IT promises to be Scotland's first new town in more than 50 years, literally rising from the ashes of the industrial past. For almost two decades, the former steelworks at Ravenscraig have been a septic sore on Lanarkshire's landscape, a sprawling acreage of derelict and contaminated land.

Now touted as the biggest single regeneration project in Scotland, £1bn is expected to be poured into the scheme in the next two decades, creating 10,000 jobs, one million square feet of shopping space, a new transport system, schools, parkland and sports facilities. A college to replace Motherwell College has been given planning permission for the site and is expected to be completed by summer 2009.

It is a story being replicated across industrial Scotland. The lingering hangover from a century as the Empire's engineroom, from the physical damage to the social fall-out of industrial decline, is being prescribed a potential resolution.

The regeneration game has also become big business. The Clyde, from Lanarkshire to the Ayrshire coast, is the flagship project. Upstream, the Clyde Gateway project promises to unlock land in South Lanarkshire and Glasgow's east end for housing and industry, capitalising on the proposed M74 extension and its M8 connection.

The ghosts of the Clyde's shipbuilding past are also being laid to rest. Housebuilding along Glasgow's waterfront has reached feverish levels, the most emblematic project being Glasgow Harbour, an attempt at an entirely new city district.

The nation's two major broadcasters are chief residents in a new media village, while iconic projects such as the proposed national music arena and transport museum will pepper the riverside.

Clydebank, Port Glasgow and Greenock have ensured they are not being left behind with their own locally tailored projects, while the Ayrshire towns clustered around Irvine have a bold vision. And it is not just the obvious industrial heartlands getting the makeover.

Edinburgh, never a heavy industry city, escaped much of the damage inflicted elsewhere. Nevertheless, it is embarking on a quest to transform the waterside at Leith to create 33,000 jobs and 30,000 homes. Dundee's attempts at regeneration are to be found on its waterfront and in its "cultural quarter".

In the physical sense, it seems fairly straightforward. But, according to a leading expert in the field, the problem is regeneration is so all encompassing and has so many interpretations. Not least among these is employment, says Professor Ivan Turok. According to the Glasgow University academic, underpinning all of this is the issue of worklessness.

In Glasgow, excluding students, one in three males aged between 16 and 49 is not in employment, the worst levels in the UK. On the back of this comes family breakdown, violence, addiction, poor educational attainment, suicide, anti-social behaviour and the other ills which provide the seemingly endless stream of grim statistics.

For Turok, there is a lack of an approach dealing holistically with these interconnected issues. He also points to winners and losers, the strides being made in Glasgow's west end compared to the east of the city, and how surrounding towns in the metropolitan area are suffering, especially in retail, as Glasgow city centre thrives.

But while seeing hope, he is also critical of the general approach taken north of the border: "It's all very piecemeal. Unlike England, where there has been a single- minded focus dealing with issues like contaminated land through agencies like English Partnerships, in Scotland we rely on the local authorities and Scottish Enterprise.

"I don't see much ambition for places like Glasgow's east end, which needs an approach like London's efforts to regenerate its east end. English Partnerships have dedicated funding and specialists in all areas. We, too, need to think big."

The scars of Clydebank's shipbuilding past are finally showing signs of healing. But those leading its revitalisation are concerned the framework which has allowed this to happen could soon be ripped up and thrown away.

Stop-start and piecemeal are phrases which have best described the recent history of regeneration in Scotland. Interference now or in the near future, many claim, would mean the gathering momentum would be lost and much of the good work of the last few years undone.

There's a change in the air in Greenock. Hammered by the closure of the Scott Lithgow shipyard, almost 20% of the population have left the Inverclyde area since 1981.

The replacement bluechip industries face continuing uncertainty, while Greenock was given an unflattering, if realistic, portrayal in Ken Loach's recent film, Sweet Sixteen. In the past year, however, the previously unthinkable has happened.

Homes in Port Glasgow have sold for more than £800,000. Just three months ago, dozens queued for days for first choice of a new, more modest, development in Greenock.

Stunning views over the Clyde are helping sales, as is the proximity to Glasgow and the transport links throughout the metropolitan area.

Although ground staff at Glasgow Airport are potential new residents, Bill Nicol, chief executive of local regeneration company, Riverside Inverclyde, insists the Greenock waterfront will not become "a yuppie ghetto".

"The priorities at this stage are to stabilise the population and change perceptions of Inverclyde," he says. "It's crucial to give an impression of an area which is on the up, where people can move to, buy a house cheaper than most places in the metropolitan area and make a decent return. We're also seeing people who have bought their local authority houses now selling them at a very healthy profit and using this to move to the waterfront."

As in many other areas, housing is leading the regeneration, mostly from the private sector. Last year alone, 25,000 houses were built in Scotland, 80% on brownfield sites.

The demand appears insa- tiable. Just 20 years ago, two-thirds of Scotland's housing stock was socially rented. Today, 67% is owner-occupied. The annual value of house-building in Scotland is reckoned to be around £4bn and it employs around 120,000 people. More importantly, it has provided more decent housing, the most fundamental piece of infrastructure for communities.

There appears to be a direct correlation between housing, health and education but the provision of affordable homes continues to be a problem, with builders citing planning restrictions for slowing the process.

With one notable exception, Glasgow, the profession believes local authorities are too slow and reluctant to release land for housing.

Alan Lundmark is director of planning at Homes for Scotland, the umbrella group championing the housing development industry. "Regeneration is our daily business," he says. "But it can take up to six years from sourcing a plot of land to moving on site. The upshot of doing nothing is prices are rising, which is fine if you already own your property but not for those looking to buy their first home."

Lundmark also says there was not the same assistance in Scotland as there is in England towards helping those trying to get a foot on the property ladder. Within the publicly rented sector, the stock transfers conducted across Scotland in the past four years had promised a social, as well as a housing, revolution. Not only would investment pour in, revamping tens of thousands of sub-standard homes but community ownership would instill a sense of pride long missing in many areas. But it has been beset with problems.

Tenants in Glasgow were the first to vote on transferring their homes from the council to local housing associations. Despite the "yes" vote, the negative vibes and general levels of dissatisfaction in the city have since rippled across Scotland. Highland, Stirling, Renfrewshire and Edinburgh councils have all voted "no", with Inverclyde the only other local authority area where tenants agreed to transfer.

The entire strategy is being reconsidered. Academic Gerry Hassan will publish his Glasgow 2020 project soon, a vision of where Scotland's largest city sees its future in a decade's time.

He warns many approaches taken in Scotland to regenerate areas, the creation of cultural quarters, iconic projects, reinvention as tourism destinations, are being tried elsewhere with limited success.

He insists there are "no nirvanas" but an exploration of Finland's progress in recent years would be a decent starting point. An approach, less tangible and obvious than a physical overhaul, is, he argues, required. "Glasgow has gone from second city of Empire to second city of shopping. But . . . while Glasgow has become quite good at it, more is required for urban change.

"It's addressing the inequalities. It's how people bring up their children, which equips them for the modern world. Being brought up in poverty predicts their life outcomes. Finland takes the whole issue of raising children very seriously, right down to city planning.

"It's approaches like this which would equip us for the long term."


This isn't a five-year job. It will take around 20 to get that confidence back'
WITH its soul ripped out after the closure of John Brown's, the shipyard that built the QE2, Clydebank needs a heart transplant and not cosmetic surgery.

Clydebank Rebuilt, a partnership between the local authority and enterprise agency, insists it has the blueprint to do just that. It talks of 1800 new homes in the area, work spaces for small and medium-sized enterprises and a new college - one of the biggest new-builds anywhere on the Clyde, and due to open in August.

Overheating house prices in Glasgow might be forcing people down the river to towns such as Clydebank, but the plan is that most of the new homes will be taken by those who come from the area and want to stay there. Those working in the Jubilee Hospital may also see the benefits of living locally.

Even the A-listed Titan crane, which has survived both the Clydebank Blitz and the closure of the yards, is playing its part. A relic of the industrial past, it is being reinvented as a local attraction, some of the resident jobless being trained to act as heritage guides.

Eleanor McAllister, managing director of Clydebank Rebuilt, is seeing signs of an area regaining its confidence. But what took a generation to cripple may take two to get it back on its feet. "This isn't a five-year job," says McAllister. "It will take around 20 to get that confidence back.

"The aim is to create homes and opportunities for people already here and their children. Physically, it's about bringing Clydebank down to the waterfront.

"Too many people here have been away from the job market for too long. The challenge is to be sensible about the jobs we are trying to bring in, to create a sustainable environment and not simply get involved in number-crunching."

What the parties say

SNP
Will devolve more decision-making powers to communities and promote community ownership. Slash business rates for small businesses, increase value of public procurement contracts going to local companies and expand social enterprise funding. Protect green spaces.

Conservative
Will put town and village centres at the heart of regeneration in Scotland's communities. High streets and main streets to be the focal point of communities. Pledge an £80m four-year town centre regeneration fund, to which communities could apply for help with regeneration projects.

Lib Dem
Will introduce a £60m small town regeneration fund and "light-touch" community grants. Double small business rates relief and increase investment through joint venture national regen-eration fund. Roll out business improvement districts, protect urban greenspace, and create parks and play areas.

Green
Will give communities a role in decision making, support local and small businesses, introduce sustainable communities bill to protect diversity. Reform Scottish Enterprise Business Gateway to stimulate enterprise; regeneration areas to have some land in community ownership.

SSP
Job-creation through house-building and community and youth facilities run by locals. Protection of allotments from infringement by developers. Grants for local food cooperatives. Employment of gardeners, environmental artists and others to transform towns and housing schemes.

Solidarity
Will use renewable energy drive to create jobs in ex-industrial heartlands. Will empower local authorities to limit out-of-town developments and renew town and city centres.

Set minimum amenities provision standard for developers. Build 30,000 affordable homes for rent immediately.

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12:02am Monday 30th April 2007

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