Plans lodged for 3,200-home community-owned Lanarkshire town

The proposed town will be built over 10 years on a 2,000-acre site near the existing village of Rigside, the charity said in a statement. The town will provide over 3,000 homes for 8,000 people and have its own commercial and industrial businesses, expected to create 6,000 jobs during construction and more than 3,000 permanent jobs.

Owenstown, which will be named after social reformer Robert Owen who improved the lives and working conditions of mill workers at nearby New Lanark 200 years ago, will be run on a co-operative basis by its residents.

The town will be eco-friendly and recycle waste to produce energy for the district heating system. It will also have green transport throughout the site powered by renewable sources.

The Hometown Foundation is a registered charity which has been established to help build new self-sustainable communities and regenerate rundown areas. It first revealed details of its plans for Owenstown three years ago.

The charity said its plans have undergone "an exhaustive programme of public consultation and exhibitions" and briefings have been provided to MSPs, local councillors and community councils. It said that following consultations some modifications had been made to the plans, but that "the objectives of a not-for-profit, co-operative model and the commitment to providing local jobs" remained the same.

The charity said a decision on the application by the Council was expected "sometime next year".