Just south of Glasgow, East Kilbride was Scotland’s first ever ‘new town’ back in 1947 – but now, less than 80 years later, it’s being knocked down.
The good news, is that it’s going to be rebuilt. The proposals for a completely rejuvenated town centre could see more than a third of East Kilbride demolished, making way a supermarket measuring an impressive 40,000 square feet, a hotel, and a public square.
In 1930, East Kilbride was just a small village with around 900 residents. It was chosen as one of five new towns in Scotland as a solution to the post-war housing shortage, alongside Glenrothes, Cumbernauld, Livingston, and Irvine.
Within a few decades, it had been transformed into the ‘new town’ vision, complete with council offices, a police station, a fire station, and even Scotland’s first Olympic-sized swimming pool, the Dollan Baths.
These days, East Kilbride has been given the affectionate nickname of ‘Polo Mint City’ in reference to its extensive roundabout system, with a whopping 199, similar to the likes of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, which is famously home to more than 130.
But over the last 20 years, the town has been struggling, with the Motorola factory closing in 2009, Rolls-Royce in 2015, and the main shopping centre in 2022.
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Locals largely feel that East Kilbride isn’t what it used to be – but now, there’s hope that things could change.
What will the new East Kilbride look like? And why is it being rebuilt?
South Lanarkshire Council plans to spend £62,200,000 on the project, and there’s currently more than 500,000 square feet worth of empty space across East Kilbride – an opportunity which has seen architects pledge to turn it into a ‘real town centre.’
Threesixty Architecture, the company spearheading the blueprints, has argued that over the last 10 years, towns across the UK have undergone mammoth changes. Worsened by Covid, the result has seen a decline in retail, and places like East Kilbride are floundering.
‘The masterplan is the opportunity for the town to rediscover its identity and purpose,’ the documents read, adding that it wants to ‘reposition the town centre as an environment that serves its community.’
What locals are saying about East Kilbride
Danny Fitzpatrick, 33, is East Kilbride born and bred – and he’s hopeful about its future.
When he was younger, he says the town centre was an ‘epicentre.’ It was where he accompanied his gran while she fetched her pension every Monday, and where he went for lunch when he was at high school.
‘You couldn’t get parked during the festive season for people coming from all over, shopping their brains out, eating decent food and having their Christmas parties,’ account manager Danny, who still lives in East Kilbride neighbourhood Calderwood, tells Metro.
Nowadays, he believes it ‘isn’t even a shadow of what it used to be’ – and describes a ‘buzz about the place’ when news of the rejuvenation broke.
He adds: ‘I would have liked to have seen the whole thing flattened and started from scratch. The town has seen some really tough times in the last two decades, but I hope and believe there is a kind of renaissance on the horizon.’
Danny also works part-time in a local pub and sees younger people moving in from Glasgow as there’s ‘more for your money’ in East Kilbride. While the average house in Scotland’s second city costs £233,323, just 27 minutes away, prices are more in the region of £195,787.
‘I like the town. I was raised here, my friends were raised here, and my family settled here,’ he concludes.
‘The Rolls-Royce days may be over, but I think the future is good for EK.’
Elsewhere, it’s safe to say that others have fairly mixed views on East Kilbride, which probably goes a long way towards explaining why much of the town centre is being rebuilt.
Over on the r/Glasgow Subreddit, @viccyroadforever joked that East Kilbride is only ideal if ‘you’re a big fan of roundabouts,’ while @thecutter18 added that it’s ‘dying.’
‘[The] town centre is losing shops constantly and the big industrial units the town was built on are all pretty much closed,’ they penned, as @scoobywood labelled it a ‘soulless new town with lots of roundabouts.’
However, @grizzythekid refers to East Kilbride as ‘East Kilbrilliant’ – and has fond memories of growing up there.
‘It’s walkable, the town centre is a bit grim…not much in the way of a nightlife. It’s affordable, though,’ they reckoned.
‘Buses are usually a wee adventure too.’
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