Ravenscraig regeneration gathers pace

The site of the former steelworks at Ravenscraig in North Lanarkshire will be the UK’s first new town in more than 50 years and home to more than 10,000 people.

Covering an area of 450 hectares, the project will require a number of significant construction projects including retail, leisure, residential, educational and transport schemes.

One of the first structures to get the green light is a new 220,000m² Regional Sports Facility which will feature a full-size indoor synthetic football pitch, a 135m-long six-lane athletics track, a nine-court indoor sports hall and six floodlit outdoor five-a-side football pitches.

Project architect HOK Sport, says it has incorporated the site’s historical steel heritage into the Sports Facility’s steel design and metal bands, reminiscent of rolled metal sheets, will wrap around the structure.

The facility will feature some long spans, especially in the building housing the indoor football pitch. This part of the overall structure will be 105m long x 22m high and will feature clear spans in excess of 70m.

Steelwork erection is scheduled to start on site this summer.