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Background
Working with our partners in the Lanarkshire Economic Forum we have identified a number of challenges we have to meet to develop the economy. These challenges, which are set out in the joint economic strategy 'Changing Gear: Towards 2010', include the following.
- Improving town centres. In the residents' survey, 75% of people responding gave high priority to bringing new life to town centres.
- Improving educational qualifications and participation rates to meet, or beat, the national average. According to the 2001 Census, 40% of our residents aged between 16 and 74 have no qualifications.
- To bring employment rates up to, or above, the national average. Most people responding to our residents' survey gave highest priority to helping unemployed people into work and creating jobs by developing the local economy.
- Bringing the rate of new businesses starting up in line with the national average.
- Reducing deprivation in particular communities.
- Improving the transport system.
- Improving the quality of business premises in certain locations.
- Increasing and improving access to information technology.
- Improving our image.
Our aims are as follows.
- To reshape town centres
- To develop the transport network and business sites
- To regenerate communities
- To help people to develop skills for employment
- To improve the image of North Lanarkshire
Our intended outcomes are as follows.
- For town centres to be focal points for economic, community, recreational and cultural activities.
- Develop Gartcosh and Ravenscraig.
- Create transport links that can be maintained over the long term and quality business environments.
- Make plans to breathe new life into communities in most need.
Provide 200 training places or jobs in the council, or with our partners or contractors, for long-term unemployed people.
Invest more than £5 million building new business premises.
Make North Lanarkshire an attractive place to live, work and do business.
Aim 1 – To reshape town centres
Actions we will take
- Introduce regeneration plans for town centres.
- Start the first redevelopment phase of a business centre at Mill Street in Airdrie and sites at Coatdyke and Rochsolloch by April 2008.
- Redevelop sites for office space, complete Scott Street offices in Motherwell and start work on the Coatbridge baths site by 2005.
- Invest more than £20 million (over the four years of the plan) to improve the quality of our town centres.
- By 2006, introduce 12 town-centre wardens to reduce crime and the fear of crime, and to improve the quality of the environment.
Aim 2 – To develop the transport network and business sites
Actions we will take
- Campaign for improvements to motorways, major roads and public transport, and introduce the agreed recommendations of the Central Scotland Transport Corridor Study by 2010.
- Promote the efficient management of roads and develop initiatives to promote more environmentally-friendly forms of transport by developing a strategy to encourage people to walk and cycle, providing extra park-and-ride facilities at Croy by March 2005 and providing new park-and-ride facilities at Greenfaulds by November 2006.
- Introduce a plan for maintaining roads, footways and footpaths. Increase the number of road and footpath inspections from April 2004.
- Develop a site for a business centre in Cumbernauld by March 2005.
- Provide road networks and links for access to development sites at Ravenscraig, and prepare briefs to guide residential and industrial development.
- Invest £3.5 million in the new railway station and transport facility in Gartcosh by September 2004, and issue development briefs for the first phase by August 2004.
- Develop action plans, with our partners, to promote future development of the Faskine and Eurocentral strategic investment sites by April 2005.
- To attract and keep businesses and invest £1.6 million to improve industrial estates.
Aim 3 – To regenerate communities
Actions we will take
- Link capital programme projects (projects to build new assets such as roads and schools, or to improve existing assets) to employment or training schemes and create 40 places on these schemes each year for residents in disadvantaged communities.
- Deliver £4.2 million of environmental and access improvements in villages and neighbourhoods over the next four years.
- Develop 10 social economy organisations (organisations that provide services or employment in a community) each year.
- Improve the ring-and-ride transport service for rural areas.
Aim 4 – To help people to develop skills for employment
Actions we will take
- By 2008, create 200 training places or jobs in the council, or with our partners or contractors, for long-term unemployed people.
- Help create 200 jobs each year by providing business and training support.
- By 2005, work with 3,000 people through the 'Routes to Work' organisation that provides training and job information for local people.
- By March 2005, set up an apprenticeship programme with our public private partnerships to create 12 places each year.
- Develop local authority nurseries so they can support the families of parents in work or training.
- Provide 215 training places through the Workforce Development Fund to support the Early Years and Childcare Service.
Aim 5 – To improve the image of North Lanarkshire
Actions we will take
- Support a 'Locate in Lanarkshire' marketing plan by March 2005.
- Put the Lanarkshire tourism action plan in place from April 2004.
- Develop and improve tourism, secure and invest £4 million in Colzium House, Kilsyth. Secure and invest £4 million in Summerlee Heritage Centre, Coatbridge, and start improvement works in 2005, when funding has confirmed.
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