Construction work has been halted on two new nurseries being developed in Airdrie.
The family learning centres in Chapelhall and Petersburn are among nine new facilities being built by North Lanarkshire Council ahead of the planned near-doubling of pre-school provision to 1140 hours per year.
Both had been due to open in August when the new policy was originally to take effect; but non-essential construction work has stopped due to coronavirus, and implementation of the early learning plans has been delayed to allow local authorities to concentrate on their Covid-19 response.
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “In line with Scottish Government guidance that non-essential construction work has to cease
to safeguard the welfare of the workforce, our nine new-build sites are currently being made secure to close.
“We remain committed to providing a high-quality foundation for every child to develop socially, emotionally and educationally, enabling them to reach their full potential.
“We will review our expansion plans as soon as practicable, after the pandemic response comes to an end."
The Chapelhall nursery, which will be named Calderview family learning centre, is located next to a woodland at Kennel Burn.
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A turf-cutting ceremony to mark the beginning of the work, had taken place there last month ahead of the lockdown measures.
