South Lanarkshire Council has agreed a significant investment in its properties, with Hamilton Water Palace and Blantyre Leisure Centre each set to benefit from £1 million upgrades over the next three years.
A new £3.8m community sports facility will be created at Brancumhall Pavilion, and a similar facility costing £324,000 will be provided at Lanark Racecourse.
Large-scale programme begins this financial year
The large-scale programme begins during the current financial year and also includes major upgrades at Chatelherault, Low Parks Museum, leisure and community centres across the local authority area, plus boiler works at 18 schools.
The £24m investment programme is part of South Lanarkshire's new 10-year estates strategy, approved by councillors on the authority's executive committee. Officials say the condition improvement works "may include building fabric, compliance works, accessibility enhancements, life-cycle replacements and energy-efficiency measures".
Key allocations and facility upgrades
Hamilton Water Palace and Blantyre Leisure Centre are the two single largest investments, with almost half of their funding due to be spent during 2026-2027. There is also £552,000 allocated over the three years to Whitehill Neighbourhood Centre, more than £470,000 for Jock Stein Sports Barn and £465,000 for Hillhouse & Earnock Community Hall.
A report for councillors noted: "Investment allocations are based on high-level feasibility assessments; project scopes, costs and delivery will continue to be refined through site investigation, option appraisal, design development and business case preparation."
Sums of £450,000 each are allocated for the Lifestyles centres at Stonehouse, Lanark, Carluke and the Murray Owen facility in East Kilbride, with a further £400,600 for Fairhill Daycare Centre. Low Parks Museum has been earmarked for condition improvements totalling £350,000, while there is £150,000 for Chatelherault Hunting Lodge and Visitors' Centre and a further £68,950 allocated to Calderglen Country Park Visitor Centre.
Also among the 33 council facilities included in the condition improvement fund are East Kilbride Arts Centre, Rutherglen Library and Lanark Memorial Hall, respectively receiving £300,000, nearly £164,000 and £150,000 over the next three years.
Official comments and school boiler works
Stephen Gibson, the council's housing and technical resources executive director, said: "This significant investment in council infrastructure, right across the whole of South Lanarkshire, will improve the quality, accessibility, utilisation and sustainability of our estate."
He added: "This review follows an extremely detailed analysis of all the buildings and assets the council owns or is responsible for across South Lanarkshire. Much of the estate is now ageing, configured around traditional single-service use and not consistently utilized to its full capacity – the investment includes investment in retained assets, replacement facilities, service consolidation projects, office rationalisation and a contribution towards depot modernisation."
Boiler works are planned for Hamilton-area schools Glenlee, Hareleeshill, High Blantyre and St Elizabeth's Primaries, plus Bothwell Primary and Robert Owen Memorial in Lanark; East Kilbride schools Blacklaw, Castlefield, Crosshouse, Greenhills, Mount Cameron, St Hilary's and St Vincent's Primaries; plus Cathkin and St Columbkille's Primaries in Rutherglen. Each replacement will cost £75,000, with the replacement projects "intended to maintain service continuity, improve reliability and support energy-efficiency improvements".
A total of £500,000 will be invested in upgrading the additional support needs provision at Greenburn, West Mains and Highmill/Victoria Park Primaries; and more than £83,000 per property is to be spent on improvements to six residential child care homes.
