Plans submitted for ‘Scotland’s newest country park’ and major new housing development

Orchard Brae Ltd formally lodged its application for the EuroPark project with the council’s planning department this week, including 2,600 much-needed homes – 1,000 of which have been designated affordable and social properties.The residential development, collectively entitled ‘The Villages’, would surround a newly established Country Park featuring the Monkland Canal and Calder Water, spanning more than half of the 600 acre site.Following two rounds of public consultations, the proposals also include new schools provision, health centres, business and leisure facilities, and a care village.The project – one of the biggest of its kind to be proposed in Scotland’s central belt – has been designed to complement the thriving hub of nearby Eurocentral/Maxim and support surrounding communities.EuroPark’s green masterplan includes the creation of a new Country Park with an integral focus on the retention of the Woodhall and Faskine woodlands.Subject to planning permission, the Country Park will comprise of four distinct new areas of parkland, containing a variety of habitats and attractions with the Monkland Canal a focal point throughout.Orchard Brae says that this rejuvenated parkland network will give locals a formalised open space to explore and enjoy, preserving the best of the landscape for future generations while providing better paths and lighting that will heighten safety for new and existing users.Orchard Brae is also working with Scottish Canals to invigorate and maximise the potential of the Monkland Canal and North Calder Water, with improved walkways giving the public access to new leisure opportunities.Some 940 jobs will also be directly created from the project, helping to address local labour needs, with a further peak of 4,650 temporary construction jobs being created over the build-out period.