Work begins on £6.7 million Scaraway nursery project
The building, which is based in Milton, will also house the charity North United Communities (NUC) and is expected to be ready by next summer
Work on a new £6.7 million state-of-the-art community facility which will be the home of the new Scaraway nursery in the north of Glasgow has begun.
The building, which is based in Milton, will also house the charity North United Communities (NUC) and is expected to be ready by summer 2026.
Lord Provost, Jacqueline McLaren, joined children, local members, representatives of NUC, council officers and construction workers recently to check on progress.
The land which is steeped in educational history was once home to the former Glasgow School for the Deaf prior to the green light being granted for the new facility.
Councillor Jacqueline McLaren said she was delighted to see work start on the new hub which will be a vital new community resource for locals.
She said: “It’s fantastic to have been given the go-ahead for this vital resource. It’s something that’s badly needed and I’m so proud and excited that work is finally starting. It’s going to make a huge difference to the people living here.
“A flagship resource bringing together partners from the council’s education service, the Third Sector and Glasgow Caledonian University for the very first time.
“It’s something we can all be hugely proud of and I’m confident it will become the template for future, similar community assets.
“When it opens, I know the building will be the beating heart of our community.”
The new Scaraway Nursery has been designed to take 95 children and will include four playrooms, a general-purpose area and dining space, offices and a kitchen.
There will also be an outdoor play area for the children and a seamless transition between the playrooms and the outdoors.
The community facility will have dedicated office space, general-purpose rooms – including a large hall – breakout facilities and dedicated outdoor space.
Designs for the building are based on creating a stimulating environment for a range of ages and a comfortable area for a variety of activities.
Jill McKay, CEO of North United Communities, said: “I’m just so excited and thrilled for everyone in the community. This is going to be a great asset to Milton’s residents – a purpose-built place where they can access a variety of learning and social opportunities.
“The process started in 2018 when our floor collapsed in our old porta-cabin building next to Miltonbank Primary School – we applied to the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant Fund via Glasgow City Council and were successful after the second time of applying.
“It has been a long journey with the community and the council, but now we have set the foundations for an exciting development in this community.”
Sharon Jackson, Head of Department, Social Work School of Health and Life Sciences Glasgow Caledonian University says it is a bittersweet moment for the university as their former colleague who was involved in the project has sadly passed away.
She said: “This was a development that Lynn Sheridan, Lecturer in Social Work was very involved in. It was very close to her heart. She held a strong belief in the University being connected to and working with communities in Glasgow and she would have been over the moon to have seen this work being started.
“The University is extremely proud of its connection with North United Communities and with the Milton community. It is fantastic to see such a needed development being progressed.”