North Lanarkshire Council has announced a further 1000 new council homes are to be developed in the area.

The council also confirmed it is to invest £159 million over the next 10 years to build the new social houses.

A total of 633 units have already been built or building work has already started.

Councillor Barry McCulloch, the convener of housing and social work services, said: "This is a massive investment for the people of North Lanarkshire. As Scotland's biggest council landlord we understand that modern, accessible housing is a key priority and I'm delighted we will be able to deliver 1800 new houses by 2026.


"We already had an extensive new-build programme in place, but we are determined to do what we can to meet considerable need. The quality of our new houses is unbelievable. They are energy-efficient, accessible and adaptable, which means the needs of people can really be taken into account. It means we can deliver a wide range of housing, including housing for older people, disabled people and young people setting up home for the first time."

A report to the committee set out the criteria for the sites of the 1000 additional homes, which will be partially paid for with the assistance of Scottish Government grant funding.

Councillor McCulloch explained: "We will take into account housing need, acceptability in terms of planning legislation, cost of development and location, as well as the contribution more housing can make to wider regeneration priorities. The current programme is diverse and has sites across North Lanarkshire and clearly that's something we would like to see continued.

"There are huge advantages to planning in this way. We can make sure we get the maximum efficiency through early procurement and a programme of this scale will also create jobs, boosting our economy."

(MH/CD)