Former steel site must be a priority for council

That’s the view of new depute council leader Paul Kelly who says he shares the frustration of local people on the lack of progress to replace the steelworks which closed 24 years ago.

It had been planned to build a new town there complete with housing, shops, a railway station and business areas, but last year the joint venture company overseeing the scheme admitted a re-think is needed. The global recession, protracted legal problems and the growth of online shopping were blamed for the project stalling.

Councillor Kelly said: “I want to see us kickstart the Ravenscraig project. Many local people have spoken to me about it over the years.

“We can’t accept that it will be left as a large, derelict site.”

Several housing developments have been approved recently, but Councillor Kelly said there has to be more than that.

He added: “We can’t fill it with housing. We must have ambitions. People leave this area to use retail parks which surround us. We need facilities for them at Ravenscraig.”