Land deal launches £120m makeover

An artist's impression of the Drip Road development

Land which will be used for a major regeneration project has been sold by Stirling Council for £1.

Control of the 62 acres has been transferred to the Raploch Urban Regeneration Company (URC).

It is overseeing a £120m makeover of one of the city's most deprived areas, which includes the construction of 900 new homes and community facilities.

The ground-breaking deal means building work on the houses can begin later this month.

Some work on the site has already started, with the Raploch Community Campus on Drip Road nearing completion.

Two new primary schools, a special needs school and a college are scheduled to open in October.

Push ahead

Bob Laverty, chief executive of Raploch URC, said: "We are delighted that negotiations have ended successfully and it's now officially all systems go.

"Stirling Council deserves a lot of credit for its role in this landmark deal as it's the first time a deal of this size has been done in this way.

"We're now able to begin delivering the business plan to the agreed timeframe.

"We are a significant step closer to giving the people of Raploch the surroundings and facilities they deserve."

Raploch suffers from high unemployment, poor housing and training prospects, despite being located in the centre of the thriving city of Stirling.

Local councillor John Henry said: "This landmark deal allows us to really push ahead with the physical development of the area, which we believe will put Raploch on the map as a place where families and future generations will want to live and work."