The disposal of the Loch Park Stadium site via a long lease to Tesco Stores Ltd for more than £11m will fund construction of a replacement sports stadium adjacent to the new Carluke High School.

The money will also help South Lanarkshire Council capital building programme that includes projects like new primary schools, upgraded leisure centre and community facility and library.

The site was marketed by the council's Estates Service with an invitation for nationally established companies with experience in successful retail development on a large scale to submit bids for the proposed development of the site.

This followed a retail study that concluded that there was sufficient spare retail capacity to support development of a new supermarket without a threat to the viability of Carluke town centre.

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The council has secured a replacement stadium site with the assistance of the local land owner, Kirkton Estates, paving the way for disposal of the existing stadium for commercial and residential development. After open tender, Tesco emerged as the preferred development partner with a net bid of £11.19m.

Proposals for the existing Loch Park Stadium and the new stadium site were included in the finalised South Lanarkshire Local Plan which was considered at a Public Local Inquiry which was completed in February 2008.

The project is conditional upon the Reporter recommending the proposals in the Local Plan. The Reporter's recommendations are expected to be available in the autumn with the final Local Plan adoption process completed by the spring of 2009.

Tesco plans to build a 4,000 square-metre store with a petrol filling station and about 300 car parking spaces. The plans show the site being accessed by a new roundabout junction on Lanark Road. The company expects to lodge a detailed planning application with the council later in the year.

(GK/JM)