Hamilton town centre transformation: details of demolition, housing and garden site plans

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The proposals to revamp Hamilton’s town centre are based around six key sites including the long-vacant Bairds building, former Vogue bingo hall and cinema and an improved town square at Castle Street.Both Bairds and the former Marks & Spencer will be considered for either retrofitting as event or office spaces or for demolition as part of the huge redevelopment.Vogue is now likely to be given a leisure or flexible use after previous proposals to convert it into flats fell through – and the “vast, underutilised space” between the town centre and Palace Grounds is set for new landscaping and business pods.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android The prominent former Bairds department store, on the corner of Quarry Street and Duke Street, has lain empty since closing a decade ago and plans to redevelop it as a pub fell through when purchasers Wetherspoons announced last year that they would not be going ahead with the venture and put the building up for sale.A report for councillors notes: “Private sector development would be the preferred option, [but as] the building is a prominent feature of the town centre the masterplan has considered options for this site including retrofit of the building, demolition and redevelopment – as well as ‘meanwhile uses’ for the site which include use as an event and