Purpose-built £18m community hub opens in Coatbridge

The new centre on Main Street houses council and health services

A new state-the-art community hub has been opened on the site of a fomer public baths in North Lanarkshire.

The £18m Buchanan Centre in Coatbridge will house council and health services, including two GP surgeries and two dental practices.

The project was a partnership between the local council and NHS Lanarkshire, with input from NHS Education for Scotland and the University of Glasgow.

It forms part of a wider regeneration of Coatbridge town centre.

Built on a former derelict site on the Main Street pedestrian thoroughfare, the four-storey building also has a library and First-Stop-Shop where residents can access council services, and which houses the area's registration office.

There are also ceremonies suites where weddings can be held.

Useful resource

Council depute leader Jim Smith, said: "The vacant site has given us an opportunity to create a unique, joint venture with the health service that brings a variety of services right into the town centre and be a useful resource for local people.

"By sharing the construction and running costs, we have created a far higher standard of facility than we would have been able to do individually, and most importantly it makes it easier for Coatbridge residents to use the services they need in one central location."

The centre is expected to see more about one million visits every year.