Annual performance spotlights
Connect outcome - Our economy
Thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres
What communities told us:
- People need to be able to access training and skills to help them get into a job or to progress in their employment.
- Transport links can be a problem for employment, particularly in rural areas.
- Support is needed for local small businesses and town centres need help to recover from the pandemic.
What will success look like:
- More people in employment and economically active
- Reduced poverty and household debt
- Increased value of spend with local businesses
- Increased number of living wage employers in South Lanarkshire
Case study: Hamilton and East Kilbride Masterplans
Hamilton
In February 2024, the council unveiled a masterplan for Hamilton that included a much-reduced amount of retail floorspace, taking account of changing shopping habits and a large drop in footfall in shops in recent years.
The masterplan places a new emphasis on town centre living, with around 450 new homes and civic spaces in the heart of Hamilton.
The New Cross Shopping Centre, which was returned to council ownership in September 2021 in a very poor state of repair, will be closed as soon as possible and demolished to prepare the way for redevelopment.
Council Leader Joe Fagan said: “These really are significant steps in making our vision for a thriving Hamilton Town Centre a reality.”
East Kilbride
Two key decisions were taken by Community and Enterprise Resources Committee in April 2024, affecting the plans for East Kilbride.
The first decision: Stewartfield Way City Deal project. It is proposed that the Stewartfield Way project will now be split into two parts, with one still delivering improvements to the transportation infrastructure at Stewartfield Way, and the other concentrating on taking forward initial works for the redevelopment of the Centre West Shopping Centre.
The second decision means that ownership of the Centre West Shopping Centre will transfer to South Lanarkshire Council, with that decision finalised towards the end of 2025/beginning of 2026.
Chair of the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, Councillor Robert Brown, 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."
