South Lanarkshire Council has unveiled its vision for the continued growth and regeneration of the area.

The proposed Local Development Plan aims to generate economic growth and promote the area as a successful place to live, work and invest.

The new plan is a continuation of the South Lanarkshire Local Plan which was adopted in 2009 and guides the council’s decisions on development proposals.

Depute Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Jackie Burns, said: "The current Local Plan has many policies and proposals which are still relevant and can be carried forward into the new plan.

"This includes a number of significant proposals including Community Growth Areas, Development Framework sites and Masterplan sites.

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"However, the economic climate has changed since 2009 and we will need to look again at a number of key areas."

These areas include:

• the release of some additional sites for housing to add flexibility to the land supply
• sites to accommodate a range of housing types, including affordable housing
• allowing a wider range of uses in some non-strategic economic locations
• re-designating industrial sites that are no longer attractive to investors
• reviewing town centre and neighbourhood boundaries
• easing restrictions on some non-retail changes of use in these centres
• reviewing settlement boundaries
• protecting the council’s historic and natural environment

The new plan is needed because the development planning system obliges the council to have a new Local Development Plan in place within two years of the Strategic Development Plan for Glasgow and the Clyde Valley being approved.

This happened in May 2012 which means the South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan should be adopted by May 2014.

Proposed new housing sites, as well as boundary changes to settlements and town centres, have been mapped in the plan, while areas of search for windfarms have been reduced, based on the impact of consented and built windfarms.

The public are also to be consulted on the policies contained within the plan, over a six-week consultation period that will start on 16 May 2013.

(JP/CD)