Scotland is set to benefit from a new regeneration project that will see land that has been contaminated with Chromium VI to be cleared and brought back to life.
The project will take place at Shawfield in Rutherglen and is expected to cost £2 million, the Daily Record reported.
However, it will mean the 2.5 acres of land near South Croft Road will be able to be re-used in the future, as it will no longer be harmful to humans.
Indeed, having been exposed to Chromium VI, which is typically used by chemical manufacturing businesses as a catalyst, it rendered the land unusable and redundant, as it can cause serious illnesses if exposed to it regularly.
VHE construction has been given the contract to carry out the regeneration plans, having already purchased the correct chemicals to help clear the area. It plans to lay down some groundwork before launching work on the site in the middle of May this year, with hopes to repair the land by March 2020.
The company will be familiar with the site, as it conducted the phase one remediation initiative here. In 2014, Chromium VI was removed from another section of the Shawfield Site, which is now known as the new Shawfield Industrial Estate.
However, phase two could take longer, with Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company, which is leading the work, anticipating a ten-year stretch before it will be ready for use.
Speaking with the news provider, senior manager at Clyde Gateway Jim Clark said progress will start to be made at Shawfield over the next 12 months.
“We are making a start on land that is in our ownership. We are going in to remediate that part of the site. The board is pleased with the progress being made and we are doing all we can to do this as quickly as possible,” Mr Clark stated.
By all accounts, phase two will be no easy feat, as Chromium VI readings here have been particularly high in the past.
Indeed, levels were recorded by the Reformer in 2016 as being five times greater than the industrial land to the east of the site.
After the land has been cleared of Chromium VI, planners can start to think about infrastructure, drainage, and building developments that can occur here to regenerate the area. It is thought once it is safe for human use, it will become an industrial site.
As part of Clyde Gateway’s involvement in regenerating Shawfield, a spokesperson for the company said: “Much of Clyde Gateway’s early activities in the area will centre around the continued acquisition of sites, as well as a major investment in remediation works given the history of chromium contamination in the area.”
It went on to say: “The long-term vision is to deliver quality business and office space.”
So far, more than £20 million has already been invested into the Shawfield area, which included constructing a SMART pedestrian bridge that allowed for public access to Dalmarnock Station.
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