The construction of a new nursery in Wishawhill is set to begin in March.
As part of the 1140 nursery expansion in North Lanarkshire, the Wishawhill Community Centre will be refurbished into a family learning centre for local children.
The initial estimate of a construction start date, as reported to the education and families committee in September 2021, was that refurbishment of the centre into a new nursery would begin in February 2022.
But the works are now expected to start on Monday, March 21.
The council anticipate that the handover of the early years centre, following the completion of construction works, will take place on Friday, August 19.
Alternative plans will be put in place to ensure local families still have access to nursery provision for their children if the early years centre in Wishawhill is not ready by the start of the new nursery year.
Motherwell South East and Ravenscraig councillor, Nathan Wilson, said: “I was delighted to recently meet with senior education officers to discuss where matters currently stand with the plans to refurbish the Wishawhill Community Centre into the Heathery Park Family Learning Centre.
“It is hugely important that local children in Wishawhill can experience a fantastic nursery education that will help give them the best start in life and at an early years centre in the local area.
“Whilst any form of delay to key local projects is naturally disappointing, the proposals to establish a new nursery still appear to be moving in a largely positive direction.
“I understand that the family learning centre will open this year albeit this may not be quite in time for the start of the new nursery term.”
“I will continue to stay closely engaged with the hugely important plans to boost nursery capacity in Wishawhill.”
The plans to establish a nursery at the local community centre in Wishawhill received planning permission last September.
The proposals to enhance early years capacity in Wishawhill previously experienced difficulty after it transpired that the first site chosen for the project at Heathery Park was unsuitable for the development because of on-site drainage problems.
The council then decided that the local community centre would be redeveloped into a new nursery.
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