Orbiston Community Campus, Bellshill

The Project

Orbiston Community Hub is a transformational new campus in Bellshill that brings education, early years provision and community services together under one roof. Developed in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council and hub South West, the modern facility replaces two outdated primary schools and a separate nursery site, creating a welcoming, accessible environment designed to support learning, wellbeing and community connections.

The hub provides a new home for Lawmuir Primary School, Sacred Heart Primary School, a Family Learning Centre for children aged 0 to 5, and community facilities that replace the former Joe McKay Centre.

The Challenge

The existing educational facilities serving the Orbiston community were spread across multiple sites and no longer met the needs of modern learning. The project brief required a future-focused campus that would:

• Bring education, nursery and community facilities together in one location.
• Create modern, flexible learning environments.
• Improve accessibility for pupils, staff and visitors.
• Encourage outdoor learning and active lifestyles.
• Strengthen connections between schools, families and the wider community.
• Provide a safe and welcoming destination at the heart of Bellshill.

Our Solution

Morgan Sindall Construction delivered a purpose-built community campus designed around collaboration, wellbeing and inclusivity.

The new hub combines two primary schools, an early years facility and community spaces within a single, integrated building. The design promotes interaction while ensuring dedicated areas for learning, play and community use.

A strong emphasis was placed on outdoor environments, with a range of facilities designed to support both recreation and education. These include:

• Free play and equipped play areas.
• A dedicated school garden to encourage outdoor learning.
• Landscaped quiet spaces.
• A multi-use games area (MUGA).
• A seven-a-side all-weather football pitch.
• Community green space.
• Staff and visitor car parking facilities.

The campus has also been designed to encourage active travel, with wide pedestrian routes and a clear focus on cyclist and pedestrian safety.

The Impact

Orbiston Community Hub has created a modern learning environment that inspires pupils, supports educators and provides a valuable resource for the wider community.

By bringing multiple services together, the facility has simplified daily routines for families while creating new opportunities for collaboration between education, early years and community services. The campus provides flexible spaces that can be used throughout the day by both pupils and local residents, helping strengthen community connections and creating a vibrant local destination.

The enhanced outdoor facilities encourage active learning and healthy lifestyles, while the modern teaching spaces support contemporary educational approaches and improved pupil experiences.

We've got a lovely, brilliant new state-of-the-art school. The children are really inspired by their surroundings. You can see that they're proud of it, and you can see them lifted by the building. Their little faces when they came in; there were lots of oohs and ahhs and gasps. They were just amazed by the space. When it was all finished, it was much better than what we thought. It was like a breath of fresh air, a new start, a new home.

Tracy Hurst, Headteacher, Lawmuir Primary School