Green light for 100-homes in Newton

..but no services to match says mum

Another 123 houses will be built in Cambuslang East as Newton householders say people are being mis-sold a vision of easy suburban life.

Miller Homes Limited was granted planning permission to build the houses as part of the Newton Community Growth Area at a meeting of South Lanarkshire Council’s planning committee yesterday, Tuesday.

But people who already live in Newton say there are no community facilities to cater to the large families which these four- and five-bedroom homes are hoping to attract.

The development will see a range of nine homes, some expected to cost in excess of £300,000, built immediately across from Newton Farm Primary School.

However, local mum Louise McWhinnie says family life is not as luxurious as the homes as a lack of doctors, school places, public transport, amenities and broadband make life more difficult for working families.

“We should be clear, there is a genuine community spirit here,” Louise said. “But we are being let down by South Lanarkshire Council and the developers - each of whom blame each other - when it comes to community infrastructure and services.

“The schools are at capacity, the doctors are at saturation point and we have no amenities, not even a local shop.

“The road infrastructure is a major issue.

“We have construction traffic when five-year-olds are walking to school, bottlenecks at St Charles’ Primary and the road can come to a standstill at school times.

“Life here could be so much better if these things were in place. It could be the vision of family life that everyone has bought into.”

The mother of three said she moved to Newton four years ago because of the availability of good family homes and the feeling of being close to the countryside.

She added: “That will be the attraction for most families. Most of these new houses are four- to fivebedroom, but they haven’t thought about the big families that come with these homes that need doctors, dentists, somewhere to park going to work and schools.”

Planning approval for the Miller Homes development follows planning permission in principle which was agreed in September 2014.

The 123 houses are in addition to the 600 units already approved as part of phase two of the Newton Community Growth Area. To date around 100 of these homes have been built.

The entire community growth area will consist of 2,000 houses - 600 in phase one and 1,400 in phase two.