WIREDGOV

Strong progress on infrastructure plan supporting thousands of jobs.

Investment by the Scottish Government in schools, hospitals, housing, transport and communications infrastructure projects has supported 40,000 jobs across Scotland over the past year, Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon said today.

In 2013, 18 infrastructure projects, worth £400 million, completed construction and are now in use. This includes four health centres, seven schools and two major transport projects. Construction has also completed on a further four infrastructure projects, worth £225 million, which will be available to communities by the end of March 2014.

The findings are included in the Scottish Government’s second annual progress report of the multi-billion pound Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP), published today.

Investment by the Scottish Government in infrastructure projects is set to top £8 billion between 2014/15 and 2015/16.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon outlined the detail of the progress report as she visited the site of East Kilbride’s new 6300 sq ft Hunter Health Centre, which is part of an overall investment of £51 million and includes health centres in Wishaw and Kilsyth.

The East Kilbride health centre, which will include six existing GP practices, one general dental practice, podiatry, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, all community treatment room activity, mental health, phlebotomy, public health nurses and long term condition nurses, is due for completion in summer 2015.

Ms Sturgeon said:

“This Government is determined to invest in Scotland’s schools, hospitals, housing, transport and communication infrastructure – both to stimulate growth in the short term and lay the foundations for long term success.

“Infrastructure investment over 2013/14 is estimated to have supported some 40,000 jobs in communities across Scotland. That is good news for our economy and our construction industry, which we know benefits from the certainty and vision of the future the Infrastructure Investment Plan provides.

“Today’s progress report and updated pipeline shows that significant progress has been made across all sectors over the past year. This is despite substantial cuts in our capital budget from Westminster of some 27 per cent in real terms between 2010/11 and 2015/16.

“With the full powers of independence and prudent use of borrowing powers, we could bring forward investment more quickly – making a very substantial difference to our economy both now and in the future.”

With construction work on all three NHS Lanarkshire community health centres started, NHS Lanarkshire chief executive Ian Ross, said:

“We’re well on course to deliver these three magnificent community health centres in Wishaw, East Kilbride and Kilsyth by the summer of 2015.

"When ready, they will provide excellent facilities to allow us to deliver truly modern, top class health services.

"Over the last five years NHS Lanarkshire has built new health facilities in Airdrie, Carluke, Hamilton, Bellshill and Coatbridge and these three new community health centres are further evidence of our commitment to providing the best community health facilities possible for the people of Lanarkshire.”

hub South West’s chairman, John McClelland CBE, said:

“hub South West Limited is committed to delivering this outstanding community project on time and within budget and is delighted to be supporting joint working between South Lanarkshire Council, North Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire.

“The project, part of our wider £400 million construction pipeline across the South West region, will involve many local businesses and provide employment and training opportunities for the benefit of the local economy.”

John Hope, Scottish Futures Trust National Hub Programme director, said:

“This project is a wonderful example that demonstrates how hub is delivering complex multi-agency collaborative projects within very tight timescales.

“The health centre in East Kilbride is one of three health centres being delivered as a bundled revenue financed project that brought together one health board and two councils and began construction only 12 months after hub South West was invited to commence the project development.”