A major milestone has been reached in the regeneration of the former Ravenscraig steelworks after a planning application was submitted to North Lanarkshire Council for the extraction and remediation works of 200 acres of land.
Ravenscraig is described as one of Europe’s largest regeneration and community creation initiatives, with a masterplan focused on ‘sustainable and inclusive’ growth for a mixed-use site.
Located on a former industrial steelworks facility, certain parts of land at Ravenscraig require extensive remediation before any new building can take place. This includes the removal of remnants from steel production and deep reinforced concrete foundations, preparing the land for future redevelopment.
The remediation works will see the extraction, recycling and backfilling of over 2,000,000 cubic metres of material.
This planning application covers the remediation of 200 acres of land in the centre of Ravenscraig which equates to approximately 20% of the site. This includes an area known as Meadowhead, adjacent to the new urban park, The Craig, and Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility, plus a section of land North of New College Lanarkshire Motherwell Campus.
Following public consultation in August and September, further landscape and ecology studies were undertaken to enable the planning application to be submitted.
Russell Wilkie, director at Ravenscraig Limited, said, “To realise our masterplan for a self-sufficient community with high quality housing, transport links, education and employment opportunities, these remediation works are essential. We’re making great progress with SevenFourEight, our employment land which will soon become Scotland’s best connected industrial space and the Meadowhead remediation is another piece of the puzzle for residential development.
“The remediated land will hold huge potential for the people of North Lanarkshire, with scope to provide over 2,000 homes. We are confident in our proposals and its ability to unlock further opportunities for Ravenscraig and the wider Scottish economy.”
A spokesperson from Ravenscraig Community Action Group (RCAG), added, “We have welcomed the open dialogue with Ravenscraig Ltd and the opportunity given, in recent months, to discuss the regeneration of the Ravenscraig community in partnership with those who live here. We recognise the importance of the proposed remediation works to enable further regeneration of a housing-led, sustainable community and look forward to continuing our engagement with them as they look to future residential, education and leisure development.”
A final planning decision on this planning application is expected in 2025.
