Work on a new £20million community hub in Chryston has begun, with a turf-cutting event to mark the start of construction taking place on Monday 28 February.
North Lanarkshire Council is working in partnership with NHS Lanarkshire on the project that will deliver a 21st-century learning environment along with state-of-the-art health and wellbeing facilities.
The new community hub is being delivered by hub South West, the development partner of North Lanarkshire Council with construction partner Robertson Construction and will replace the existing Chryston Primary School as well as provide a new Community Health Clinic.
Councillor Frank McNally, Convener of Education and Families, broke ground on the site by cutting the first turf. He said: “Today’s event is another clear example of the council’s vision for its local communities to provide first class learning environments for pupils and teaching staff and deliver excellent facilities for the wider community to benefit from.
“The new facility will provide the children and residents of Chryston and surrounding areas with superb facilities.
“Our integrated town hubs and the smaller community hubs are modernising the entire school estate and offer multiple services from the council and our partners.
“We’re delivering significant investment across North Lanarkshire that will benefit people of all ages now and for generations to come.”
Plans for the hub include high-quality outdoor and indoor sports facilities; an extensive landscaped playground for the school; healthcare gardens for clinic patients and staff; and community greenspaces and paths designed to enhance connections across the site and encourage active travel.
The new learning facility will see up to 509 pupils learn in naturally lit, flexible spaces and be flexible to accommodate a wide range of learning requirements.
One of the exciting features developed by Ryder is the landscape design which creates seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor environments with all class bases benefiting from direct access to the playground.
And pupils will be able to take part in daily mile walks with a route which is indicated with footprints around the site.
Outdoor play equipment also includes bug hotels, allotment beds, and a fire pit surrounded by log seating, all provide different teaching and learning opportunities for the school.
Plans for the clinic include the provision of seven treatment/clinical rooms and a group room to support the delivery of local health services in state of the art health and wellbeing facilities including garden areas.
The new community health clinic will provide a larger, more modern facility than the existing Muirhead Clinic, which only allows a small range of community health services to be provided locally due to its size and lack of any dedicated car parking. It will continue to operate its existing services while the new clinic is built.
Maggs Thomson, Head of Health, Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “This is a major milestone towards delivering a new state-of-the-art health clinic for Chryston and the surrounding area.
“It will be a purpose-built clinic providing clinical services close to where people live and ensure local people no longer need to travel to Glasgow for certain services.
“Through detailed engagement with local service users and stakeholders we will develop a modern facility meeting the needs of people in the area.
“This partnership working also means services will continue to run at the existing health clinic during construction, and then transfer to the new facility once completed, meaning there should be minimal disruption for patients and service users.”
Michael Ross, Chief Executive, hub South West, said: “It is fantastic to celebrate the start of this exciting project and continue our close working relationship with North Lanarkshire Council in delivering its programme of works.
“Our unique partnering approach and focus on the benefits to both the local community and local economy, coupled with our focus on quality and continuous improvement, will ensure this facility is enjoyed for generations to come.”
Andy McLinden, Robertson Construction Central West, said: “Our experience in the education and healthcare sectors will allow us to deliver a state-of-the-art facility that not only supports the Council’s vision but that the whole community can be proud of.
“Chryston Community Hub is the first project we will deliver on behalf of hub South West since securing Tier 1 status last year and we look forward to engaging with the people of Chryston as the build progresses.”
Children and young people, staff, parents and the local community all played a significant role in developing the design for the campus. We worked closely with them to ensure the design reflected our aspirations while taking into account the local community’s requirements and the area’s natural heritage and architecture.
The new facility is expected to be operational by August 2023.
