new


opening


rebirth of ravenscraig


Amanda Ellison provides an overview of the redevelopment project at Ravenscraig – including the new £32m sporting facilities


site of the biggest regeneration project ever seen in Europe: the 1,125 acres of derelict land – an area equivalent to 700 football pitches or twice the size of Monaco – is currently being transformed into a new town. Situated in North Lanarkshire,


O


at the heart of Scotland’s central belt, Ravenscraig is one of the most accessible parts of the country, with over two-thirds of Scotland’s population within 90 minutes’ drive time. Once completed, Ravenscraig will be home to over 10,000 people. It’s also expected to create 12,000 jobs and to attract in excess of £1.4bn of private sector investment over the next 15 to 20 years.


nce the largest hot strip steel mill in Western Europe, Ravenscraig steelworks closed in 1992. It’s now the


the project The development of Ravenscraig has been divided into two phases. The first phase comprises a £70m new campus for Motherwell College, a £32m regional sports facility and 850 homes. Work on the £200m first phase began in 2006; with the opening of the state-of-the-art Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility on 30 September 2010, this phase is now nearing completion. The £600m second phase of the


project will create a new town centre for Ravenscraig, featuring around a million square feet (92,900sq m) of retail, leisure, restaurant and community facilities in a modern, attractive centre. Around 1,500 housing units and 46,450sq m (500,000sq ft) of commercial space will also be created.


Part of the development will be to


create new habitats for the wildlife already living in the area, such as deer, foxes, otters, badgers and many species of birds. An ecological clerk of works has been appointed to ensure compliance with Ravenscraig Ltd’s aims and objectives by all developers and contractors. Ravenscraig will ensure an integrated, consistent approach to developing the environment. The £1.2bn redevelopment has been


predominantly funded by Ravenscraig Ltd, which consists of three equal stakeholders: Wilson Bowden Developments Ltd, Scottish Enterprise and Corus. Additional backing has been provided for the regional sports facilities by North Lanarkshire Council and the Scottish government, through the national sports agency Sportscotland.


sporting facilities The £32m Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility has been designed to the highest standards throughout and is operated by charitable leisure trust North Lanarkshire Leisure. It can cater for all needs, with a multi-functional sports hall, full-size indoor football pitch, fully equipped athletics track with a throw and jump area and two dance studios. There’s also a strength and conditioning area with five Olympic weight lifting platforms and a 100-station fitness suite supplied by Technogym. (See information box, p38, for a full list of facilities). The large fi tness suite offers top


The strength and conditioning area offers five Olympic weight lifting platforms 36 Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


of the range equipment, including 19 RunNow treadmills and seven Bike700 from Technogym with brand new VISIOweb, which allows users to browse the internet while they work


january 2011 © cybertrek 2011


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