Blueprint for 1950 new homes agreed

Dec 14 2011 by Shona Mitchell, East Kilbride News

A PROPOSAL to create a massive East Kilbride housing development – bigger than Stewartfield – has been given the go-ahead by South Lanarkshire Council.

Councillors this week agreed, in principle, to plans for 1950 homes and a new primary school to be built between Eaglesham Road, Jackton Road and Newlands Road.

Approval was given to the outline plans, lodged by housebuilders Cala Homes and Lynch Homes, despite 69 objections from nearby residents and letters of objection from Gardenhall Residents’ Association and Jackton and Thorntonhall Community Council.

If detailed plans are agreed, a quarter of the homes will be ‘affordable housing’ and the area will be split into five parts – Jackton, Hillside, Gillburn, Lowland and Newlands. The development will be built in five phases and take over a decade.

Two local councillors spoke up at the meeting to raise several issues and asked that they be resolved ahead of detailed planning consent being granted.

The main objections raised concerns about school places, transport and lack of facilities.

Councillor David Watson, whose ward covers neighbouring Gardenhall, said: “We need to put in context how big this site is – it is substantial and likely to be larger than Stewartfield.

“Stewartfield suffers from a lack of facilities and amenities, so we must learn from that and not make the same mistakes here.

“I am glad the school has been moved from the original site next to the Police Training Centre, but there is no mention of a community wing, which is needed.

“The report states recreation facilities will be provided at Dunedin, this is miles from the site and not ideal. Multi-use pitches should be provided on site.

“We also need to know the developers will make a realistic contribution to expanding the park and ride facilities which are already strained.

“There is still a lot of work to be done with this application.”

Agreeing with many of these points, Councillor Jim Docherty added: “The school building is the ideal opportunity to build a community facility, but I am also unsure of the school’s location.

“The nearest school is Mossneuk, which is packed, and the four schools in Greenhills have around 300 pupils each.

“The location of this new school is crucial for the impact on other schools. As for a sports pitch, it should be in the area itself. There are several issues here for the future.”

In their objection to the plan, Gardenhall Residents’ Association expressed concerns about the affect the development would have on the already busy roads, the lack of park and ride facilities in the area, the impact on the environment and the impact it will have on those living in the surrounding areas such as noise and dust.

Email your views on this to shona.mitchell@trinitymirror.com.