A mixed, public-private enterprise, Ravenscraig Partnership, in North Lanarkshire, has revealed multi-million plans to develop the region’s sports facilities.

The partnership includes Wilson Bowden Developments, North Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire and Corus.

The aim is to transform the former Ravenscraig steel-works site, which shut in 1992 and is now owned by Corus.

Plans for the £20m centre feature a full-size indoor football pitch, a 135m athletics track, field event training areas, eight outdoor training pitches with floodlights and a 12-court indoor sports hall.

The arena will have 750 permanent seats with a maximum capacity of 3,000.

Further proposals include a 600m indoor ski slope with real snow.

The centre will be the focal point of a £1bn regeneration of the former British Steel site, which also includes plans to create 3,500 homes and a new town centre with 57,600sq m of shopping space.

The partnership is applying for around 40 per cent of financing for the leisure centre from sportscotland, which has made £50m available for developing multi-sport facilities across Scotland.

North Lanarkshire Council leader, Jim McCabe, said: “The proposals are ambitious, but they are realistic and can be achieved with sportscotland’s assistance.

“We don’t want to create standalone facilities, we have a vision of a multi-purpose development that has homes, business, retail and leisure.”

The partnership is reportedly in negotiations with Mills Corporation, the US developer behind Madrid’s Xanadu indoor ski complex.

Jim Fitzsimons, spokesperson for the partnership, said: “We are very keen to develop a regional sports facility as part of the existing redevelopment proposals for the Ravenscraig site, which makes our bid to sportscotland unique.”

The entire area is more than 1,100 acres in size and the regeneration proposal is among the largest planning application ever made in the country.

However, an appeal against the plans is currently waiting to be heard by the Court Session in Edinburgh.

Furthermore, Ravenscraig is not alone in submitting requests for fund their leisure development plans to sportscotland.

A similar £110m plan in Edinburgh, which includes the refurbishment of the city’s Royal Commonwealth Pool and the creation of a ‘house of sport’, would swallow up most of the £50m fund if it is fully accepted.

Meanwhile, Glasgow is also hoping to secure £20m from sportscotland to fund its £44m proposals to build a national indoor arena and a sports centre.