homes.
Dundas was supported through the acquisition of the site by solicitors Anderson Strathern.
Dundas Estates are an award-winning and independent Scottish homebuilder, prides itself on crafting homes that enhance the well-being of its valued customers. It emphasises creating inclusive communities and strives to simplify, enrich, and add enjoyment to the home-buying experience.
Dundas is asking potential buyers who may have reserved a plot with the previous developer to contact them at sales@dundas.co.uk to speak to a member of the sales team to discuss options further.
CARBON CAPTURE FUNDING + VISIT ‘MAKE A MOCKERY’ OF PLANNING PROCESS
First Minister John Swinney will visit the site of an innovative carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility in Aberdeenshire today where he will unveil new Scottish Government funding for the project.
The Acorn project, based in St Fergus, would take captured CO2 emissions from industrial processes across the country and store it safely under the North Sea.
The First Minister will meet representatives of the project and undertake a short tour of the site, before meeting staff and apprentices.
While in Aberdeenshire the First Minister will also meet business leaders and members of the Scottish seafood sector at a roundtable discussion in Peterhead.
Speaking ahead of his visit to the North East, the First Minister said: “Carbon capture and storage will play a huge role in Scotland’s net zero future.
“The Scottish Government is wholly committed to supporting the Acorn Project, which will take advantage of our access to vast CO2 storage potential and our opportunities to repurpose existing oil and gas infrastructure.
“Scotland’s energy transition presents one of the greatest economic and social opportunities of our time. This landmark project will help to support a just transition for oil and gas workers in the North East and across the country, by drawing upon their world-leading skills and expertise to create many good, green jobs in the coming years.
“The North East is also a powerhouse of Scotland’s word-class seafood processing sector, which contributes massively to our economy. According to recent figures the region alone is home to more than 3,379 full time equivalent jobs.
“The Scottish Government will continue to engage and work closely with the sector, and communities, to ensure that Scotland’s fishing industry, the wider seafood sector, and our marine environment can thrive sustainably.”
Climate campaigners have responded to the First Minister’s plans to visit to the Aberdeenshire CCS project saying it ‘makes a mockery’ of the planning process and questioning why there was more public funding being pledged for fossil fuel infrastructure.
The visit was announced as news broke of an official complaint into the Scottish Government’s handling of the planning application for the Peterhead gas power station with carbon capture.
The FM’s visit raises a number of concerns including that the explicit endorsement of this project may undermine any future assessment of a planning application to build the Acorn Project.
Environmentalists are also alarmed that public money is being handed to a pet project of fossil fuel companies. Shell, who are a key partner in Acorn, have made £50 BILLION profit in the past two years.
The Acorn Project is not yet in the planning system, and no application has been made yet it appears the FM is gambling our energy future on this technology working. The Scottish Government’s over-reliance on faltering Negative Emissions Technologies created a huge gap in its calculations around emissions reductions for the 2030 climate targets.
CCS has never delivered the capture rates that its proponents claim and there is a growing body of evidence that all it is doing is capturing public money and providing greenwash for continued fossil fuel expansion.
Friends of the Earth Scotland climate and energy campaigner Caroline Rance said: “The Acorn carbon capture terminal does not exist and there hasn’t even been a planning application submitted to build it.
“However, with these fawning statements of support, the First Minister is in danger of making a mockery of the Scottish Government conducting a fair assessment of future planning applications.
“Vital public services are crying out for funding yet John Swinney has decided to give millions of pounds to a pet project of Shell, who made £50 billion profit in the last two years. The public must be starting to think the Scottish Government has been captured by the fossil fuel industry with hundreds of cosy meetings, huge handouts and the rolling back of positions on ending oil and gas.
“The Acorn Project is a pipe dream of polluters that will never live up to its hype.The purpose of CCS is to greenwash plans to keep burning oil and gas. Carbon capture has already had billions of pounds and decades of work to prove itself and it has failed on its promises everywhere it has been tried.
“Both the Scottish and UK Governments need to realise that public money would be far better invested in climate solutions that work today and can create decent green jobs such as home insulation, public transport and affordable renewable energy.”
Key questions for the First Minister:
• How can Ministers making future planning decisions be expected to judge the Acorn project on its merits when the First Minister is fawning over it and is funnelling public money towards it?
• Why is public money required to deliver this project when the oil companies who will benefit are making obscene profits?
• How will this project avoid the failures that have been seen in every other carbon capture project around the world?
‘I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down‘
US President Joe Biden has announced that he will NOT stand for re-election.
His full statement, which he posted on X, reads:
“My Fellow Americans, over the past three-and-a-half years, we have made great progress as a nation.
“Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans.
“We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
“I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our democracy. And we’ve revitalised and strengthened our alliances around the world.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
“I will speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision.
“For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me re-elected.
“I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
“I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
MR BIDEN added on Twitter:
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.
Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.
Vice-President Karmala Harris responded: “On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
In a statement, former US President Barack Obama said: “Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded — again — that he’s a patriot of the highest order.
“Sixteen years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I knew about Joe’s remarkable career in public service. But what I came to admire even more was his character — his deep empathy and hard-earned resilience; his fundamental decency and belief that everyone counts.
“Since taking office, President Biden has displayed that character again and again. He helped end the pandemic, created millions of jobs, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, passed the first major piece of gun safety legislation in 30 years, made the biggest investment to address climate change in history, and fought to ensure the rights of working people to organize for fair wages and benefits. Internationally, he restored America’s standing in the world, revitalized NATO, and mobilized the world to stand up against Russian aggression in Ukraine.
“More than that, President Biden pointed us away from the four years of chaos, falsehood, and division that had characterized Donald Trump’s administration. Through his policies and his example, Joe has reminded us of who we are at our best — a country committed to old-fashioned values like trust and honesty, kindness and hard work; a country that believes in democracy, rule of law, and accountability; a country that insists that everyone, no matter who they are, has a voice and deserves a chance at a better life.
“This outstanding track record gave President Biden every right to run for re-election and finish the job he started. Joe understands better than anyone the stakes in this election — how everything he has fought for throughout his life, and everything that the Democratic Party stands for, will be at risk if we allow Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans control of Congress.
“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight. For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life. But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America.
“It’s a testament to Joe Biden’s love of country — and a historic example of a genuine public servant once again putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own that future generations of leaders will do well to follow.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.
“I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond.
“For now, Michelle and I just want to express our love and gratitude to Joe and Jill for leading us so ably and courageously during these perilous times — and for their commitment to the ideals of freedom and equality that this country was founded on.“
REPUBLICAN Presidential candidate DONALD TRUMP reacted in customary style with a tirade on his Truth Social platform:“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve — and never was!”
“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Ever gracious, the former President later told NBC News: ‘Joe Biden is the worst president in the history of the United States by far.
“He should never have been there in the first place – he should have stayed in his basement.’
Prime Minister Keir Starmer commented: “I respect President Biden’s decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency.
“I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, he will have made his decision based on what he believes is best for the American people.”
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said: “Joe Biden has served the people of the USA with devotion and total commitment.
“Now, in a typically selfless act, he steps aside to do what he thinks is right for his people. He came to Scotland for COP26 and made a powerful contribution. He has our best wishes for the future.
