Plans to transform Coatbridge, Scotland, through a £19.5m regeneration programme have been approved by the UK Government, marking a major milestone for the Lanarkshire town's future. The funding has been allocated over a 10-year period as part of the Government's Pride in Place Programme, with the first £6.6m now released to get the work underway.
The Regeneration Plan and accompanying four-year investment plan were shaped by feedback from local residents on their priorities for the town and will be delivered by North Lanarkshire Council working alongside an independent Coatbridge Neighbourhood Board. The programme is aimed at boosting opportunities for young people, revitalising key attractions, and creating a safer, more welcoming town centre.
Early activity is already underway, including a community-led Spring-clean event which took place in April, and the launch of a Community Empowerment Grant Fund to support local groups running their own neighbourhood projects, with further small grant programmes planned for later in the summer. Gavin Whitefield, Chair of the Coatbridge Neighbourhood Board, said the investment would allow the community to "start delivering" on the priorities that residents have spent the past two years helping to shape.