World Construction Network

Daily Newsletter

09 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

McLaughlin & Harvey has announced the commencement of deconstruction works of Granton Waterfront's gasholder bell in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The bell’s dismantling will move forward the restoration works on the frame’s original 76m x 46m structure.

The UK-based construction company started work in January this year on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council.

The council intends to open up the land to create a new multipurpose public space as part of its larger £1.3bn ($1.65m) regeneration project at Granton Waterfront, to establish a new sustainable coastal town.

The project, which seeks to transform land at the gasholder bell into a new city park, is using £16.4m from the Levelling Up Fund provided by the UK government.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government contributed an additional £1.2m to construct the public park.

Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said: “It marked a historic moment [removal of the bell] as this iconic structure will be transformed now to move on with the times to serve a completely different purpose for the local community to enjoy arts, sports and culture for future generations to come.

“Now the bell has gone the contractor can get on with the exciting work to transform the frame back to its original glory which will be seen for miles around.”

The restored gasholder space will feature multisensory play zones, an outdoor space for sports and other events, outdoor trails and tracks for exercise, a dedicated space for public art, and a relaxation area.

According to McLaughlin & Harvey's civil Engineering director Seamus Devlin, the deconstruction of the bell will be complete "this week" and wall removal work will begin in the coming weeks.

ESG 2.0 marks a shift towards stricter environmental rules

ESG is moving into a different era, which we call ESG 2.0. While ESG 1.0 was driven by voluntary corporate action, spurred by pressure from activist consumers and investors, ESG 2.0 is being driven by a new wave of government policies. The EU has taken the regulatory lead, with rules introduced or in the pipeline that will price emissions, regulate the use of the terms ‘ESG’ and ‘sustainability’ in marketing materials, and make ESG reporting mandatory. The US has taken a different approach, favoring less regulation and more financial support in the form of tax breaks for clean industry (renewables plus nuclear and hydrogen). China is planning to expand its emissions trading system to more sectors, decarbonize its heavy industry, and ramp up its use of renewables. The new policy direction is mainly motivated by the ambition to hit net zero emissions targets. But on top of this, governments are now competing for clean industry and trying to challenge China’s leadership on the production of the world’s green technologies such as solar panels and batteries, as well as the production and refinement of materials needed for energy transition such as lithium. These driving forces are leading to policy that will impact every sector, not just heavy industry, and will keep ESG near the top of the regulatory agenda over the longer term.