Hotel development will have room for new jobs
Oldsteelworkscouldalsohousecafé,barandfitnesshub
Dozens of jobs could be created in Cambuslang as part of a proposal for a new hotel in the area.
The £15 million plan by the Jahama Group has been given pre-planning consent by South Lanarkshire Council and would see a 100-bedroom hotel and leisure complex built on unoccupied land east of the Clydebridge steelworks.
Plans for the site also include a restaurant, café, bar and stateof-the-art fitness club.
The company believe it will create 50 jobs directly through the hotel, with other roles being supported “indirectly” through the development.
A decision is still to be made regarding whether the company will lease the hotel to a third party or award a franchisee to run the facility, fitness club or restaurant.
Jahama are one of several companies that form the GFG Alliance, alongside Liberty Steel, which owns the steelworks.
Chief executive Dilip Awtani said: “We are delighted to be contributing to the huge regeneration activity currently taking place in East Glasgow.
“The recent investment in the infrastructure and recreational facilities will drive tourism and business activity to the city, create jobs and other benefits for the local community.
“This is why we believe that Cambuslang is an ideal location for a modern enhanced-services hotel and leisure facility.
“Our team has a wealth of property development and finance experience that can bring these plans to fruition and advance further commercial property developments, utilising the extensive land within Jahama’s portfolio. For this project, we’d also be keen to partner with branded operators in the area or new to the city that can work with us to turn the hotel in Clydebridge into a popular destination.”
Sanjeev Gupta, founder and executive chairman of the GFG Alliance explained: “We are focussed on Scotland as a key area of investment, already deploying funds of £500million as recently set out in our Scottish Investment Report.
“The Clydebridge site was part of our first Scottish investment and I am pleased that the initial investment in the steel business is also bringing further local opportunities. We have recently received permission to build a zipwire leisure facility in the Highlands at Kinlochleven, so the tourism industry is becoming an increasingly important part of GFG’s Scottish portfolio.”
John Bachtler, the chairman of Cambuslang community council, was similarly enthusiastic about the proposals.
He said: “We welcome the proposals for investment in a hotel and leisure complex in Cambuslang by the Jahama Group.
“We are also very pleased that the group, via their agents Strutt & Parker, are putting a lot of emphasis on consulting with the community.
“They attended our most recent meetings and gave detailed insights into the project, and answered many questions from our members.
“It’s also good to see they are putting on an exhibition of the plans and seeking community views.
“From what we know, the GFG Alliance, of which the Jahama Group are part, and the GFG CEO Sanjeev Gupta, have a strong sense of corporate social responsibility, so we hope that the investment will be good for the town in terms of employment and training opportunities and other advantages for Cambuslang.”
Tara Cowley, head of planning at Strutt & Parker in Scotland, said: “We are really excited to be working with Jahama, ADP Architects, Arup and AECOM in developing a high quality design for a unique destination, incorporating a quality approach to landscape and public realm and reflecting the site’s heritage.
“We hope this will deliver additional community benefits to the regeneration projects proposed at Clyde Gateway and we look forward to hearing the views of the community as we progress this development.”
A public exhibition is being held by property and development expert Strutt & Parker, who are advising Jahama, this Friday at the Cambuslang institute, from 2pm until 8pm.