The Russel Group which looks to build a new rail hub in Ravenscraig received 200 objections in one day to its plans for the region.
Locals feel there has not been enough consultation on its plans. For what is to be a development to serve as the company’s UK headquarters and would include a training academy while also functioning as a “test bed” for innovation in the transport industry.
One objector stated: “We bought our house to be within a community of like-minded people with nearby parks and quiet zones – not to live in an industrial park.
“The fact this is being pushed through during a pandemic when we cannot in person show up as a community to show our horror at the suggestion of this being built here just adds to the frustration.”
Kenneth Russell, director at Russell Group, said: “Ravenscraig is set to be one of the best-connected locations in Scotland and is uniquely positioned to be home to our planned headquarters and logistics hub.
Dad-of-two Zeeshan Siddique said he felt as if he has been “stabbed in the back” after hearing about the plans
“I was based down south and I saw this opportunity to move here,” he said.
“The development was sold to us as an opportunity, and the regeneration plan for the area would all be houses and retail, and a park.
Though 200 objections, the £200 million investment is also estimated to create over 200 jobs. If the plans are approved, construction work would begin towards the end of 2021 with the first phase of the development expected to be completed by early 2023.
Though the recent avalanche of engagement and objections, conversations had been happing against Russel Groups plan back in December.
When Ravenscraig community group’s chair Ken Good said: “Like nearly 1000 families, we came to Ravens Craig on the promise of a new, thriving, sustainable and safe community. What’s now clear is that the promises made are under threat from plans by a private developer for a major heavy goods vehicle transport complex planned on a site zoned for local homes for local families.”
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