Proposals to clear a massive former industrial site across an area of land “with scope to provide over 2,000 homes” have been lodged.

The major planning application covers 200 acres of land in the centre of the historic former steelworks site.

A proposal of application notice has been submitted to North Lanarkshire Council for the extraction and remediation works of land at Ravenscraig, moving the regeneration of the former steelworks into its next phase.

The 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, which is adjacent to the new urban park, The Craig, and Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility, plus a section of land next to New College Lanarkshire Motherwell Campus, known as Plots TC1-TC3.

With the site being a former industrial steelworks facility, certain parts of land at Ravenscraig requires extensive remediation before any new building can take place, the developer said.

The remediation works include the removal of remnants from steel production and deep reinforced concrete foundations, preparing the land for future redevelopment. 

The remediation works represent a substantial investment into the community of Ravenscraig which will see the extraction, recycling and backfilling of over 600,000 cubic metres of material. 

Russell Wilkie, director at Ravenscraig Limited, said, “Ravenscraig is one of Europe’s largest regeneration and community creation initiatives, building a self-sufficient community with high quality housing, transport links, education and employment opportunities. 

“These essential remediation works will allow for future investment and growth for Ravenscraig. This area of land represents huge potential for the people of North Lanarkshire, with scope to provide over 2,000 homes which would add to the 1,000 homes built to date.” 

Following the notice for land remediation, there will be a three-month consultation period before the submission of the planning application, with a final planning decision expected in 2025. 

Ravenscraig is one of Europe’s largest regeneration and community creation initiatives, located in North Lanarkshire. The 1,200 acre transformational regeneration project is led by Ravenscraig Limited, a joint venture company comprising Barratt Developments, Tata Steel and Scottish Enterprise,, with £250m investment to date. 

Ravenscraig Steelworks closed in 1992, turning a once-thriving industrial hub into a vacant brownfield site. Responding to calls to transform the land to support the local community, Ravenscraig Ltd is remediating and redeveloping the site, creating a thriving new community which supports the economy of North Lanarkshire and Scotland.

Ravenscraig Ltd is a not-for-profit development, with all income from land sales reinvested into the regeneration of Ravenscraig. The revised Ravenscraig Masterplan was approved in 2020, focused on sustainable and inclusive growth, as a mixed-use site which supports a self-sufficient community. This year will see the planning applications under way for additional new build affordable housing, neighbourhood retail opportunities and transport infrastructure.

Community consultations are taking place on Thursday, August 29 (1-7pm) and Thursday, September 26 (1-7pm) at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility.