Work starts on first housing on Ravenscraig site
Construction work has begun on the first houses to be built on the former Ravenscraig steelworks in Lanarkshire.
A total of 850 homes are being created and will complete the first phase of the £1.2bn regeneration of the site.
North Lanarkshire Council and Clyde Valley Housing Association have agreed to purchase 45 of the properties.
These will be offered for rent to council tenants. The remainder will be sold or rented out by developer David Wilson Homes.
Ravenscraig is one of the largest regeneration projects in Europe, and once completed is expected to be home to more than 10,000 people.
The partners involved in the project have estimated it could create about 12,000 jobs and attract in excess of £1.4bn of private sector investment over the next 15 to 20 years. Work on the first phase of the redevelopment is nearing completion and includes a £32m regional sports facility, a £70m campus for Motherwell College and the 850 new houses now under construction.
Last year the leader of North Lanarkshire Council called on the Scottish government to make the regeneration of the 1,100 acre site a “top priority”.
In November a £2m joint funding package, from the local authority, Scottish Enterprise and developer Wilson Bowden, was announced to help kick-start phase two of the Ravenscraig project.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the cutting of the first turf for the new homes, council leader Councillor Jim McCabe said: “The start of the housing development is another important milestone for the regeneration of Ravenscraig.
“The council has worked hard to ensure that this major project, which is vitally important for the future prosperity of this area, is progressed despite the current difficult economic conditions.”
Jim Fitzsimons, project director at Ravenscraig Ltd, said: “It is extremely encouraging to see construction work on the first foundations of Ravenscraig’s new community get underway.
“The 850 family homes that will be built on the northern part of the site, next to Carfin, are the first of 3,500 planned for Ravenscraig.
Construction
The local authority will offer some of the new homes to council tenants
“Working closely with our public and private sector partners, including North Lanarkshire Council, our attention has now turned to taking forward plans for the second phase, which will involve the development of the town centre.”
Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil said: “This housing development marks another important step in the rebirth of Ravenscraig.
“The Scottish government has invested millions in the area to aid its regeneration.
“We want to enrich communities by supporting initiatives that will make a lasting transformation of places to benefit those who live and work there.”
The second phase of the Ravenscraig regeneration will include a new town centre, railway station, and bus interchange.
