28th Apr 2008 - Young architects outline visions for Ravenscraig

Budding young architects from Motherwell and Wishaw have created their visions of how the rejuvenated Ravenscraig could look in the future.

Over 30 young people from Muirhouse, St Brendan's and Knowetop Primaries in Motherwell, St Thomas' in Wishaw and Braidhurst High, together with students from Motherwell College, have taken part in a two day workshop where they worked alongside artists, professional architects and other design professionals to create their own perspectives on how Ravenscraig will take shape.

The Imagine Ravenscraig event was organised by Ravenscraig Ltd, which is leading the regeneration of the former steelworks site, in association with Scottish Enterprise and arts consultancy Art in Partnership.

Each group of youngsters was tasked with designing and building 3D models for a section of the Ravenscraig masterplan and were given free rein to imagine how elements such as the town centre, railway station, commercial district, open space and shops could look.

The new Ravenscraig town centre will feature around 1 million sq ft of retail, leisure, restaurant and community facilities in a modern, attractive centre. Around 1500 housing units and 500,000 sq ft of commercial space will also be created.

It will be served by a new railway station, a bus interchange, and have substantial car parking with dual carriageway access from both M8 and M74.

Ravenscraig Ltd Planning and Development Manager Murray Collins said: "The Imagine Ravenscraig event has given us a great deal of food for thought regarding how the heart of the new community could look.

"We were delighted with the quality and imagination demonstrated by teams and some of their ideas will inform our thinking when it comes to developing a final blueprint of how Ravenscraig will take shape.

Photographs and video footage from the event will be used to inform school projects and will be posted shortly on the Ravenscraig website http://www.ravenscraig.co.uk/.

The redevelopment of Ravenscraig is expected to create 12,000 jobs and attract in excess of £1.2 billion of private sector investment over a period of 15 to 20 years.

Work is already well under way on the £200 million first phase of the redevelopment of the 1,100 acre site in Lanarkshire with a £30 million regional sports facility, a £70 million campus for Motherwell College and 850 new houses now under construction.