IT was to be Scotland’s biggest retail centre, with dozens of shops spread over an area the size of seven football pitches .

But plans for a massive shopping zone on the site of the former Ravenscraig steelworks in North Lanarkshire have been abandoned with the number of outlets reduced to just one convenience store serving more than 500 new homes.

A scaled-down masterplan has been produced for the site that includes proposals for the properties, a park and a primary school.

But the revised blueprint only includes a solitary convenience store, despite the original planning application proposing a new town centre, with up to 57,000 sq metres of retail floor space.

It is believed that the proposals were shelved amid concerns about online shopping and the global economic downturn.

More than £200 million has already been invested in the area, resulting in the creation of a state-of-the-art campus for New College Lanarkshire, a new regional sports facility, 330 homes sold and a £2.9m pub and restaurant built by brewers Marston’s.

Nick Davies, director of developer Ravenscraig Ltd, says that the company remains fully committed to the plans, which will go out to public consultation next month.

He said: “We have ongoing plans to redevelop the Ravenscraig site, one of the most important urban regeneration projects in Europe.

“Since development work began in 2006, we have welcomed New College Lanarkshire, Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility, the Ravenscliff pub and hotel, and hundreds of homes to the site.

“The revised masterplan reflects the needs of the growing community, with a focus on high-quality housing, a range of community and commercial facilities and substantial green space all of which will combine to deliver an enhanced quality of life for the local community.

“Employment opportunities play a central role in immediate development plans and conversations are under way with potential commercial occupants.”

Ravenscraig Ltd is a joint venture partnership between Scottish Enterprise, Wilson Bowden Ltd and Tata Steel

The vast Ravenscraig steelworks used to be a familiar part of the landscape on the edge of Motherwell, but the site was demolished after the plant closed in 1992 with the loss of almost 800 jobs.

The early phases of the 2017 Ravenscraig masterplan include about 550 new homes to add to the 450 homes completed to date. They will be built between 2018 and 2021.

Like the retail plans, this is a scaled-down version of the original 2001 blueprint which forecast that 3,500 houses and flats would be constructed on the site.

As well as a 17-acre park, a new primary school will be developed when there are 1,000 homes on the land. Developers expect this will take place within three to five years. A new site for the convenience store has been earmarked near the Marston’s pub and hotel.

Space will also be set aside for offices and commercial businesses in the town centre.

The new planning application follows a community consultation hosted by North Lanarkshire Council in November last year.

Locals called for a primary school, green space, a convenience store and the creation of local job opportunities.

Tory list MSP Graham Simpson said: “I’m pleased to see that there is focus on high quality housing and I hope to see more affordable homes as part of this proposal. I would urge the public to stay engaged and have their say on the latest plans.”