pounds 500m LIFELINE IS ON THE RIGHT ROAD; Exclusive New m-way link is key to 15-year plan.

Byline: By Craig McDonald

A DEVELOPER'S plan to privately fund a pounds 40million road has been backed by council bosses.

Gillespie Investments now hope to win Executive support for the bypass and their wider pounds 500million scheme involving thousands of new houses.

If approved, the Airdrie bypass in Lanarkshire will link the M8 and M80. It will also kickstart the half-a-billion pound project, in which renewable energy schemes will play a major role.

The firm's boss Scott Gillespie, 33, said the 15-year project would "breathe new life" into the area.

The plans were discussed with councillors yesterday. North Lanarkshire Council leader Jim McCabe said: "This is a great opportunity which we should seize with both hands.

"It will change the face of an area and have knock-on effects for the whole of the country."

Essentially, the road will branch off the M8.

The bypass will begin near Chapelhall, then run east of Airdrie before linking to the A73 near Auchenkilns.

It will also connect with the Stepps and Moodiesburn M80 bypass.

Gillespie want to develop 2500 houses and a business park. The first 400 houses are planned for next year.

It is hoped about 1500 jobs will be created by the project.

A spokeswoman for Transport Scotland, part of the Executive's transport department, said: "Any proposal seeking new access to the trunk road network would have to be fully assessed."

Meanwhile, a pounds 340million rail link between Bathgate and Airdrie was given the green light by MSPs yesterday.

The link between West Lothian and Lanarkshire will create 1500 jobs.

The link, which will be ready by December 2010, will cut M8 congestion and ease commuting to Glasgow and Edinburgh for people in the area.

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SUPPORT: McCabe