Plans submitted for 2000 homes on outskirts of Hamilton

Feb 25 2010 by Alastair McNeill, Hamilton Advertiser

A LARGE housing development on the outskirts of Hamilton has moved a step closer.

Applicants, the Hamilton West Consortium, have submitted outline plans for agricultural land on either side of Torhead Farm.

The sites, off Highstonehall Road and Meikle Earnock Road, have space for 2000 homes in total.

The ‘Community Growth Areas’ are part of the approved South Lanarkshire Local Plan.

Three years ago South Lanarkshire Council had expected £6m in an up-front payment from David Wilson Homes, the preferred bidder for the 63-acre site off Highstonehall Road.

And further payments throughout the development of the land were expected to net the authority £20m in total.

But David Wilson Estates was taken over by Barratt Homes, and the deal later fell through.

It is understood that the authority is waiting for economic conditions to improve before putting the site back on the market.

Selling the land would be a welcome boost to council coffers at a time of financial austerity.

Last week council leader Eddie McAvoy had warned that spending in 2011-2012 may have to be slashed.

Roads investment and the primary schools modernisation, he suggested, could be curbed as a result.

In addition to housing it is also envisaged that the sites off Highstonehall Road and Meikle Earnock Road would comprise community facilities and a neighbourhood centre.

A council spokesman said this week: “The Hamilton West Community Growth Area is one of the key proposals of the South Lanarkshire Local Plan which was approved by the council in 2009 following a public inquiry.

“The CGA will provide the long-term expansion area for Hamilton on a site accommodating 2000 homes with community and recreational facilities.

“South Lanarkshire Council produced guidance for the preparation of a masterplan for the area so that developers have a clear picture of the council's expectations for the type, mix and quality of development it wants to see.

“The current application is welcome given the downturn in the house-building industry and, we believe, is a vote of confidence for the Hamilton area as a place in which to live and work.”

Consortium partners include Stewart Milne Homes and Park Lane Developments.

A spokesman for the group said this week: “The site at Hamilton West was first designated by South Lanarkshire Council as appropriate for development in its 2006 draft local plan. “Since that time we have been working closely with the council in the preparation of a masterplan for the area that meets the council's own stated requirements.

“A public exhibition of the proposals was held in October last year at Eddlewood Hall and the responses received have been reflected in the application.

“We have submitted a large amount of supporting technical information with the application and it is likely to take the council some time to work though this before reaching any decisions.”