The event marked further progress in the council’s new house building programme, and another important part of the regeneration of Ravenscraig, creating homes, leisure facilities, business and green space to the former industrial site, which is owned by Ravenscraig Ltd.

Work will get underway to build 24 new, affordable homes at Ravenscraig, part of the council’s plans to deliver 5,000 new homes across North Lanarkshire by 2035. The Ravenscliff project, being built by CCG (Scotland) Ltd, includes a mix of bungalows, cottage flats and terraced houses. The £5.726 million development is supported by a contribution from the Scottish Government.

Cutting the sod was Councillor Heather Brannan-McVey, housing convener, who was joined by local members, Councillors Kenneth Duffy, Agnes Magowan and Nathan Wilson; Russell Wilkie, director of Ravenscraig Ltd; Chris Murray from CCG (Scotland) and council officers, Pamela Humphries, Kevin Divin, Neil Watts and Martin Green.

Councillor Heather Brannan-McVey said: “This is another exciting chapter in the Ravenscraig regeneration story and I’m delighted that the Ravenscliff development is now on site.

“We’re committed to improving the lives of our tenants and residents and regenerating our towns and local communities, and by driving forward our housing plans we’re creating jobs and meeting the needs and aspirations of our tenants.

“We’re building modern, affordable homes across the area which are designed to the highest standard. Our new homes are built for the future and will last for generations to come – all part of our long-term vision to make North Lanarkshire the place to live, learn, work, invest and visit.”

To date, North Lanarkshire Council has completed 970 new build homes, has a further 421 on site and expects a total of 175 homes to be completed this year. A number of new sites across the area are currently at various stages of progression to deliver a further 1,346 new homes both in communities and town centres.

All  new homes are designed and built to the highest standards with energy efficiency measures to help us protect the environment and work towards the council’s net zero targets while benefiting  tenants by helping them save money on running costs. The homes all meet Housing for Varying Needs, which means homes are more accessible to adapt to tenants’ mobility needs and are secure by design.

CCG managing director, David Wylie, added: “We are delighted to have commenced works on the latest phase of regeneration in Ravenscraig. Ravenscliff Road is now one of four developments that CCG is delivering for North Lanarkshire Council across the regional area and our partnership is not only delivering high-quality, affordable homes within communities like Motherwell but it is also helping create jobs and localised investment. I look forward to seeing how this development and others progress over the coming months.”

Russell Wilkie, director of Ravenscraig, said: “We look forward to welcoming more households to Ravenscraig in the near future. NLC joins housebuilders including Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes, Taylor Wimpey and Keepmoat on the site and we are now actively looking at the next phase of residential development to add to the existing thriving community.

“Our vision for Ravenscraig is to be a sustainable, mixed-use community, where people can live, work and play.

“We have also recently completed the £4.5m access road for the Employment Land known as SevenFourEight Ravenscraig, which is attracting interest from a number of high-profile businesses.”