Plans submitted to North Lanarkshire Council to convert almost two million sq ft of grassland between Coatbridge and Glenboig into a huge rail freight terminal have met fierce local opposition.

The £100m scheme for one of the biggest rail freight terminals in Europe proposed by Kilgarth Development Company (KDC) includes the creation of a road that would link the site with the M73 running through Gartcosh and across the railway line into Kilgarth. Between six and eight storage sheds would be constructed on the 91 hectare site. The facility would remove up to 30 million lorry miles from the road network.

Speaking to BBC Scotland News website Andy Speedie, from KDC, said: "This development aims to take freight off our roads onto rail, and will create up to 1,000 jobs for the Coatbridge area.

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"We have identified a need for a terminal like this one. We are speaking to a large number of large operators of different types who want to have a central location in Scotland for distribution purposes."

Residents from the nearby villages of Glenboig and Townhead have formed the Kilgarth Action Group. They have submitted a 12-page objection document to the local council.

Hugh Banford, Kilgarth Action Group chairman, said: "Before KDC moved onto this site it was greenbelt. To all intents and purposes it was a country park with beautiful fields and mature trees where people could walk their dogs, exercise their horses and go for walks in the summer.

"We have checked with all the major freight operators and there is no need for facility like this here."

Mr Banford said the original planning permission allowed excavation of peat to an average depth of three metres however in parts of the site they have dug much deeper than that.

"There are also major excavations being undertaken outwith the site boundaries. What we have now is a huge hole in the ground. It is a disaster."

Andy Speedie, from KDC, admitted the site as it currently stands is an "eyesore".

"We are working with Scottish Natural Heritage and other bodies to ensure that the environment and the wildlife are protected.

"We will preserve core paths and we will preserve the right for people to exercise their horses. We are also putting in cycle paths and proper walkways," he said.

Officials from North Lanarkshire Council's planning department will visit the site at Kilgarth before making a final decision on the plans.

(GK/JM)