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Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Our ‘soulless' high street is being demolished & rebuilt as swish new ‘town of the future' – it's a LONG overdue change
TOTAL TRANSFORMATION Our 'soulless' high street is being demolished & rebuilt as swish new 'town of the future' – it's a LONG overdue change Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LOCALS are celebrating the rebuilding of their town high street after it was dubbed 'soulless' and in desperate need of change. 4 Residents can't wait for their high street to receive a long overdue upgrade Credit: 360architecture In 1947, East Kilbride held the title of Scotland's first ever 'new town', however, less than 80 years later, it is being knocked down. 4 The town is famed for its large number of roundabouts Credit: Alamy Located just south of Glasgow, the proposals for the town centre could see more than a third of the town demolished. This would make way for an impressive new supermarket measuring 40,000 feet, a hotel and a public square. Local, Danny Fitzpatrick, 33, told the Metro: 'The town has had some really tough times in the last two decades, but I hope and believe there is a kind of renaissance on the horizon.' Danny was born and raised in the town and feels hopeful about the South Lanarkshire Council's new proposals. As he reflected on growing up in the area, he explained that the town used to be an 'epicentre.' But added: 'It isn't a shadow of what it used to be.' In 1930, East Kilbride was home to just 900 residents. But thanks to being selected as one of the five new towns in Scotland to serve as the solution to the post-war housing shortage, over the span of a few decades the town completely transformed. Now with a population of roughly 75,000 the post-war scheme equipped the once small village with council offices, a police station, and even Scotland's first Olympic size swimming pool. It has even been affectionately nicknamed 'Polo Mint City,' due to its extensive roundabout system. 4 Architects hope this will help the town rediscover its identity Credit: East Kilbride Council 4 Today, all traces of the town's industrial heritage have gone Credit: Alamy However, over the last 20 years, East Kilbride has been suffering, with many businesses closing and locals labelling the town centre "grim." Among those to pack up and leave the area were the Motorola factory in 2009, Rolls-Royce in 2015, and the main shopping centre in 2022. But Danny remains optimistic, saying: 'The Rolls-Royce days may be over, but I think the future is good for EK.' The council plans to spend a staggering £62,200,000 on the project, in a bid to make use of the more than 500,000 square feet of empty space across East Kilbride. Threesixty Architecture, the company fronting these new plans, argue that the last decade has seen towns across the UK suffer. Worsened even further by Covid, they claim that retail is on the decline, leaving areas like East Kilbride to suffer. The document reads: 'The master plan is the opportunity for the town to rediscover its identity and purpose.' The Sun has approached South Lanarkshire Council and Threesixty Architecture for comment.
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Our ‘soulless' high street is being demolished & rebuilt as swish new ‘town of the future' – it's a LONG overdue change
LOCALS are celebrating the rebuilding of their town high street after it was dubbed 'soulless' and in desperate need of change. 4 Residents can't wait for their high street to receive a long overdue upgrade Credit: 360architecture In 1947, East Kilbride held the title of Scotland's first ever 'new town', however, less than 80 years later, it is being knocked down. 4 The town is famed for its large number of roundabouts Credit: Alamy Located just south of This would make way for an impressive new supermarket measuring 40,000 feet, a hotel and a public square. Local, Danny Fitzpatrick, 33, told the Danny was born and raised in the News As he reflected on growing up in the area, he explained that the town used to be an 'epicentre.' But added: 'It isn't a shadow of what it used to be.' In 1930, East Kilbride was home to just 900 residents. But thanks to being selected as one of the five new towns in Scotland to serve as the solution to the post-war housing shortage, over the span of a few decades the town completely transformed. Most read in The Sun Now with a population of roughly 75,000 the post-war scheme equipped the once small village with council offices, a police station, and even Scotland's first Olympic size It has even been affectionately nicknamed 'Polo Mint City,' due to its extensive 4 Architects hope this will help the town rediscover its identity Credit: East Kilbride Council 4 Today, all traces of the town's industrial heritage have gone Credit: Alamy However, over the last 20 years, East Kilbride has been suffering, with many businesses closing and locals labelling the town centre "grim." Among those to pack up and leave the area were the Motorola factory in 2009, But Danny remains optimistic, saying: 'The Rolls-Royce days may be over, but I think the future is good for EK.' The council plans to spend a staggering £62,200,000 on the project, in a bid to make use of the more than 500,000 square feet of empty space across East Kilbride. Threesixty Architecture, the company fronting these new plans, argue that the last decade has seen towns across the UK suffer. Worsened even further by The document reads: 'The master plan is the opportunity for the town to rediscover its identity and purpose.' The Sun has approached South Lanarkshire Council and Threesixty Architecture for comment.
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Our ‘soulless' high street is being demolished & rebuilt as swish new ‘town of the future' – it's a LONG overdue change
LOCALS are celebrating the rebuilding of their town high street after it was dubbed 'soulless' and in desperate need of change. 4 In 1947, East Kilbride held the title of Scotland's first ever 'new town', however, less than 80 years later, it is being knocked down. 4 Located just south of Glasgow, the proposals for the town centre could see more than a third of the town demolished. This would make way for an impressive new supermarket measuring 40,000 feet, a hotel and a public square. Local, Danny Fitzpatrick, 33, told the Metro: 'The town has had some really tough times in the last two decades, but I hope and believe there is a kind of renaissance on the horizon.' Danny was born and raised in the town and feels hopeful about the South Lanarkshire Council's new proposals. As he reflected on growing up in the area, he explained that the town used to be an 'epicentre.' But added: 'It isn't a shadow of what it used to be.' In 1930, East Kilbride was home to just 900 residents. But thanks to being selected as one of the five new towns in Scotland to serve as the solution to the post-war housing shortage, over the span of a few decades the town completely transformed. Now with a population of roughly 75,000 the post-war scheme equipped the once small village with council offices, a police station, and even Scotland's first Olympic size swimming pool. It has even been affectionately nicknamed 'Polo Mint City,' due to its extensive roundabout system. 4 4 However, over the last 20 years, East Kilbride has been suffering, with many businesses closing and locals labelling the town centre "grim." Among those to pack up and leave the area were the Motorola factory in 2009, Rolls-Royce in 2015, and the main shopping centre in 2022. But Danny remains optimistic, saying: 'The Rolls-Royce days may be over, but I think the future is good for EK.' The council plans to spend a staggering £62,200,000 on the project, in a bid to make use of the more than 500,000 square feet of empty space across East Kilbride. Threesixty Architecture, the company fronting these new plans, argue that the last decade has seen towns across the UK suffer. Worsened even further by Covid, they claim that retail is on the decline, leaving areas like East Kilbride to suffer. The document reads: 'The master plan is the opportunity for the town to rediscover its identity and purpose.' The Sun has approached South Lanarkshire Council and Threesixty Architecture for comment.
Metro
2 days ago
- Business
- Metro
This ‘soulless' UK town is being demolished and locals are surprisingly on board
Just south of Glasgow, East Kilbride was Scotland's first ever 'new town' back in 1947 – but now, less than 80 years later, it's being knocked down. The good news, is that it's going to be rebuilt. The proposals for a completely rejuvenated town centre could see more than a third of East Kilbride demolished, making way a supermarket measuring an impressive 40,000 square feet, a hotel, and a public square. In 1930, East Kilbride was just a small village with around 900 residents. It was chosen as one of five new towns in Scotland as a solution to the post-war housing shortage, alongside Glenrothes, Cumbernauld, Livingston, and Irvine. Within a few decades, it had been transformed into the 'new town' vision, complete with council offices, a police station, a fire station, and even Scotland's first Olympic-sized swimming pool, the Dollan Baths. These days, East Kilbride has been given the affectionate nickname of 'Polo Mint City' in reference to its extensive roundabout system, with a whopping 199, similar to the likes of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, which is famously home to more than 130. But over the last 20 years, the town has been struggling, with the Motorola factory closing in 2009, Rolls-Royce in 2015, and the main shopping centre in 2022. You can access completely fee-free mortgage advice with London & Country (L&C) Mortgages, a partner of Metro. Customers benefit from: – Award winning service from the UK's leading mortgage broker – Expert advisors on hand 7 days a week – Access to 1000s of mortgage deals from across the market Unlike many mortgage brokers, L&C won't charge you a fee for their advice. Find out how much you could borrow online Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Locals largely feel that East Kilbride isn't what it used to be – but now, there's hope that things could change. South Lanarkshire Council plans to spend £62,200,000 on the project, and there's currently more than 500,000 square feet worth of empty space across East Kilbride – an opportunity which has seen architects pledge to turn it into a 'real town centre.' Threesixty Architecture, the company spearheading the blueprints, has argued that over the last 10 years, towns across the UK have undergone mammoth changes. Worsened by Covid, the result has seen a decline in retail, and places like East Kilbride are floundering. 'The masterplan is the opportunity for the town to rediscover its identity and purpose,' the documents read, adding that it wants to 'reposition the town centre as an environment that serves its community.' Danny Fitzpatrick, 33, is East Kilbride born and bred – and he's hopeful about its future. When he was younger, he says the town centre was an 'epicentre.' It was where he accompanied his gran while she fetched her pension every Monday, and where he went for lunch when he was at high school. 'You couldn't get parked during the festive season for people coming from all over, shopping their brains out, eating decent food and having their Christmas parties,' account manager Danny, who still lives in East Kilbride neighbourhood Calderwood, tells Metro. Nowadays, he believes it 'isn't even a shadow of what it used to be' – and describes a 'buzz about the place' when news of the rejuvenation broke. He adds: 'I would have liked to have seen the whole thing flattened and started from scratch. The town has seen some really tough times in the last two decades, but I hope and believe there is a kind of renaissance on the horizon.' Danny also works part-time in a local pub and sees younger people moving in from Glasgow as there's 'more for your money' in East Kilbride. While the average house in Scotland's second city costs £233,323, just 27 minutes away, prices are more in the region of £195,787. 'I like the town. I was raised here, my friends were raised here, and my family settled here,' he concludes. 'The Rolls-Royce days may be over, but I think the future is good for EK.' Elsewhere, it's safe to say that others have fairly mixed views on East Kilbride, which probably goes a long way towards explaining why much of the town centre is being rebuilt. Over on the r/Glasgow Subreddit, @viccyroadforever joked that East Kilbride is only ideal if 'you're a big fan of roundabouts,' while @thecutter18 added that it's 'dying.' More Trending '[The] town centre is losing shops constantly and the big industrial units the town was built on are all pretty much closed,' they penned, as @scoobywood labelled it a 'soulless new town with lots of roundabouts.' However, @grizzythekid refers to East Kilbride as 'East Kilbrilliant' – and has fond memories of growing up there. 'It's walkable, the town centre is a bit grim…not much in the way of a nightlife. It's affordable, though,' they reckoned. View More » 'Buses are usually a wee adventure too.' Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: The 'friendly' UK town homebuyers are flocking to — where properties cost £159,176 MORE: Search suspended for passenger who fell overboard from Scottish ferry MORE: Man killed in four-storey blaze with 40 people evacuated from their homes
