Plans to develop 21 social homes on Larkhall have been submitted to the council.

West of Scotland Housing Association for Social Housing has lodged a planning application to develop the much-needed homes in the town centre following recent figures that  revealed there are over 700 people on the housing waiting list in Larkhall.

The council validated the plans on July 4, which, if successful, will see a range of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and accessible properties being developed on Caledonian Road.

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(Image: LDR supplied plans for homes for Larkhall)

Plans for the development would include demolishing the existing buildings known as the Coalyard Tea Rooms which have been empty for five years, as the site has been in decline.

In the planning statement for the application, it says: ‘It should be noted that the proposals are for 21 much-needed affordable flats all for social housing. The development proposals for new homes will improve affordability and choice and address identified gaps in provision.

“The project has been supported onto the SLC SHIP as a high priority and the timescale and funding provided for the project is to start in Autumn 2024. The site is also near Larkhall town centre and within a five-minute walk of all the local facilities/ shops/ offices/ commercials/ supermarkets/ jobs etc can be found.

‘The housing demand in SLC is over 16k people waiting on the list, in particular, Larkhall is deemed as one of the highest demand areas within the area which is why the project has been put as a priority.’

The proposed design is for 21 flats which would include 15 two-bedroom homes with space for four people, two wheelchair accessible two-bedroom flats with room for four people and four one-bedroom homes with space for two people.

(Image: LDR supplied plans for homes for Larkhall)

Developers are proposing to include 16 vehicle parking spaces to service the accommodation.

Community consultation was carried out in 2019 to produce the Larkhall Community Plan and it was confirmed that there is insufficient social housing in the area, and the consultation specifically mentioned that housing waiting lists are far too long and private rents are achievable for many people.

The proposals are being progressed in partnership between Building Craftsmen Ltd with the West of Scotland Housing Association under a D&B contract.

The Scottish Government will be funding the project through the Housing Association Grant (HAG) programme and there will also be a Place Based Investment Program contribution from South Lanarkshire Council.

Neighbourhood consultation for the project ran from March 25 until April 15 and Standard consultation ran from April 10 until April 24 The deadline for determining the application is September 3.