Log in to hear more about the proposals

Monklands residents can log into two online webinars to hear more about the locations under consideration for development as new town hubs.

Airdrie’s is set to incorporate St Margaret’s High, as the town’s only secondary not to have been rebuilt in the past 25 years, along with feeder primaries in the same category, with its current location at Rawyards near the town’s existing leisure centre in contention, as is the current Monklands Hospital site.

Coatbridge’s hub will be created around one of its three modern secondaries, with council officials saying: “Existing facilities will be examined to understand what additional facilities and services could be incorporated.”

The online engagement session for Airdrie will take place next Wednesday, with the Coatbridge event the following evening.

North Lanarkshire representatives will give a briefing on the development programme, with participants then able to ask questions and give views using the webinar’s chat function.

A council statement notes: “Schools represent the biggest investment in infrastructure across North

Lanarkshire; they are also at the heart of towns and communities.

“Given the ambition to replace every school not replaced or remodelled since 1996, our vision is to make these places for the whole community.

“We envisage three types – town hubs are likely to include primary and secondary education, an early years facility, [and] other services on offer will be larger in scale, such as more comprehensive sport, culture and leisure facilities and a wider range of council and partner services.

“Community hubs are likely to include at least one learning establishment and may include other zones such as sport and leisure, [and] small community hubs may exist in areas where there is no requirement for new education facilities but there is a need to replace older facilities like libraries, community centres and health centres.”

Smaller community hubs are also planned as part of the wide-ranging project.

Both online consultations start at 6.30pm next week, and places can be booked now at www. northlanarkshire.gov.uk/ regeneration-andinvestment/towns-andcommunities/place-vision/ town-and-community-hubs

Community focus The planned town hubs would include schools, community facilities, council services and more