Bigboost fortown
A new report has highlighted what Motherwell and North Lanarkshire stands to gain as a result of a major infrastructure programme, including the creation of thousands of jobs.
The £1.3 billion Glasgow City Region City Deal, a 20-year programme which was green-lit in 2014, is behind £200 million of projects in North Lanarkshire.
The update was welcomed by members of the council’s Enterprise and Growth Committee.
Committee convener Allan Graham described the work under the City Deal as the result of a “joint effort by everyone in this chamber,” highlighting the cross-party support shown for the various infrastructure projects in North Lanarkshire.
The area around Motherwell Train Station has been targeted for three improvement projects.
Motherwell Town Centre Interchange is a plan to improve the station and its facilities in conjunction with the Scotrail Alliance, and work is expected to be carried out in 2020 and 2021.
Newlay Civil Engineering has been contracted to work on Motherwell Station Park and Ride and active travel links in a deal worth £570,000.
A £3.8 million investment at Muir Street will create a new station access lane with taxi rank, dropoff and disabled parking facilities, better bus facilities, a new station forecourt and improved pedestrian crossings.
The Ravenscraig Infrastructure Access, which supports the Ravenscraig Masterplan, will provide all the roads needed to access the site. The council is also looking into north/south travel links and the relevant walking and cycling routes, with feasibility studies, funded by an £85,000 grant from Sustrans.
In November 2018 the first City Deal project was completed – the Medicity medical incubation facility in Newhouse, which resulted from a £1 million investment by the UK Department of Business Innovation and Skills, matched by contributions from Biocity Scotland Limited. The council also contributed almost £450,000. Since it opened it has outperformed its private investment target, attracting almost £14 million. A total of 53 businesses are supported through this project, and 24 new products have been created at Medicity, where 135 people are now employed. In the most recent financial quarter 25 jobs were created.
Most of the £200 million is coming from the UK and Scottish Governments, with the council contributing one quarter.
Residents and businesses in North Lanarkshire will benefit directly from the City Deal with 2,000 jobs expected to be created, a 1.6 per cent increase in the total number of jobs in the area. North Lanarkshire will also host a “significant share” of 15,000 workers in temporary construction roles.