Town development is work of art

The 'r' was created with red aggregate from a Lanark quarry

A huge red letter 'r' the size of 10 football pitches has been unveiled at the site of the former Ravenscraig steelworks in Motherwell.

It is part of the ongoing redevelopment of the area and marks where the new town centre will be built.

The artwork depicts Ravenscraig's corporate logo and can be seen on the London to Glasgow flight path.

The installation was made from 2,000 tonnes of red aggregate from Cloburn Quarry in Lanark.

The aggregate will subsequently be used in a later construction phase.

The project is part of an ongoing programme of public art incorporated into the £1.2bn development, and is aimed at promoting the Ravenscraig brand.

Murray Collins, of Capella Group, which is managing the Ravenscraig project, said: "The popularity of web-based satellite maps such as Google Earth has led to the growing phenomena of 'earth art' like the big 'r'."

Potential investors

He added: "As well as demonstrating the ambition and confidence behind the redevelopment of the site, this project serves a serious purpose in signposting potential investors and partners towards Ravenscraig.

"There is nothing else like this in Scotland, which reflects the unique nature of the entire Ravenscraig initiative."

Once completed, the new town centre for Ravenscraig will feature around 1 million sq ft of retail, leisure, restaurant and community facilities.

The former steelworks site will become home to more than 10,000 people, is expected to create 12,000 jobs and attract in excess of £1.2bn of private sector investment over the next 15 to 20 years.

Work is already well under way on the £200m first phase of the redevelopment of the 1,100 acre site, with a £30m regional sports facility, a £70m campus for Motherwell College and 850 new houses now under construction.