North Ayrshire Council has announced that remediation works on a derelict former Shell Oil refinery in Ardrossan is set to get underway.

Sanctus Ltd have been awarded the £3 million contract to carry out the works on behalf of the council.

The vast site is central to North Ayrshire Council's ambitious £170m regeneration plans for Ardrossan.

The North Shore site will be the location for the new Ardrossan Coastal Quarter, including the new Community Campus.

Sanctus Ltd will begin preparatory works towards the end of August with a view to beginning the remediation works from mid-September. They will follow a detailed plan drawn up by the Council and environmental consultants EnviroCentre. The remedial works will be licensed by SEPA.

The process will last just under a year and will incorporate a range of environmental control measures which will ensure the land is ready to build on next year.

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The remediation works incorporate treatment of soil and groundwater to meet specific target criteria and will meet the highest standard according to UK Government Environmental Guidelines.

This means they will ensure that the land is fit for residential use with gardens – which is the strictest criteria laid out within these guidelines.

In addition, it incorporates stringent criteria for addressing risk of pollution to the water environment.

Sanctus Ltd have extensive experience in carrying out remediation of the contaminant types present at Ardrossan North Shore.

Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy, said: "This is a very important moment in our huge regeneration plans for this key strategic site.

"We are delighted to confirm that we have appointed Sanctus Ltd to carry out this work and we look forward to working with them over the coming months.

"While we know that the site has a long legacy of industrial use, a portion of the site was remediated to residential (with garden) standards in 2011.

"We are very much taking a belt and braces approach on the site as public safety is our absolute priority and will not be compromised in any way."

Site investigation works have previously been undertaken in 2019, 2020 and 2022. The rest of the site has been assessed using robust measures to ensure it would be suitable for a residential, including gardens, land use.