Plans have been submitted to turn a decade-long eyesore in Wishaw Main Street into almost 50 new homes.
Proposals submitted to the council from Wishaw and District Housing Association would see 49 flats being constructed at the former Tesco site next to The Commercial Hotel.
The project, which first saw plans drawn up in 2013 only to be shelved three years later, is a key commitment of Trust Housing Association’s package as it bids to merge with WDHA.
Trust CEO Rhona McLeod said: “We are committed to delivering new affordable housing on the Main Street site and it is one of our key promises to Wishaw and District tenants.
“We have been assisting Wishaw and District with Main Street since March and we have had very positive meetings with the key stakeholders in terms of securing the necessary funding and planning.
“A planning application was submitted in July and we are very optimistic, if tenants vote for the transfer, of having contractors on site from spring 2020 and new homes ready for tenants to move into by 2021.
“Trust has a strong track record of housing development and we currently have a programme in place to deliver over 150 new affordable homes across Scotland.”
Previous plans for the site included a proposal to build 21 flats and a 62-bed nursing home.
The aim was to complete the project by 2015 but these plans were scrapped in 2016.
The Scottish Housing Regulator used its statutory powers to appoint a manager and five governing body members in February 2017 because it was not assured WDHA had the necessary governance and leadership capacity to undertake the scale of the work required and to manage the financial risks arising from the site without expert support.
Since then Trust has been identified and is set to merge with WDHA if plans are voted through by local tenants.
WDHA chief executive Niall Gordon added: “We have been unable to develop the Main Street site since purchasing it nine years due to a number of challenges including financial constraints.
“Wishaw and District Housing Association does not have the financial or internal capacity to deliver new affordable housing on the Main Street site.
“As preferred partners, Trust have been supporting us with the site for a number of months and we have been delighted with the progress that has been made.
“However, we will not be able to progress any further and deliver new housing on Main Street if the transfer to Trust does not go ahead.”
