£200m ‘milestone’ village gets the go-ahead as part of regeneration
PLANS for a £200 million village, which will include more than 1,000 new homes, have been given the go-ahead.
Banks Property had applied to create the development in Glenboig in North Lanarkshire as part of a wider project to generate a £1 billion boost to the area.
It will include a community hub with retail and healthcare facilities, along with a new link road to Gartcosh Business Park, the local railway station and the M73. The Gartcosh Nature Reserve will be extended and work is to be carried out to create “newt underpasses” to help protect the local population of Great Crested Newts, which will be moved before construction and then re-sited afterwards.
Colin Anderson, managing director of Banks Property Development, said: “As we’ve found out during our years of studying the area, Glenboig Village is a haven for wildlife and is set within a beautiful landscape, yet it will soon be within 20 minutes by road or rail from Glasgow, Stirling, Motherwell and Cumbernauld. It has already got good education and leisure facilities and a fantastic community spirit.
“The only thing missing has been the lack of the direct connection to the motorway and rail network. However, with this missing link now to be provided, the future looks rosy and our Glenboig Village development is set to transform an area which has seen little investment in recent years.
“On the back of this development I expect businesses to increas- ingly look to locate to Glenboig and Gartcosh Business Park to make use of the excellent infrastructure connections, the great environment and the ready-made workforce on the doorstep.”
The wider Gartcosh and Glenboig Community Growth Area is aiming to construct 3,000 new homes, creating 2,500 construction jobs.
The developers said that they had received letters of support from dozens of local people as well as businesses.
Mr Anderson added: “This is a real milestone for a project which has required huge efforts over many years by the team at Banks Property, as well as the many folk in the community that have given their time to support the project and [provide] feedback.
“Banks Property is committed to sustainable development and this means that as well as creating a wonderful environment for families to live and work in, we intend to maximise the use of local contractors and businesses, to ensure the biggest economic benefit is delivered locally.”