A NEW contract forming part of ambitious plans to transform a council area’s town centres at a cost of £32.75 million over the next five years has been secured by Procast.
The project to refurbish properties in Buchanan Street and Hallcraig Street, Airdrie, will involve exterior and interior work and will commence on Monday, September 14.
The works are part of North Lanarkshire Council’s long-term economic regeneration delivery plan that focuses on four core interconnected themes of housing regeneration, town centre transformation, business and industry and infrastructure development.
Procast will give three ground-floor retail spaces and two flats a £500,000 makeover, involving:
• Re-roofing works
• Sandstone repair works
• New rainwater goods
• New external doors and windows
• Structural repair works
• New concrete lintels to replace existing timber ones
• Insulation to inside faces of external walls
• New kitchens, bathrooms and electrical installations
• Full refurbishment of the retail units
It is projected that the people who will live in uprated properties in North Lanarkshire will be able to contribute to the revitalisation of the wider economy of the area over the next 30 years under a bold blueprint to invest £4.5billion and create 15,000 jobs.
New locations, including vacant and derelict retail sites, are also being identified to speed up the construction of council homes.
The local authority will also work with businesses and investors to redevelop existing retail premises, to help create multi-use spaces, such as incubator hubs for business start-ups, that are more relevant to the future economy of the area.
The overall aim is to transform town centres into “modern, vibrant communities where people live, work and socialise”.
Because the project is being delivered on a one-way street in a town centre, Procast will have to adhere to rigorous procedures relating to traffic management, security and housekeeping and will work in close conjunction with the live retail premises during the programme of works, which will run until March 2021.
Procast director Frank McManus said: “We are proud to be part of this programme to transform town centres into modern, vibrant communities where people live, work and socialise.
“Like North Lanarkshire Council, we want to see new life breathed back into town centres, making them fit with current lifestyles.
“The way we all live has changed in recent years, with a surge in online shopping and use of digital streams. Our social lives are also focused around ‘experiences’, so facilities and amenities need to be provided alongside new housing in town centres.
“We are fully behind the ambition to create new jobs, support business and revitalise the local economy, in order to develop long-term sustainability.”
This article was also picked up and published by Scottish Construction Now and by Project Scotland.
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