North Lanarkshire Council’s investment, alongside Glasgow City Region City Deal cash, has made it possible for NHS Lanarkshire to recommend that Wester Moffat should be the preferred site for the replacement University Hospital Monklands.
The board of NHS Lanarkshire agreed unanimously yesterday (16 December 2020) that the Wester Moffat site would be recommended to the Scottish Government. Without the ambitious plans for the East Airdrie Link Road and the wider £190 million Pan-Lanarkshire Orbital transport corridor, the site would not be viable as a location for the new hospital.
The council has added £53.3million on top of wider City Deal funding of £149million to three key infrastructure projects: the Glenboig/Gartcosh Link Road (completed in June 2018), A8/M8 Corridor Access Improvements and the Pan-Lanarkshire Orbital, of which the East Airdrie Link Road is a key component.
The East Airdrie Link Road is the name given to the northern section of the wider Pan-Lanarkshire Orbital Transport Corridor that runs between the M8 at Chapelhall and heads towards Cumbernauld. This new road and active travel investment will link with investment planned along the A723 and through Ravenscraig in the south, providing a new travel corridor throughout North Lanarkshire which will greatly improve accessibility and connectivity between local towns and communities.
Councillor Jim Logue, leader of North Lanarkshire Council, said: “There’s no doubt that even the inclusion of the Wester Moffat site in the selection process would not have been possible without the significant investment of the council and the Glasgow City Region City Deal in the East Airdrie Link Road.
“Our ambitions for infrastructure in North Lanarkshire are clear. More record investment in the area needs the kind of developments we have set out and we will continue to do everything we can to boost the local economy. Investments such as the East Airdrie Link Road and the Pan-Lanarkshire Orbital will make travel across North Lanarkshire and beyond faster, more efficient and more environmentally friendly. That increases investment in our economy and makes it easier for local people to access vital local services.”
The Scottish Government will now make the decision about NHS Lanarkshire’s site recommendation proceeding to the business case stage. It is anticipated that the East Airdrie Link Road will be in place during 2026.