North Lanarkshire Council is investing over £1.2bn in towns and communities with the aim of transforming them into vibrant, thriving, sustainable places. Plans include new town hubs, improvements to parks, development of active travel networks and encouragement for town-centre living.
The council said that the five-year regeneration proposals will reshape town centres into dynamic multi-use spaces, develop business and retail opportunities, improve housing and schools, develop local and community hubs, enhance local services and leisure and green spaces. The report on the proposals, The Place, The Vision – update, was approved by the council’s policy and strategy committee last week.
Councillor Jim Logue, leader of North Lanarkshire Council, said: “Over the next five years, we are investing £1.2 billion in creating town and community hubs, in our country parks, and in essential infrastructure and housing to help create a sustainable future for town centres that will benefit people and communities across North Lanarkshire.
“The draft visions for our town centres bring a tangible reality to the outline concepts and these will be developed with our communities, for our communities, so that we are creating vibrant, safe, resilient places where people are supported at all stages of their life and businesses can thrive.”
In Motherwell, the investment plans include:
- building a £1m velo park at the Bellshill entrance to Strathclyde Country Park;
- creating a heritage and lagoon area, new outdoor centre and play areas in the Country Park;
- developing town and community hubs;
- redeveloping the town centre incorporating a new town square and transport interchange;
- demolition of Allan, Draffen and Coursington Towers to make way for new council housing developments.
Core projects in Bellshill involve:
- developing a new Town Hub co-located alongside the town centre;
- building on local active travel routes;
- investing in town-centre living.
- The core plans for Shotts include:
- developing a new mixed-use town centre;
- connecting the school, health and leisure facilities;
- developing the 'green' network.
In Wishaw, the council plans to create a new compact and ‘liveable ‘centre that connects The Cross, the health centre, the rail station and a new community hub and green network.
In Airdrie, there are plans to develop a new town hub, strengthen the links with the station and transport interchange, support a liveable town centre with new, affordable town-centre living and develop new connected green links.
In Coatbridge the plans involve developing a new town hub, re-structuring the town centre on a stronger more compact mixed-use model, developing the green network and active travel routes and connections, revitalising the centre with extensive new mixed tenure housing, creating a new town centre gateway park and developing an enhanced town square and civic event space.
Cumbernauld’s opportunities include developing a pilot for ‘Low-2-Zero carbon’ living, restructuring the town centre on a stronger, more compact mixed-use model, developing a grid of streets, squares and spaces and connected paths and cycleways, connecting town centre activity and services with new and existing housing and developing a new town square and civic event space.
In Kilsyth there are plans for a new town hub with associated facilities and community services, developing a northern gateway to raise the town’s profile as a historic burgh and developing stronger links, routes and opportunities for active travel to the area’s attractions. A new town square will be developed at Main Street North.
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