Homes plan just got bigger

Wooddean Park which is set to be upgraded if homes are built on nearby farmland.

Cala Homes won approval for 60 houses at the Bothwellbank greenfield site near the River Clyde nearly a year ago.

The developer then pulled out after failing to agree a price with the landowner and now Miller Homes has revealed it wants to build 107 houses, using more fields.

South Lanarkshire Council granted planning permission to Cala despite opposition from residents in Clyde Avenue which would be used as an access to the new estate. Residents said their street is already congested with parked cars and the area couldn’t cope with more traffic.

However, there was some support for housing within the village as the developers promised to contribute to the upgrading of nearby Wooddean Park. Miller says it also intends to work with the council to improve Wooddean.

However, that pledge is unlikely to comfort objectors who will voice their opposition when a formal planning application is made in the coming weeks.

One objector said: “This looks like a developer cashing in on all that Bothwell has to offer, for example, good schools and commuter links to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

“One interesting aspect is that Scottish Water’s sewage works are located at Bothwellbank and the fresh plans show homes being built on the fields on each side of the plant. What will residents make of the smell?”

A spokesman for Miller Homes said it’s proposing “high quality family homes” including 26 “for affordable purposes”.

He added: “The site has already been allocated for residential development within the South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan and we believe our proposals, which have been well considered, will help the area meet its housing needs.

“We are developing plans with South Lanarkshire Council to upgrade footpaths in the surrounding area and nearby Wooddean Park.”