Hamilton town centre shopping centres to be demolished in new masterplan for South Lanarkshire town

South Lanarkshire Council have shared a new masterplan to completely revamp Hamilton town centre including proposals to demolish two shopping centres.

In their place, 450 houses and a new hotel or student accomodation on the site of Duke Street car park. The project is expected to take around 15 years in what council leader Joe Fagan is calling a 'bold and exciting proposal'.

Regent and New Cross shopping centres are in the councils sights for demolition - with the adjoining former Marks & Spencers and Bairds to be either repurposed or demolished and rebuilt as a space for events or office space.

Local residents will have the chance to give their thoughts when the consultation begins next month in March. Retailers within the shopping centres would be relocated within the town - as Quarry Street would become the main high street promenade in a completely reworked town centre.

The masterplan sees the former Vogue bingo hall and cinema become a 'multi-purpose leisure centre', while a new 'civic space' could come to Castle Street - which includes a play area, sensory garden, landscaping, and even a bandstand

An urban park is suggested for the civic space at Castle Street, including a play area, sensory garden, landscaping and even a bandstand alongside new food retailers and commercial pods; and around 20 per cent of the planned 450 homes would be earmarked for social housing.

Councillor Fagan said: “The development of the masterplan is a unique opportunity to deliver transformational change; this approach is consistent with that being proposed across the country and I believe it’s key to revitalising the whole town centre.

“This is a bold and exciting proposal that would totally transform the look and atmosphere of Hamilton town centre – there is, of course, still a long way to go, and we want to hear what local residents think of these initial proposals.

“There will be consultations around the wider and specific parts of the proposals and these will be publicised to give as many people as possible the chance to put forward their views.” Much of the retail space within the town centre shopping centre currently lies unused to instead meet the areas increased need for housing.

The proposal claims: “The vision for the town centre is to repurpose underperforming areas into high quality, high-density, mixed-use developments.

“The development of the masterplan is a unique opportunity to deliver transformational change; [it] will reduce the centre’s reliance on retail and introduce new uses, bringing together a range of solutions which balance the ambitions of the community with the challenging commercial environment."