A COMMUNITY council, a nature conservation group and 30 local residents have all objected to plans for a massive mixed development on farmland in East Kilbride.
The ambitious proposals, from McTaggart Construction, Jackton Estates Ltd and Link Group, would see up to 600 homes built on agricultural land at Langlands West on Greenhills Road.
This would include the construction of up to 250 affordable homes and 200 private homes, as well as 150 units as part of a managed retirement village.
A neighbourhood centre with shops and offices, a wetland park and a network of paths and cycleways are also proposed.
An early stage bid – for planning permission in principle – will be considered by councillors on South Lanarkshire’s planning committee on June 9.
Auldhouse and Chapelton Community Council has objected to the development, raising concerns about environmental impacts, damage to local infrastructure and disruption to neighbouring communities.
Community council members submitted a letter, stating: “A significant number of trees have already been removed from the Auldhouse/East Kilbride area. Removing any more is unacceptable.
“Further pollution from an additional 1200-2400 cars is unacceptable.
“Years of construction work will disrupt the existing communities of Benthall Farm, Auldhouse and Whitehills through construction and potential health risks from that construction.”
Friends of Langlands Moss raised concerns about the development’s proximity to the nearby Local Nature Reserve, warning it could result in “peat erosion, habitat disturbance and increased litter.”
Despite all of this, South Lanarkshire Council’s planning officers are recommending the application be approved, subject to conditions and a legal agreement covering education contributions and on-site affordable housing.
Officers say the site has already been earmarked for this kind of development in the local development plan, and that the proposal complies with all relevant planning policies.
On the peatland concerns, officers say the development would actually help restore it. Much of the peatland on the site is already “dry, degraded and emitting carbon,” the report notes.
The proposal includes blue-green drainage infrastructure designed to rewater it — with the potential to make the development carbon negative overall.
Some objectors argued that too little information had been submitted with the application. Officers dismissed this, stating: “The planning service is satisfied that sufficient information has been submitted to allow proper consideration of this permission in principle application.”
Residents’ concerns about losing their views or seeing their home values fall were also brushed aside. The report states: “Loss of value and loss of view have been raised as concerns by adjacent residents; however, these are not valid planning considerations.”
Because this is a permission in principle application, no detailed designs have been submitted yet. These would come forward in separate future applications if the principle is approved.
The development would be one of the largest in the East Kilbride area in recent years. A previous application for over 1000 homes on the same site was submitted in 2021 but later withdrawn.
