The state of housing in Scotland after World War II was a major problem. Slum dwellings were still a common sight in Scottish cities. Building programmes between the wars had replaced some city slums but the houses built to replace them weren't much of an improvement. A new approach was required to relieve the overcrowding problems in the Scottish central belt and especially in the Clyde Valley. The solution was to build new towns outside the major cities. By 1966, 5 new towns had been constructed in Scotland and thousands of people had moved to a new life.
Scottish New Towns
Scotland's housing was in a bad way after the war. German bombing raids had damaged a large number of houses and the slum dwellings that were a feature of Scotland's cities continued to deteriorate. The overcrowding in Glasgow was the biggest problem. It had more residents per square mile than any other city in Europe. This photograph was taken in 1967 but it gives a good impression of what conditions were like in the city.
One solution to the housing problem, was to extend Scotland's existing cities and build out from the suburbs. Planners were concerned that by doing this, Scotland's population would be cut of from access to the countryside and the central belt would become a huge, suburban sprawl. Green belts were set up around cities and no new building projects were permitted in these areas. This photograph shows a plan of Edinburgh with the green belt marked around the outside of the city.
With green belts restricting the building of new houses, the only solution was to create new towns outside major cities. As Glasgow was the biggest problem, the first new town was planned at East Kilbride. Work was started in 1947 and the town grew rapidly. Houses were built with attached Gardens and all the modern facilities lacking in the slums. Blocks of flats were built beside open spaces.
East Kilbride was designed with six neighbourhoods around the city centre, each with its own shops, community buildings and play areas. The town's main roads were built as ring roads so that it would be safe for children to play and walk to school. The town centre was built to house the main shopping areas, cinemas, sports centres, pubs and clubs. The contrast between this photograph and the one of the Glasgow slums is striking.
The next new town project was at Glenrothes in Fife, situated on the East Coast to relieve housing problems in Edinburgh and Dundee. The development of large coal mines after the war were expected to provide employment in the area but there were fewer jobs than expected. Glenrothes had to develop new industries and has become a centre for electronics manufacturing, earning it the nickname "Silicon Glen" after Silicon Valley in America.
It was back to Glasgow for the next new town, built at 15 miles to the North and East of the city. Planners designed a town centre to house all of Cumbernauld's shops and amenities and then designed the town's housing so that everyone would have easy access to the centre. This photograph shows one of the walkways intended to keep pedestrians away from traffic in the town centre. Cumbernauld has very low figures for traffic accidents.
The next new town to be proposed was Livingston, beside the M8 and the rail link in the central corridor between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The town was situated next to the River Almond. Proposals were put forward for the new town by the Department of Health in 1961. You can read the proposals in full by clicking on the first page next to this description.
The last of the New Towns built in Scotland was Irvine on the Ayrshire Coast. The new town had to incorporate the old towns of Irvine and Kilwinning. It was also the only new town built on the coast and the Irvine Development Corporation decided to put the location to good use by building a Beach Park on reclaimed industrial land at the sea front. The park was opened by the Queen in 1979.
