Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
NEW LOOK FOR TOWN CENTRES Public square idea mooted
Initial visions for Monklands’ town centre transformations have been shared – as North Lanarkshire Council say their ambitious remodelling plans remain on track despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The authority launched its 10-year “The Place, The Vision” project in early March, aiming to invest £3.5 billion during the next decade to reinvent its eight town centres plus its schools, community facilities and country parks.
Now officials are getting set to launch public consultation on their early illustrations for each town, seeking residents’ opinions as they aim to develop a “bespoke” new look for each town centre.
Council leader Jim Logue said: “These are exciting times for North Lanarkshire but we can’t do all this alone – we need to work in collaboration with our residents, who will play a crucial role in making the real decisions that affect them and their communities.
“Over the next few weeks and months we’ll provide people with more information on all of these developments.
“I’d encourage everyone to become involved in the process in order that they can fully appreciate the benefits our plans will bring to so many families across our area.”
He added: “Before coronavirus, we had one of the fastest-growing economies in Scotland and a new independent report shows that we’re one of the best-placed councils to withstand the economic impact of coronavirus.
“Coronavirus has been hard for us all. It’s changed the way we all live, learn, work, invest and visit, but our ambitions haven’t been reduced at all.”
Launching the latest information on their town-centre plans, the North Lanarkshire website states: “The old model is not sustainable – out-of-town and online retail have changed how towns work.
“The answer is to reposition our towns as mixed-use spaces, promoting town centre living and putting staff and services closer to communities. It won’t be a one-size-fitsall approach – each of the towns in North Lanarkshire has its own challenges and opportunities, and history and heritage.
“The vision for each needs to be shaped through extensive consultation and engagement with community planning partners, landowners, retailers, residents and other agencies, and they’ll inform both privateand public- sector investment.”
Early consultation projects are set to get under way in the coming months with the establishment of new community boards which will help residents share their views.
Council officials stress that there are no specific plans for any town centre or building at this stage, but that the vision documents help begin the community conversations by illustrating how each of North Lanarkshire’s towns could look and feel, based on its own set-up, connections and landmarks.
The transformation projects are intended to boost the area’s economy by £1 billion and help to create 12,000 jobs with private investment.
Coatbridge town centre could be transformed with a public square, civic event space and gateway park as part of council plans to reshape the area over the next decade.
They are suggested as potential “core projects”along with “revitalising the centre with extensive new housing”and restructuring it on a“stronger, more compact mixed-use model”; as well as creating a new learning, health and leisure hub and developing green and active travel routes.
Coatbridge’s central skyline is already set for major change with prominent tower blocks Jackson Court, High Coats and Dunbeth Court included in the first phase of the council’s ongoing plans to demolish and replace all of its high-rises over the next 20 years.
Now the outline document to showcase the initial vision for the redesigned town centre tells how that major change, along with planned redevelopment at the Quadrant shopping centre and a new community hub,“can all start to re-shape a stronger sense of place”.
It states:“Coatbridge has an opportunity to redefine and strengthen its town centre, with a focus on Main Street and reinvesting in the centre as an appealing place to live and work.
“The linear urban park will be framed by new residential development to the south and will connect Main Street with the enhanced retail park.
“The town has the capacity to be an important service hub with its good rail connections and diverse business base making it a strong investment location for business and living.”
Initial work on the project to develop the town hub is under way and scheduled to run throughout the decade, and action plans are set to be drawn up over the period until the end of 2022, with community consultation central to both.
An indicative timeline shows developments on Main Street potentially taking 18 months from mid-2022, town centre homes being constructed over five years from 2025, and developing the park, green network and active travel routes beginning in 2023 and running for six years.