Demolition has begun on two former council properties in Bellshill to prepare a town-centre site for new council housing.

The former Bellshill First Stop Shop on Motherwell Road and the former Registry building on Neilson Street are being taken down under North Lanarkshire Council's New Supply Programme. The demolition contract starts this month and is due to finish by March 2027, leaving a cleared site ready for future development.

The Registry building, a red sandstone structure from the early 1900s, was originally built as Bothwell Parish Chambers before later housing Bellshill's registration service. The First Stop Shop, which offered housing advice and council services, closed in June 2025 following changes to local housing provision; a housing surgery now operates from the Bellshill Cultural Centre opposite.

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Plans are being drawn up for new council homes on the site to help meet local demand, including from those on the council's housing waiting list.

Councillor Michael McPake, Convener of Housing, said: "Regenerating this site is an important step towards bringing this town centre site back into use and creating new homes for local people.

"We know there is a real need for good-quality, affordable housing, and we want to make the best use of the land we have to help meet that demand. We are developing our plans for the future housing, which will help provide more choice for local people and those waiting for a council home.

"The development supports our ambition to deliver 6,000 new council homes by 2035, making better use of available land, bringing underused sites back into use and creating better places to live for communities across North Lanarkshire."