South Lanarkshire Council has given approval to create a woodland park on the banks of the River Clyde.

The £5m park will be built on derelict land at the Cuningar Loop site, following a meeting of the Council's Planning Committee.

The green light was also given for a footbridge from Cuningar Loop to link the area to the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village, as well as the Clyde Walkway and National Cycle Route.

The park is also being delivered to complement and enhance the sporting arena developments in the Clyde Gateway area, bringing with it greater economic activity as well as ensuring the long-term management of the site being environmentally and economically sustainable.

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The site is 14.8 hectares and is currently unmaintained open space next to the River Clyde. It has lain derelict for almost 50 years and it rarely used by the public.

Leader of South Lanarkshire Council, Councillor Eddie McAvoy, said: "This will create a fantastic, accessible green space area. Cuningar Loop has been a long neglected area of derelict land and I am sure the community around the park will enjoy and appreciate the facilities once completed.

"We also hope it will attract people from far and wide and that it will be an important legacy of the Commonwealth Games."

The applicants, Clyde Gateway and the Forestry Commission Scotland, state that the initiative will help to improve the quality of the Cuningar Loop woodland. By the year 2021, the scheme is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors per year, compared to the current less than 1,000 people per year.

(JP/CD)