Near Craigneuk in Lanarkshire. Was the largest hot strip steel mill in Western Europe until it closed in 1992. One of 4 in the UK.
At its peak, steel production in the UK employed about 300 000 people.
Iron ore was brought in to the Clyde at Kingston until 1978, when it moved to West Kilbride, then brought by rail.
Privatisation happened in 1988 – industry was already in steep decline after oil crisis, with IMF imposed cuts in public expenditure and then increase in value of the pound, which reduced competitiveness
There used to be 3 big cooling towers plus a landmark blue gas storage tank.
When it closed, about 10 000 jobs (including related services and industries) lost. The cost of site clean up is also carried by the tax payer.
There are still some steelworks at the site, owned by Liberty.
Impact of the closure (and related industrial closures):
- Dramatically changed industrial relations for workers.
- Barriers to the reemployment of former steel workers include the wage differential between former and new jobs, as well as identity considerations.
- Locally based organizations mandated to support job creation and economic activities in areas most affected by industrial decline are not enough to facilitate a transition – there is a need for the wider regional economic development policy landscape to support economic diversification through measures targeted to local needs and conditions.
- New policies are needed to address the implications of industrial decline; at the same time, policies that may jeopardize regeneration outcomes need to be reconsidered as part of the transition response.
- Measures that can facilitate industrial transition include supporting supply-chain businesses in finding new markets and adjusting their activities, regenerating urban areas, and raising the skill level of the work force to attract knowledge-based industries
[Stockholm environment institute brief on UK steel industry]