North Lanarkshire Council has agreed a five-year £500m capital investment programme which it hopes will begin the process of transforming eight of its major town centres.

The plan will combine with planned housing investment and City Deal funding to deliver £1.2bn for ambitious regeneration proposals in Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, Motherwell, Shotts and Wishaw.

The regeneration of local town centres is a key part of the council’s overall plan ‘The Place, The Vision’, which it hopes will be a vehicle for £3.5bn of investment over the next 10 years.

Robert Steenson, Executive Director of Enterprise and Communities said: “Our capital investment programme will allow us to build and develop exciting new opportunities for our communities and businesses.

“This last year has been so difficult for everyone with the global health pandemic and we need to focus on recovery and building back better to support our communities.

“We’re well placed to see our economy recover as we look to the future beyond the current Covid-19 pandemic and are progressing with our ambitious investment programme in housing, town centres, commercial developments as well as major road, active travel and digital infrastructure improvements to make North Lanarkshire the place to live, learn, work, invest and visit.

“There are so many exciting projects under way and this investment programme will help us transform and reinvigorate our towns and communities, bringing substantial benefits for local people.”

A proposed green valley cycle path, which is just one of North Lanarkshire’s ideas for some of its major towns