As some readers may have heard, this week South Lanarkshire Council have received an initial application to build up 1200 houses along Westburn Road at the Calder Road, to the North of Blantyre, leading off Blantyreferme Road.
The massive housing development is still at planning stage but is causing controversy in Newton, as well as Blantyre. In one of our few surrounding green spaces, the houses would be location to the north of the Blantyre Railway line, immediately adjacent to Calderglen and Redlees Park. To the north, it would be located all along the River Calder as far north as the former Fin Me Oot (Caldervale).
Action groups have been set up to protest in nearby Newton fearing that it will cause stress on already inadequate country roads and put pressure on local schools. Other concern include the lack of local amenities in the area. There’s also the massive loss of greenspace to consider.
Other people insist this will be good for the area with more homes and easy access to transport links.
You can share your letter of support or objection with the council directly by email here:
localplan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk
These need to be in by the 18th of August 2017. Use Site Reference “MIR139 Newhouse Farm” in any correspondence.
Further information can be found here:
http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/…/planning_and_building_…
Have your say? How does Blantyre residents feel about this? Are we ready for a huge step towards merging into Newton, just as the Burnbank boundary did over a Century ago?
On social media: Shared exclusively with Blantyre Project, (not for use elsewhere):
😩Erring on caution not to sound like a broken record, its important that ALL concerned at council level and otherwise remember that the area of the calder has been designated a Special Landscape Area under SNH Guidance, which serves as far more than a planning category.
Impacts on tourism and tourism routes would also need to be considered as within a few km the David Livingstone Centre and Bothwell Castle are located.
Developments should be sensitive to the skyline and ‘rural feel’ of such an area.
Efforts will also need to be made to show future impact on being unable to strengthen the nature corridor by widening the wooded defile boundary with more trees.
All these points and far more mentioned in various local development plan guidance should be used to construct informed representations against or for the application.
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