Redevelopment plans to demolish a third of East Kilbride town centre approved

The plans for East Kilbride town centre would demolish 40% of Scotland’s biggest undercover shopping space to create new open air public spaces and clear the way for new homes to be built. Currently there are 75 vacant units and 507,000sq ft of empty floor space in the East Kilbride shopping centre.

East Kilbride was Scotland’s first new town as planners began development in 1947 to move people out of over-crowded housing in Glasgow. The town centre was created with covered shopping streets, a civic centre council building, health centre and fire station close to the Village area of the town. It has since gone through a number of redevelopment and expansion stages creating a mix of retail spaces.

East Kilbride Shopping Centre appointed administrators last November after the collapse of owner Sapphire. The administrators from Interpath Advisory have kept the centre open and are now working with the council to develop new plans.

Approved plans will see the demolition of Centre West - a three-level complex built between 1999 and 2001 at a cost of £90m. Despite being the newest part of the town centre it has since lost anchor tenants including Debenhams, Top Shop, Zara and many more of the big high street names. The plans have this site as a potential location for housing.

That site has now been picked for a new neighbourhood with private and affordable housing. South Lanarkshire Council has now further amended and approved the Threesixty Architecture master plan for East Kilbride to refocus on the town centre.

The Stewartfield Way road improvement project will be split in two, with £30million of its £62.2m budget allocated to infrastructure to ease congestion with the remained moved to support the town centre plans.

Chair of the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, Councillor Robert Brown (Rutherglen South) said: “These are vital steps forward towards a new future for East Kilbride, both the town centre and the transportation network in the Stewartfield Way area.

“The ambitious town centre plans will need considerable investment to deliver the masterplan but the arrangements for Centre West and the new funding available from the City Deal changes will mean we have the ability to move forward quickly on an agreed basis with the administrators of Centre West.

“Stewartfield Way will still see a number of key improvements. This includes easing traffic congestion at both the Hairmyres and Kingsgate ends, enhancing bus infrastructure, and improving cycling and walking routes.

“All in all, I am confident these plans and the significant investment that go with them will lead to a bright future for East Kilbride after the decline of recent years.”

Councillors also approved plans for the council to take over Centre West Shopping Centre in the town to convert into a housing development.

Plans include a new Civic Hub that would have a building that could have a range of uses across the public sector, the arts and education - and a civic square as a meeting place and access point for the town centre.

A supermarket is being sought to take over a new space at the current Olympia Mall entrance, and a hotel replacing the entrance area near the bus station at Princes Mall. The ice rink and cinema would remain.