The £16 million community hub – which includes a new St Kevin’s Primary School building – will boast spacious, welcoming classrooms for up to 242 pupils, outdoor learning areas – including a forest school area – a gym hall and a flexible multi-use games area.

A turf-cutting ceremony took place at the construction site on Tuesday, 22 October to mark the start of works.

The project will provide first-class educational and community facilities for local people according to Councillor Michael McBride, North Lanarkshire Council’s convener of Education, Children and Families.

“This is such a positive development and will be welcomed by so many people in the wider community,” he said.

“It marks an exciting development in our community hub programme and will provide children with a wonderful learning environment to develop and grow.

“It will also be a valuable resource for local clubs, groups and organisations.”

The new St Kevin’s Community Hub has been designed in close consultation with pupils and stakeholders.

The current primary school is on a shared campus with Bargeddie Primary. However, a new building is needed due to more people moving to the area.

Michelle Toolan, headteacher at St Kevin’s Primary and Nursery: “Our school community is delighted to see the new community hub project started and we look forward to the completion of an exciting, state-of-the-art facility.

“Our pupil ‘press pack’ are excited to begin site visits and keep us up to date with the progress of the build over the coming months.

“We look forward to easy access to the outdoors where we are lucky enough to be surrounded by the existing mature trees and woodland areas, our very own doorstep forest school.”

Following the completion of St Kevin’s, Bargeddie Primary will then occupy the entire existing campus, which will also include early years provision.

Kier has been appointed by Hub South West, on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council, to deliver the new £16m St Kevin’s Primary School and community hub near its existing location.

Beyond its community and educational impact, the project will generate local job opportunities. Kier is dedicated to offering apprenticeships and work placements as well as working with local contractors and SMEs throughout the construction process.

Phil McDowell, regional director for Kier Construction North & Scotland, said: “This new school will be transformational for North Lanarkshire, providing a dynamic and sustainable space that will benefit pupils, teachers and the community.

“Kier has a strong history in delivering state-of-the-art educational facilities and we are proud to be delivering this fantastic scheme on behalf of Hub South West and North Lanarkshire Council.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners to ensure that we address the needs of the community throughout the design and construction of this new building so it can provide lasting benefits for generations to come.

Tom McEwan, Hub South West development manager, concluded the project’s commercial close and will now hand over the construction phase to the Hub South West construction team, which has a wealth of experience in managing large-scale developments.

He said: “It has been a pleasure to have guided this project through the robust hub development process to Financial Close and over the line into construction.

“This is a great design and has all the makings of a fantastic facility when complete. Look out for Learning Places Scotland awards 2026.”

Michael Ross, chief executive of Hub South West Scotland, added: “We’re delighted to continue our strong partnership with North Lanarkshire Council on this incredible project further adding to our sizable track record of successful project delivery for the authority The new St Kevin’s Community Hub will be a vibrant and modern space, benefiting the whole community.”