Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan 2023-2028
North Lanarkshire Council · 17 February 2023
Back to Enterprise and Fair Work Committee — 17 February 2023 and its agenda
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref PH/DG Date 17/02/23 Programme of Work PO18.1 - Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan 2023-2028 From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer of Place E-mail Greerd@northlan.gov.uk Telephone David Greer, Growth Programme Manager: 07583059816 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to seek approval for North Lanarkshire’s refreshed Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan (ERDP) 2023-2028 and associated annual ERDP Action Plan for 2023/24. The ERDP is a high-level economic development framework which is aligned to the composite capital programme and delivers on the first priority of The Plan for North Lanarkshire – improving economic outcomes and opportunities for all. The 2023-28 refreshed ERDP replaces the previous ERDP which was approved by Enterprise and Growth Committee in August 2019 and covered the timeframe 2019-2023. As with the previous ERDP, the refreshed ERDP aims to ensure that the council continues to focus on investment in physical regeneration across four inter-related themes: • developing housing that promotes improved quality of life and creates a better place to live; • reshaping our town centres to ensure that these provide modern and attractive centres that meet the needs of our communities; • improving our business and industrial infrastructure, creating opportunities for investment and for companies to start-up or relocate here; and • continuing to improve our connectivity and develop new opportunities by transforming our road, rail and digital infrastructure A 2023/24 ERDP Action Plan has also been developed and is included within the supporting documents of this report. As throughout the delivery of the 2019-23 ERDP, this action plan will be subject to annual monitoring, review and update.
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1. Background 1.1 In August 2019, the Enterprise and Growth Committee approved North Lanarkshire’s Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan (ERDP) covering the period 2019-2023. 1.2 The ERDP was developed based on significant consultation and engagement with stakeholders including elected members, North Lanarkshire residents, businesses, council officers, and key partner organisations and was developed to help co-ordinate the physical regeneration of North Lanarkshire, ultimately aimed at growing the North Lanarkshire economy and improving economic opportunities and outcomes for all. 1.3 Since 2019, an annual ERDP Action Plan has been approved by committee each year detailing key milestones and targets for the financial year ahead. In 2022 a wider Economic Performance Framework was also approved by committee which details progress against short, medium and longer-term economic targets. 1.4 Since the inception of the ERDP, several significant milestones have been achieved through the delivery of the New Supply, Growth and City Deal programmes. This has been previously communicated to committee in annual progress updates. Another performance report will be presented to committee in Cycle 3 2023, detailing progress against the 2022/23 ERDP Action Plan and wider Economic Performance Framework. 1.5 As the initial ERDP only covered the period between 2019-23, a refresh has been necessary to ensure that this plan remains fit for purpose. Recommendations It is recommended that committee: 1. Approve the refreshed ERDP (2023-2028) and Action Plan (2023/24) which are attached to this report as appendices. 2. Note that the approved ERDP and Action Plan will be subject to final review and consultation. 3. Note that an annual performance report detailing progress against the 2022/23 Action Plan and wider ERDP Performance Framework will be presented to committee in Cycle 3 2023. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve economic opportunities and outcomes Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth (2) Refocus our town centres and communities to be multi- functional connected places which maximise social, economic, and environmental opportunities (3) Maximise the use of our marketable land and assets through improved development in business and industrial infrastructure (4) Market and promote North Lanarkshire as the place to live, learn, work, invest, and visit (5) Grow and improve the sustainability and diversity of North Lanarkshire's economy
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1.6 Due to the significant scale of ambition in North Lanarkshire, many of the existing ERDP themes focus on longer-term programmes of work which will continue well beyond 2023. Moreover, internal stakeholder engagement has concluded that the revised ERDP (2023-2028) should be a light touch refresh as we continue to progress our key investments in housing, town centres, business and industry, roads, active travel and digital infrastructure. 2. Report 2.1 Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan 2023-2028 2.1.1 The refreshed ERDP continues to focus on the same four key inter-related themes as the 2019-23 plan: • developing housing that promotes improved quality of life and creates a better place to live; • reshaping our town centres to ensure that these provide modern and attractive centres that meet the needs of our communities; • improving our business and industrial infrastructure, creating opportunities for investment and for companies to start-up or relocate here; and • continuing to improve our connectivity and develop new opportunities by transforming our road, rail and digital infrastructure 2.1.2 Our work in these areas will also be underpinned by several key policies and strategies ultimately aimed at improving economic opportunities and outcomes for those who live, learn and work in North Lanarkshire. These include: • North Lanarkshire’s Equality Strategy; • The Workforce for the Future Strategy (and future updates); • The Place, The Vision; • Climate Plan, Action on Climate Together 2030; and • The council’s Digital and IT Strategy. 2.2 Housing 2.2.1 Housing plays a key role in the health and wellbeing of North Lanarkshire’s people and economy. Increasing housing supply and choice across all tenures will attract investment, create jobs and reduce inequality. 2.2.2 To help deliver the homes that North Lanarkshire needs to grow over the next five years, the revised ERDP recommends that the council will: • continue to focus investment in the council’s affordable housing stock to make sure that the target of 5,000 new council homes for North Lanarkshire is reached by 2035; • continue to support the delivery of the affordable housing programme including intermediate tenures such as mid-market rent; • enable private sector housing development to support the regeneration of strategic sites such as Ravenscraig.
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2.3 Town Centres 2.3.1 Town Centres are vital for our sense of community and place and their attractiveness and quality is strongly interlinked with the image and success of North Lanarkshire. 2.3.2 North Lanarkshire has eight recognised town centres: Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, Motherwell, Shotts and Wishaw. Each town has its own distinctive features and distinct mix of cultural, leisure and retail facilities. 2.3.3 To help reshape our town centres to ensure that these provide modern and attractive centres that meet the needs of our communities over the next five years, the refreshed ERDP recommends that the council will: • establish and commence delivery of town action plans for all eight town centres (aligned with our approved town visions), agreeing short, medium and long-term investment plans for each; • continue to prioritise funding and secure external investment for the regeneration of our town centres; • review how the council can be more effective in addressing failing buildings in our town centres, including potential use of Compulsory Purchase Orders where required. 2.4 Business and Industry 2.4.1 North Lanarkshire has one of Scotland’s fastest growing economies and has huge potential for future growth. To realise this potential, we need to enable our people and businesses to thrive by continuing to invest in skills, in business and industrial space and in marketing North Lanarkshire as the place to invest and work. 2.4.2 To help improve our business and industrial infrastructure and attract new investment and employment, the refreshed ERDP will be supported through the delivery of a new Business and Industry Strategy for North Lanarkshire. 2.4.3 The revised ERDP also recommends that the council and our arms-length external organisations (ALEOs) will focus on activities over the next five years which: • promotes a mix of development across our motorway corridors and accessible business locations to support the development of our foundational economy as well a high-end growth; • continues to support enabling investment which brings our vacant and derelict land and brownfield sites into commercial use; • improves how we record and respond to enquiries from businesses to provide a co- ordinated approach across relevant council services to help attract, retain and expand businesses and employment opportunities; • builds upon work which supports innovation and skill development though the development of sectoral learning academies; and • supports investment, via our ALEOs, that will continue to improve, modernise and expand commercial stock availability across North Lanarkshire. 2.4.4 Added to these activities, it is also intended to undertake a full review of sites allocated for business and industry within the current Local Development Plan (LDP) to inform the preparation of the next LDP and ensure that we have suitable sites available to attract and retain businesses and employment opportunities.
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2.5 Connectivity 2.5.1 Our existing roads, railways and digital infrastructure provide gateways to inclusive growth and prosperity but there remains a need to better connect North Lanarkshire to markets and employment opportunities by improving our strategic infrastructure. 2.5.2 To help improve our connectivity, the refreshed ERDP recommends that over the next five years, the council will: • continue to deliver the City Deal programme; • ensure that inclusive economic growth remains at the heart of opportunity to support affordable and accessible transport systems (via the Local Transport Strategy due to be launched in 2024); • invest in the delivery of the council’s Active Travel Strategy to ensure a comprehensive connection of active travel routes to key places across North Lanarkshire; • support the delivery of Electric Vehicle Charging infrastructure across North Lanarkshire; and • work with the council’s digital partner to install and invest in infrastructure that helps create one of the best and most affordable/accessible digital provisions in the UK. 2.6 ERDP Action Plan 2.6.1 An action plan for 2023/24 has been devised to help progress delivery of the priorities set out in the refreshed ERDP. This and future ERDP action plans will continue to be subject to annual review, update and committee approval. This will allow for changes to be made in response to any changing or arising challenges and opportunities facing the North Lanarkshire economy at any given time. 2.6.2 Whilst the ERDP 2023-2028 will remain a longer-term high-level framework for the North Lanarkshire economy, the 2023/24 Action Plan outlines key targets and objectives for the year ahead. 2.6.3 The action plan will be delivered through the ERDP Steering Group (which comprises key officers from contributing services across the council) and monitored through the ERDP Board (which comprises senior officers across key services). 2.7 Consultation and Briefings 2.7.1 Following approval by committee, the finalised ERDP refresh will be subject to final review (and potential minor amendment) by relevant services and wider stakeholders. Once complete, an online briefing session on the finalised 2023-28 will be organised for all members. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The annual ERDP Action Plan contains various targets, the delivery of such being key to the success of the refreshed ERDP. 3.2 A robust Economic Performance Framework has now also been established and contains a series of key performance indicators, with short, medium, and long-term targets attached as the operational measures of success. The next end-year performance report is due to be presented to committee in Cycle 3 2023. This will include progress against the 2022/23 ERDP Action Plan as previously approved by committee.
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4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan (2023-2028) Appendix 2 ERDP Action Plan 2023/24 Pamela Humphries Chief Officer of Place
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5. Impacts ( http://connect/report-template-guidance ) 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes x No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The primary aim of the refreshed ERDP 2023-28 is to support inclusive economic growth and opportunities for all. In doing so it aims to support investment in creating a more equitable and fairer place for residents of North Lanarkshire to live. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☒ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts have been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The 2019-23 ERDP was funded through a mixture and a range of external funding sources. It is envisaged that the 2023-28 ERDP will largely be funded in a similar manner subject to available resources. An investment plan will be developed for the 2023-28 ERDP and opportunity will be sought to use available funding for enabling works to try to help secure private sector investment for proposals delivered through the ERDP. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data?
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Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The ERDP remains one of the council’s key strategies and will be promoted accordingly through Corporate Comms and digital platforms. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? Risks are recorded and managed within Corporate Risk Register. Key risk is failure to deliver on ERDP and its objectives of helping co-ordinate physical and economic regeneration activity across North Lanarkshire, increasing economic output and helping address social and economic inequality. This would result in the loss of economic and social benefits to residents and business across North Lanarkshire and significant reputational damage to the Council given the widespread public nature of the programme. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒
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If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services.
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Appendix 1 Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan 2023-2028
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Foreword North Lanarkshire’s first Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan (ERDP) was launched in September 2019. The main focus of the plan was to help secure and direct capital investment in order to promote inclusive economic growth, ensure community well-being and create a more prosperous place for residents of North Lanarkshire to live. North Lanarkshire continues to be one of the fastest growing economies in Scotland. With our central location, developing markets across construction, biotechnology, rail transportation and logistics, North Lanarkshire has continued to re-profile its economy over the last decade. However, recent years have thrown up many challenges with the economic impact of Brexit, Covid-19 and more lately the cost-of-living crisis. To address this, North Lanarkshire needs to ensure that we are the best placed location in Scotland to encourage investment, ensure that we have the homes and places where people want to live and the digital and physical connectivity that attracts business and new opportunity. North Lanarkshire’s refreshed ERDP 2023-2028 builds upon the activity that the council and its partners have been putting in place over the last 4 years. North Lanarkshire has consistently met targets set out in previous annual ERDP Action Plans. However, the ERDP cannot be delivered as a discrete strategy. It needs to be aligned with wider strategies for regeneration, digital, local housing and investment. It needs to support our plans for net zero carbon emissions and environmental sustainability as well as growth, whilst ensuring our communities have access to fair and equitable economic and employment opportunities. Ayeshah Khan Convener, Enterprise and Fair Work Committee
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Introduction The North Lanarkshire ERDP sets out a high-level framework for improving economic opportunities and outcomes for all. The 2019-23 ERDP (which the 2023-28 ERDP replaces) aimed to do this by trying to direct capital investment towards four key goals: • developing housing that promotes improved quality of life and creates a better place to live; • reshaping our town centres to ensure that these provide modern and attractive centres that meet the needs of our communities; • improving our business and industrial infrastructure, creating opportunities for investment and for companies to start-up and relocate here; and • continuing to improve our connectivity and develop new opportunities by transforming our road, rail and digital infrastructure This framework was designed to focus activities and resources towards large-scale regeneration and investment projects throughout North Lanarkshire. Nevertheless, since 2020, these goals to a certain extent have been affected by wider economic issues and the global coronavirus pandemic. However, due to the significant scale of the planned investment and ambition in North Lanarkshire, the previous ERDP themes were very focused on longer-term programmes of work which will continue well beyond 2023. As such, internal stakeholder engagement has concluded that the refreshed ERDP (2023-2028) should be a light touch refresh of the previous plan. This will allow the council to continue to progress our key investments in housing, town centres, business and industry, roads, active travel and digital infrastructure, whilst also at the same time being able to better reflect the current economic environment. The core themes of the 2023-2028 ERDP will also continue to be underpinned by several principles including skills, net zero and digital connectivity. This will be done by ensuring that the ERDP is aligned to a number of key North Lanarkshire policies, strategies and plans which are already in place: • NLC’s Equality Strategy • Workforce for the Future Strategy • The Place, The Vision • Climate Plan, Action on Climate Together 2030 • Digital and IT Strategy The 2023-2028 ERDP will continue to be supported by annual ERDP Action Plans which set out our main objectives and targets related to physical infrastructure investments. Action Plans will continue to be subject to annual review and committee approval. This will allow for changes to be made in response to any changing or arising challenges and opportunities facing the North Lanarkshire economy at any given time. An Economic Performance Framework (EPF) was also developed in 2021 to try to measure the economic outcomes of the ERDP and other associated activity being delivered through the council and their partners. This framework contains a series of key performance indicators with short, medium and long-term targets. The EPF will remain in place and annual performance reports will be presented to North Lanarkshire Council’s Enterprise and Fair Work Committee.
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Key Strategic Links The Plan for North Lanarkshire sets the direction for the council and its partners. Its purpose is to communicate our shared priorities and provide a focus for activities and resources. It is a high-level strategic document that outlines a long-term vision for North Lanarkshire - a vision where North Lanarkshire is the place to Live, Learn, Work, Invest, and Visit. The Plan for North Lanarkshire is underpinned by a number of strategies and plans which are closely interlinked with the ERDP. As such, activity delivered through the ERDP annual action plans will aim, where possible, to support the following: Equality Strategy North Lanarkshire’s Equality Strategy focusses on furthering the council’s ‘We Aspire’ ambitions and priorities. It recognises that the poverty, disadvantage and inequalities that exist for some people in North Lanarkshire needs to be addressed. Addressing the disadvantage and inequality that some groups of people experience because of societal constructs, prejudice, direct and indirect discrimination requires a strong, sustained strategic approach directly aligned to The Plan for North Lanarkshire and other key plans such as North Lanarkshire’s ERDP. ‘Employment’ and ‘Education’ are two of the five key themes of this strategy which need to be embedded within the goals of the 2023-2028 ERDP. As such, and given current economic circumstances, this ERDP will focus much more on opportunity and using investment to provide chances to those most excluded. Workforce for the Future Strategy Building a skilled workforce for the future plays a significant part in delivering our ambition for North Lanarkshire. In economic terms, making sure that we have a skilled workforce will support a more sustainable place that will help the council and its partners to continue to grow its economy and create better opportunity for our residents and young people. The Workforce for the Future Strategy and ERDP Action Plans need to ensure that investment plans continue to support future strategy that is focused on skills and community benefit. More importantly, investment through the ERDP needs to be targeted and actively support skills development across key growth sectors. The Place, The Vision The Place, The Vision sets out an investment plan for North Lanarkshire focused on 4 key themes – ‘Town and Community Hubs’, ‘Town Centres’, ‘Country Parks’ and ‘Connectivity’. The refreshed ERDP needs to ensure that it remains closely linked to this vision and make sure that investment being made in our housing, town centres, business and connectivity fits with wider plans for our town and community hubs and greenspace and that these remain accessible to all. Climate Plan, Action on Climate Together 2030 This strategy encompasses the council’s climate emergency declaration and subsequent target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030. To do this, carbon efficiency has to be embedded in all future investment decisions made by the council. Council decisions need to consider how new development can be offset against our plans for growth. This not only means investment in council owned assets but consideration as to how the council can drive forward carbon savings across the private sector and our third sector partners.
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Digital and IT Strategy IT and digital are integral to the future success of The Plan for North Lanarkshire, Digital Communities, a Digital Economy, and a Digital Council. Investment made through the ERDP offers opportunity for digital infrastructure and better digital connectivity. Commsworld have been appointed as the council’s digital partner and there should be early engagement with them in relation to all investment being made through the ERDP and other council led capital investment plans to ensure that opportunity to improve digital infrastructure across North Lanarkshire is not missed. Developing housing that promotes improved quality of life and creates a better place to live As of June 2021, there were more than 341,000 residents living in more than 153,00 homes across North Lanarkshire’s towns and settlements. With over 30% of homes in North Lanarkshire socially rented (compared to a Scottish Average of 23%), public sector investment in our housing stock remains critical to support population growth within North Lanarkshire. This is reflected in part via the council’s commitment to delivering one of Scotland’s most ambitious affordable housing programmes. In 2018 the council pledged to deliver 5,000 new affordable homes by 2035 with 1,494 new council homes already completed and a further 267 in development as of March 2022. Added to this, the council aims to support our partner social landlords to deliver an additional 758 affordable homes by 2027/28. However, this is not simply just about constructing new properties but also about creating improved quality of homes, following through on the council’s commitment to replace our ageing tower blocks with modern, energy efficient and accessible property whilst recognising that young people, families and our elderly population need the right homes in the right places. With only 70.3% of North Lanarkshire’s housing stock privately owned (owner occupied and private rented), there is also a vital need to expand opportunity for people to be able to buy their own homes and remain within or relocate to North Lanarkshire. With over 141ha of developable land available at Cumbernauld Community Growth Area – (Cumbernauld CGA) and 140.46 available at Ravenscraig, these two sites by far offer the most extensive opportunity for private sector build. While private sector housing in most areas of North Lanarkshire is generally affordable and in good supply, businesses continue to highlight that there is lack of affordable rented accommodation for those on short-term or temporary contract and who are unable or unwilling to commit to homeownership. To address this issue, North Lanarkshire Council continue to review and assess opportunity to support intermediate tenures such as mid-market rent. Lastly, whilst the total number of households in North Lanarkshire increased by 1,200, between 2019 and 2021, future projections to 2043 show significant growth. Nevertheless, since mid-2020, there has been a number of issues which have affected development and provide challenges to the council to ensure that our programme for housing development does not stall. Challenges Faced Covid, Brexit and the wider geopolitical landscape has had a significant impact on the council’s construction and development programmes over the last three years. It has led to supply chain delays, significant contract price increases and inflationary rises. This has in turn put significant pressure on council budgets to deliver on its programme (with the average build cost of a new build council home
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rising from circa £190-195k (pre-Covid) to £215-220k. This represents the average cost across all property types and sizes and costs vary from site to site. Added to this, all social landlords face significant pressure on their resources, which may impact on their ability to fund new build and other investment programmes. Private sector development has also been constrained by rising costs and financial uncertainty over the last two to three years with only 492 new private sector homes completed in 2021/22 compared to 926 in 2018/19. However, private sector development is also affected by other issues at key sites such as Cumbernauld CGA (where infrastructure investment is required) and Ravenscraig (where abnormal ground conditions has led to significant abnormal costs). Recommendations To help deliver the homes that North Lanarkshire needs to grow over the next 5 years, the council will: • continue to focus investment towards the council’s affordable housing stock to make sure that the target of 5,000 new council homes for North Lanarkshire is reached by 2035; • continue to support the delivery of the affordable housing programme including intermediate tenures such as mid-market rent; • enable private sector housing development to support the regeneration of strategic sites such as Ravenscraig. Reshaping our town centres to ensure that these provide modern and attractive centres that meet the needs of our communities Town Centres are vital for our sense of community and place and their attractiveness and quality as a place to live is strongly interlinked with the image and perceived success of North Lanarkshire. North Lanarkshire has eight recognised town centres: Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, Motherwell, Shotts and Wishaw. Each town has its own distinctive features and distinct mix of cultural, leisure and retail facilities. However, as with most other areas across Scotland and the UK, vacancy rates continue to increase across our towns as town centre shopping continues to be impinged by out-of-town retail parks and in particular online shopping. North Lanarkshire’s town centres have a vacancy rate of almost 19%. This vacancy rate is projected to continue to rise as retail continues to fail (a decline which has been accelerated by the impact of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis). To address this decline, the 2019-23 ERDP highlights that town centres need a broader foundation for success with a mix of uses sustained by a resident population. In doing so, one of the recommendations of the 2019-23 ERDP was to develop aspirational visions for all of North Lanarkshire’s eight town centres. Following a programme of public engagement and stakeholder consultation, as well as input from a range of expert consultants, these visions, providing high level concept designs for our town centres, were approved by the council’s Policy and Strategy Committee in September 2021. Whilst these Visions are very specific to each town centre and their communities, they shared a number of commonalities: • the need to consolidate retail within our town centres, increase residential footfall and address vacancy through town centre housing development; • a wish to promote local access to our town centres through active travel; • an aspiration to, where possible, establish transport hubs connecting up bus and rail networks;
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• a desire to incorporate proposals for town or community hubs within our town centres where possible; and • proposals to create new bespoke gateways to our towns. The next stage of bringing these visions to life involves developing action plans for each town that will specifically identify short, medium and long-term activity to help promote and support the concepts identified within the town centre visions. This work, co-produced with local communities and residents, is already underway and will be completed for all eight towns by mid-2024. However, although the action plans for our town centres are still in development, the council has continued to work to address key issues which impact upon the image of our centres and which communities have identified as prolonged blight within our towns. As such, over the last four years of the 2019-23 ERDP, more than £70m investment has been made in regenerating our town centres funded through the council’s capital programme and a range of external town centre and place making funds. Challenges Faced The work undertaken through the delivery of the 2019-23 ERDP, together with wider macro-economic factors, has given rise to a number of practical challenges in relation to the regeneration of our town centres. It was already well recognised that complex property ownership patterns within town centres and development constraints constituted two of the main barriers to the redevelopment of our towns. However, what has presented a greater challenge to the council more recently is owners’ unrealistic expectations of town centre property value, which is often higher than the current market value that the council is able to pay. In most of these cases, the buildings being sought by the council are in poor condition, with little or no ongoing maintenance, and will continue to fall into further disrepair due to failure to agree their acquisition price. Added to this, there has been a number of other issues which have impacted on bringing other town centre projects forward. These include: • the extended timescales and resource requirement needed to establish the justification and implementation of compulsory purchase orders; • medium to long-term lease agreements of individual units tying up the acquisition of larger retail properties; • energy efficiency and building regulation requirements, especially for conversion of property to flatted accommodation above commercial premises; • finding an alternative use for vacant retail properties within our town centres where these are not suitable for residential use; and • the cost of conversion of town centre vacant properties. In addition to these project specific barriers, elevated inflation levels have not only given rise to increased construction costs but has also led to increased pressure on council budgets. Moreover, one of the key annual funding streams which is available to support town centre regeneration, the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Programme, is only currently guaranteed up until 2024/25. As such, longer-term funding plans still need to be put in place to support the delivery of the emerging town centre action plans and ensure our ambitions for transformative town centre change can be met in full.
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Recommendations To help reshape our town centres to ensure that these provide modern and attractive centres that meet the needs of our communities over the next five years, the council will: • establish and commence delivery of town action plans for all eight town centres (aligned with our approved town visions), agreeing short, medium and long-term investment plans for each; • continue to prioritise funding and secure external investment for the regeneration of our town centres; • review how the council can be more effective in addressing failing buildings in our town centres, including potential use of Compulsory Purchase Orders where required. Improving our business and industrial infrastructure, creating opportunities for investment and for companies to start-up or relocate here North Lanarkshire has one of the fastest growing economies in Scotland with GVA increasing by 118% over the last two decades. The number of registered enterprises in North Lanarkshire has also increased from 6,760 to 8,420 between 2010 and 2022. Businesses across the authority have a combined turnover of almost £16M (6% of all Scottish business turnover), with nearly half of North Lanarkshire’s businesses within the retail, construction, scientific and technical services industries and the remaining sectoral mix fairly evenly spread between a diverse range of sectors such as administrative and support services, transportation and storage, accommodation and food services and manufacturing. Demand for commercial space in North Lanarkshire is high and, whilst our office market remains relatively weak (due to historic oversupply), with almost 25million sqft of industrial floorspace, the rate of vacant industrial units is at a historic low of 3.5%. Added to this, North Lanarkshire has over half (53%) of all available marketable land in the Glasgow City Region. To support continued business growth across North Lanarkshire, the council took forward a number of initiatives via the 2019-23 ERDP. These include: • the development and delivery of the 2020-23 ‘Workforce for The Future Strategy’ which aims to align workforce skills with future jobs demand and promote access to higher skilled employment in order to help address ‘in-work poverty’; • the preparation of North Lanarkshire’s Economic Recovery Plan which was designed to sustain and support business recovery through the covid pandemic; • the establishment of Invest in North Lanarkshire, a bespoke online marketing campaign focused on promoting investment in North Lanarkshire and opportunities for companies to locate here; • £4.809m Vacant & Derelict Land Funding provided to Fusion Assets (NLC’s arms-length economic regeneration and property development company) to help kick-start industrial development at Gartcosh Business Interchange, Ravenscraig Industrial Park and Link Park Business Park (Newhouse); • securing funding for the development of the Smart Hub Lanarkshire, a new manufacturing innovation hub at New College Lanarkshire (Ravenscraig Campus) used to promote new technology and incorporation of automation within North Lanarkshire’s manufacturing industries; and
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• securing £5m external funding for the regeneration and redevelopment of Braidhurst Industrial Estate to be used as a pilot for the renewal of more marginal estate within North Lanarkshire In addition to activity undertaken though the council, the Glasgow City Region Economic Strategy was launched in 2021, setting out a vision where by 2030 Glasgow City Region will have the most innovative, inclusive and resilient economy in the UK. This regional strategy highlights three key priorities which should be used to help guide future business and industry investment in North Lanarkshire. These are: • promoting an inclusive economy by addressing worklessness and creating accessible employment opportunity; • improving productivity through upskilling, innovation, fostering key growth sectors and the continued expansion of the region’s ‘foundational economy’; and • supporting investment and activity which promotes wider goals for net zero. Challenges Faced Due to its close proximity to Glasgow and the draw that this has for financial and administration sectors, the office market in North Lanarkshire is oversupplied and currently relatively weak with vacancy rates of 15.4% and average rental values of 23% below the Glasgow regional average. On the other hand, over the last decade, average rents for industrial space in North Lanarkshire have risen by an average of +3.1% per annum, whilst the volume of industrial property sales in 2020 at £106m has been a record high, pushing average prices up. However, rising construction costs and an oversupply of older industrial properties across the region (at a much lower rental cost than modern new facilities) is likely to start to constrain investment in new facilities. A report prepared by Co-star in 2022 also highlighted that industrial vacancies along key motorway corridors such as the M8 is now at a record low (3%) with demand continuing to far outstrip supply and level of available developable land continuing to fall. These strategic business locations represent a vital investment opportunity for North Lanarkshire and the potential to make available land via the development of the Orchard Farm roundabout access of the A8 to open-up new industrial land at Mossend International Railfreight Park (MIRP). Although these motorway corridors provide North Lanarkshire’s main strategic business locations, consultation undertaken as part of the development of the ERDP 2023-2028 has highlighted that for those without cars, accessing these locations is difficult from towns and settlements across North Lanarkshire due to a lack of public transport options (as is the case for those residents from smaller and rural settlements trying to access employment opportunity in general). Lastly, this consultation also highlighted that, although information in relation to commercial property or land enquiries that the council or its partners receive is generally well shared, there remains a number of initial enquiry entry points (including Enterprise, Growth, Planning and Place and Estates Teams, Fusion Assets, North Lanarkshire Properties, Lanarkshire Business Gateway and Scottish Enterprise) without a formal process for recording, sharing or reporting on these.
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Recommendations In order to promote growth and inclusive growth over the next five years, the refreshed ERDP proposes the following recommendations: • promotes a mix of development across our motorway corridors and accessible business locations to support the development of our foundational economy as well a high-end growth; • continues to support enabling investment which brings our vacant and derelict land and brownfield sites into commercial use; • improves how we record and respond to enquiries from businesses to provide a co-ordinated approach across relevant council services to help attract, retain and expand businesses and employment opportunities; • builds upon work which supports innovation and skill development though the development of sectoral learning academies; and • supports investment, via our ALEOs, that will continue to improve, modernise and expand commercial stock availability across North Lanarkshire. Added to these activities, it is also intended to undertake a full review of sites allocated for business and industry within the current Local Development Plan (LDP) to inform the preparation of next LDP and ensure that we have suitable sites available to attract and retain businesses and employment opportunities. Continuing to improve our connectivity and develop new opportunities by transforming our road, rail and digital infrastructure With key motorways (M8, M74, M73 and M80) running across and linking the local authority area, rail freight depots and a new transport hub being built at Motherwell Train Station, North Lanarkshire is the ‘best-connected’ place in Scotland. The new orbital route delivered through City Deal will help improve this connectivity even further, linking Motherwell, Ravenscraig, Airdrie and Cumbernauld directly to the M8 and M74 motorway corridors. New active travel routes are helping to create 20-minute neighbourhoods, connecting our communities with our greenspace, town centres, travel hubs and public facilities whilst new access infrastructure such as the City Deal Orchard Farm Roundabout on the A8 will open up new commercial development opportunity. In addition to this access infrastructure, work is being undertaken to support the delivery of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging across North Lanarkshire. Much of this work is now being undertaken at new housing and commercial developments. However, in 2020, Project PACE was formed to trial the approach of an electricity network provider leading on the planning and installation of public EV charge points at a regional scale across Lanarkshire. Between its launch and 2022, Scottish Power Energy Network, funded through the Scottish Government, installed 167 EV charging points at 44 EV hubs across Lanarkshire including 23 hubs in North Lanarkshire with 22 standard, 30 fast and 32 rapid charging points. Building on the works undertaken through initiatives such as Project PACE, the Scottish Government launched a £30M EV Investment Fund (EVIF) in 2022 in order to support local authorities to draw in private investment across Scotland and enable the implementation of a variety of public charge point owner/operator models. Models for delivering future EV charging are currently being considered at a regional level. However, this needs to be interlinked to our wider plans for town centre renewal,
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housing supply, town and community hubs, parks for the future, business and community regeneration. Digital connectivity also remains at the heart of renewing North Lanarkshire, ensuring that all our residents and businesses have access to affordable full-fibre or fast-speed broadband. To support this, the council has entered into a 15-year partnership agreement for digital connectivity services with ‘Commsworld’. This commercial partnership has been put in place to help deliver high-quality, reliable fibre connections that will make a transformative difference to investment opportunities for businesses in the area as well as tackling digital exclusion among our residents. It will achieve this by futureproofing North Lanarkshire’s digital backbone, enhancing the coverage and reach of gigabit-capable networks to businesses, private and council-owned social housing and residential households that are not currently served by existing networks. This will bring enormous benefits including increased access to employment opportunities, improve health and social wellbeing and economic growth. Lastly, launched in 2021, North Lanarkshire’s Active Travel Strategy aims to direct the creation of a wide range of connections across North Lanarkshire that can be utilised for everyday journeys such as travelling for education, day to day needs and employment opportunity. Significantly, this strategy provides a framework for the council to prioritise and bring forward active travel interventions across North Lanarkshire that will improve links within our towns and planned town and community hubs. In helping to deliver this, over the last four years, North Lanarkshire Council has made investment in key routes such as Cumbernauld Greenlink and Ravenscraig Active Travel links. Added to this, active travel plans are now being developed to deliver improved greenlinks to key employment locations such as Eurocentral and Maxim. Challenges Faced Although, North Lanarkshire has great road and rail infrastructure, access to and from many of our rural communities and business locations is dependent upon car ownership. Car ownership across most of North Lanarkshire is relatively low and, whilst pre-covid, commercial bus services across many areas of North Lanarkshire was poor, post-covid, commercial routes have worsened. In 2019, legislation was approved to permit local authorities to run public bus services. However, such services, where most needed, are likely to be commercially unviable and would need to be heavily subsidised. Whilst plans for City Deal Investment are ringfenced and on budget, as we progress with other infrastructure investment plans across North Lanarkshire, as with all other capital programmes, rising construction costs and inflation continues to impact on proposals. As such, there is a clear need to prioritise this investment to help ensure that we best achieve our goals for inclusive economic growth, net carbon zero and digital connectivity. Lastly, much of the land required for infrastructure development across North Lanarkshire falls outside council ownership. This often results in the need to agree servitude rights or acquire land or property through compulsory purchase orders, slowing development down and bringing about higher costs (potentially making schemes financially unviable).
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Recommendations In order to continue to enhance connectivity across North Lanarkshire, it is recommended that the council: • continue to deliver the City Deal programme; • ensure that inclusive economic growth remains at the heart of opportunity to support affordable and accessible transport systems (via the Local Transport Strategy due to be launched in 2024); • invest in the delivery of the council’s Active Travel Strategy to ensure a comprehensive connection of active travel routes to key places across North Lanarkshire; • support the delivery of Electric Vehicle Charging infrastructure across North Lanarkshire; and • work with the council’s digital partner to install and invest in infrastructure that helps create one of the best and most affordable/accessible digital provisions in the UK. ERDP Action Plan The refreshed ERDP is a high-level five-year economic development framework which is aligned to The Plan for North Lanarkshire. In order to support the delivery of this plan, the ERDP will be underpinned by an Action Plan which will be subject to annual review, monitoring and update. This Annual Action Plan will set clear targets and aims for each forth-coming year which will assessed and measured bi-annually. This will allow for: • amendments to be quickly made to plans in response to any changing or arising challenges and opportunities facing the North Lanarkshire economy at any given time; and • the impact of activity being delivered through the ERDP on North Lanarkshire’s wider economic Performance Framework to be assessed.
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Appendix 2 ERDP Action Plan 2023-2024
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The Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan is a key strategic document which is aligned to The Plan for North Lanarkshire and other key strategies, policies and plans. Together this strategic policy framework ensures that work is aligned with our priorities and enables the required resources and working practices needed to facilitate delivery of the shared ambition. As a high-level investment framework, the Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan will be aligned with our composite capital programme and will be refreshed again at the end of 2027/28. This Action Plan supports delivery of the Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan. It will be monitored and updated annually. Future updates can be found at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/ERDP Improving economic opportunities and outcomes for all The Plan for North Lanarkshire Economic Regeneration Deliver Plan NLC Equalities Strategy Workforce for the Future The Place, The Vision Climate Plan, Action on Climate Together 2023 Digital and IT Strategy Active Travel Strategy
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Theme: Live ERDP Priority 1: Developing housing that promotes improved quality of life and creates a better place to live ERDP Action Baseline Target 2023-24 Lead Team 1.1 Deliver new build council homes via NLC’s New Supply Programme. Between 2010/11 and 2021/22 NLC has delivered 934 new build homes across the authority via the New Supply Programme alone. Complete 276 new build council homes during 2023/24 New Supply 1.2 Bring homes into council ownership via NLC’s Open Market /Empty Homes Purchase Schemes, including homes previously bought under the Right to Buy scheme As of 31 March 2022, NLC had brought 560 homes into council ownership since the introduction of the Open Market /Empty Homes Purchase Schemes. 75 Open Market /Empty Homes Purchase Scheme completions during 2023/24 New Supply 1.3 Enable the private sector to support the delivery of the New Supply Programme, via off the shelf purchases. As of 31 March 2022, NLC has acquired 117 new build homes from the private sector Progress the delivery of a further 50 new build acquisitions during 2023/24. New Supply 1.4 Prepare and support the delivery of the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) Between 2010/11 and 2021/22, 1,494 affordable homes have been delivered via the council’s New Supply Programme and 1,862 by Registered Social Landlords (RSL’s) Prepare the 2024/25 SHIP which will identify sites to meet Local Housing Strategy priorities and maximises the use of available Scottish Government grant funding. Support the delivery of sites within the current 2023/24 SHIP. New Supply
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Theme: Invest ERDP Priority 2: Reshaping our town centres to ensure they provide modern and attractive centres that meet the needs of our communities ERDP Action Baseline Target 2023-24 Lead Team 2.1 Co-produce a series of Town Action Plans with local communities to enable the realisation of the Town Visions. Eight Town Visions were approved by committee in 2021. Finalise the first four Town Action Plans in Airdrie, Cumbernauld, Motherwell and Wishaw. Town Action Plans for Bellshill, Coatbridge, Kilsyth and Shotts in development for completion mid-2024. Growth 2.2 Develop a sense of place by protecting, repurposing or redeveloping vacant, derelict or unused priority buildings and sites within our town centres and investing in town centre regeneration activity that will support the delivery of the Town Visions Since the Growth Team was formed in 2019, 15 town centre properties/sites have been acquired across the authority with a view to either converting existing properties to residential developments, building new homes on cleared sites or upgrading commercial premises. Continue to engage with local property/landowners with a view to acquiring key town centre properties/sites earmarked for conversion/improvement. Growth 2.3 Between 2010/11 and 2021/22 there were 1,460 new homes delivered within North Lanarkshire’s 8 town centres (including edge of town developments). These properties have been delivered via North Lanarkshire Council and Registered Social Landlords (RSL’s). Deliver or support the delivery of 52 new affordable homes within our town centres (including edge of town) during 2023/24 New Supply / Growth
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2.4 Support new investment in North Lanarkshire’s town centres. £2.8m was secured via PBIP in 2021/22 and a further £2.4m in 2022/23. Deliver the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Programme allocation for 2023/24 (NB allocation still to be confirmed by Scottish Govt). Growth 2.5 North Lanarkshire has submitted various funding bids over the course of the previous ERDP (2019-2023) including the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund and Community Renewal Funds. North Lanarkshire secured more than £3.7m during 2021/22 and 2022/23 as part of the eighth and ninth rounds of the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF). In January 2023 the council was awarded £9,225,000 from the UK government’s Levelling Up Fund to support the delivery of the Cumbernauld Town Vision Engage with local community organisations to enable applications to third party regeneration funds, where appropriate. Continue to support 2 existing community led projects funded under previous RCGF rounds. Submit bids to any relevant regeneration challenge funds announced by the UK Government, Scottish Government, or other relevant external funding bodies. Growth
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Theme: Work ERDP Priority 3: Improve our business and industrial infrastructure, creating opportunity for investment and for companies to start-up or relocate here ERDP Action Baseline Target 2023-24 Lead Team 3.1 Improve the provision of high-quality business and industrial space either directly or through our ALEOs or Joint Ventures. £1.334m invested in business and industry zoned land or upgrades to existing business and industrial infrastructure across North Lanarkshire between 2018/19 and 2021/22. This includes NLC and ALEO funding only. NLC and Fusion Assets to invest a minimum of £2.3m in key business and industrial projects Fusion Assets / Growth 3.2 £6.924m external, private or loan funding secured for investment in office and industrial developments across North Lanarkshire between 2018/19 and 2021/22. £3.45m external funding (including private sector funding) to be secured by NLC/Fusion Assets for business and industrial infrastructure in 2023/24. Fusion Assets / Growth 3.3 4.07ha of land remediated or improved for business and industry use across North Lanarkshire between 2018/19 and 2021/22. 2.0ha of land to be remediated or improved (by NLC or Fusion Assets) for business and industry use in 2023/24. Fusion Assets/ Growth 3.4 69,910 sq.ft of commercial workspace created or refurbished as a result of investment by NLC, Fusion Assets or NLP across North Lanarkshire between 2018/19 and 2021/22. 16,500 sq.ft of business and industrial workspace to be created or refurbished by NLC, Fusion Assets and North Fusion Assets/ Growth
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Lanarkshire Properties in 2023/24. 3.5 Ensure our investment opportunities deliver economic opportunities and outcomes for all Stage 2 RCGF submission for Braidhurst Industrial Estate approved December 2021 - £1.8M RCGF awarded to project Progress delivery of a regeneration scheme for Braidhurst Industrial Estate, including the provision of new start-up units and refurbishment of existing units owned by North Lanarkshire Properties. Growth 3.6 N/A Develop a Business and Industry Strategy in line with investment opportunities, site prioritisation and future market demand. Growth
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Theme: Invest ERDP Priority 4: Improve our connectivity and develop new opportunities by transforming our road, rail and digital infrastructure ERDP Action Baseline Target 2023-24 Lead Team 4.1 Continue to deliver the City Deal Programme Planning approval granted. Full Business Case (FBC) for the West Coast Mainline Crossing approved with works on site 2022/23. Continue to progress delivery of Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure to support the redevelopment of Ravenscraig and connect the M74 to M8 as part of Pan Lanarkshire Transport Corridor. Complete West Coast Mainline Crossing. Full Business Case (FBC) approval for the Motherwell to Ravenscraig access (new roundabout at Airbles Road/Windmillhill Street junction; dual carriageway from the junction to Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility) Enterprise Projects
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Commence construction of Motherwell to Ravenscraig access. 4.2 Ground investigation works complete. Preferred option for East Airdrie Link Road route identified. Continue to progress delivery of the East Airdrie Link Road (EALR). Procure and appoint consultant team for Stage 3 (Detailed Design and Planning Application). Commence detailed design. Enterprise Projects 4.3 Contractor (Balfour Beatty) appointed, and works have commenced on site. Improve Motherwell Town Centre transport interchange to support active and sustainable travel. Complete works at Motherwell Rail Station (ScotRail) and Muir Street (NLC) during 2023/24. Enterprise Projects 4.4 Outline Business Case (OBC) for A8/M8 Corridor Access Improvements project was approved by Glasgow City Region City Deal Cabinet in 2022. Full Business Case approval for the Orchard Farm roundabout. Enterprise Projects
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Appointment of contractor to deliver the Orchard Farm Roundabout to support the development of key business and industrial sites on the A8/M8 corridor. 4.5 The OBC for the A8/M8 Corridor Access Improvements project was approved by Glasgow City Region City Deal Cabinet in 2022. This included sustainable transport improvements and enables us to develop and design our proposals. Progress delivery of the Eurocentral Strategic Active Travel project. Appoint consultants to develop detailed design proposals during 2023/24. Enterprise Projects 4.6 Support and enable investment in active travel Ravenscraig Active Travel Link (RATL) phase 1 complete – providing a new path enabling residents to walk, wheel and cycle. The path runs north from ‘The Castings’ housing development off Meadowhead Road to Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility and 'The Craig' public park. Deliver phase 2 of the RATL from Meadowhead Road to Robberhall Road. Enterprise Projects 4.7 Funding secured via UK Shared Prosperity Fund - £75,000 allocated towards active travel feasibility studies. Undertake feasibility studies to support the development of active travel routes across North Lanarkshire. Infrastructure & Transportation / Enterprise Projects
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4.8 7.8km of active travel routes enhanced or created between 2018/19 and 2021/22. A further 6km of active travel routes to be enhanced or created during 2023/24, linking communities, arterial routes and transport hubs with town centres and key business locations in North Lanarkshire. Infrastructure & Transportation / Enterprise Projects 4.9 Deliver a worldclass digital Infrastructure across North Lanarkshire Commsworld Ltd were appointed to deliver connectivity services in February 2022. The project to deliver Full Fibre connectivity through the Councils Wide Area Network is progressing well. To date, CommsWorld have delivered 162k metres of Fibre Infrastructure. 3 apprentices were recruited during 2022 via the NLC/Commsworld Shared Apprenticeship model. Fibre infrastructure to be fully delivered by June 2023. This infrastructure is key to then enable other call off contracts, one of which is Public Wi-Fi, which when delivered, will be the single Public Wi-Fi service that will incorporate Town Centres and any public use buildings and spaces that are deemed to require it. This new infrastructure will be an enabler for further digital opportunities throughout North Lanarkshire. Business Solutions
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Through the Community Benefits and Added Value elements of the contract, key actions will be delivered throughout 2023-24 including: • Recruitment of additional 3 apprentices through the NLC/Commsworld Shared Apprenticeship model. • Continued delivery of SmartSTEM/ Young Enterprise Scotland programme in Schools • Provision of work experience placements • Delivery of a digital showcase for businesses • Development of activity to maximise the uptake of Scottish and national broadband voucher schemes • Development and delivery of actions to
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support community engagement, empowerment and capacity building