New Towns in Scotland - Glenrothes, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Livingston, Scotland, East Kilbride, Stonehouse, South Lanarkshire, Ravenscraig (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 28. Chapters: Glenrothes, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Livingston, Scotland, East Kilbride, Stonehouse, South Lanarkshire, Ravenscraig, Tornagrain. Excerpt: Glenrothes (.); -roth-ays; Scottish Gaelic: ) is a large town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is located approximately 30 miles (48 km) from both Edinburgh, which lies to the south and Dundee to the north. The town had an estimated population of 38,750 in 2008, making Glenrothes the third largest settlement in Fife. Planned in the late 1940s as one of Scotland's first new towns its original purpose was to house miners who were to work at a newly established coal mine, the Rothes Colliery. Following the failure of the mine the town developed as an important industrial centre in Scotland's Silicon Glen between 1961 and 2000 with several major electronics and hi-tech companies setting up facilities in the town. The Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC), a non-departmental public body was established to develop, manage and promote the new town. The GDC supported by the local authority oversaw the governance of the new town until the wind-up of the GDC in 1995, after which responsibility was transferred to Fife Council. Glenrothes is the administrative capital of Fife containing both the Fife Council and Fife Constabulary headquarters. Manufacturing and engineering industries, public services and service industries are particularly important to the town's economy. Major employers include Adam Smith College (education), Bosch Rexroth (hydraulics manufacturing), Brand Rex (fibre optics manufacturing), Raytheon (defence industry) and Tullis Russell (papermakers). Glenrothes is unique in Fife as the majority of the town's centre is contained indoors, within Fife's largest indoor shopping centre, the Kingdom Shopping Centre. The town has won multiple awards i...