One of Coatbridge’s best-known historic buildings is being given a new lease of life as part of a major town centre regeneration project which will create 43 new council homes for rent.
The former Municipal Buildings on Kildonan Street are now being transformed, bringing a vacant building back into productive use while protecting important parts of Coatbridge’s heritage.
Housing Convener Michael McPake, along with local councillors including Kirsten Larson and Bill Shields, visited the redevelopment site to see progress first-hand.
The Grade B listed buildings sit in a prominent position at the junction of Kildonan Street, Muiryhall Street and Dunbeth Road, forming an important gateway into Coatbridge town centre. The building was constructed in 1894 as the headquarters of the Burgh of Coatbridge, following the formation of the burgh in 1885. Part of the original building was destroyed by fire in 1967, with a new four-storey wing added in 1991. It was used as council offices until they were vacated in 2022.
The redevelopment will retain and restore key parts of the existing building, while adapting it for modern use. The proposals include 43 residential units, a central residents’ amenity area, parking including electric vehicle provision, and secure bike and bin storage.
The former council chambers will also be retained and adapted to provide commercial and touchdown office space, allowing important architectural features of the historic building to remain part of the town centre. The scheme includes partial demolition of the former police wing, with the Muiryhall Street façade and east gable retained, along with a rooftop extension to the northern wing to create additional homes.
Councillor Michael McPake, Convener of Housing, said: “We’re taking a building that has been empty and bringing it back into use in a way that respects its history while meeting the needs of people living in Coatbridge today.
“The 43 new council homes will provide good-quality, affordable places to live, while the work on this important historic building will help breathe new life into a key part of the town centre. We’re regenerating places, making better use of vacant and underused sites and investing in communities for the long term.
“We’re committed to delivering 6,000 new affordable homes by 2035, and projects like this are helping us create more housing choice while supporting the wider regeneration of North Lanarkshire. We want people to have homes they can be proud of and communities that are good places to live.”
The £18.4 million contract for the redevelopment and conversion was awarded to CCG (Scotland) Ltd in February 2026 with the Glasgow-based construction and manufacturing group commencing works in the spring.
CCG Managing Director, David Wylie, said: “Kildonan Street is a very important project for Coatbridge, having played a central role in the town for over 130 years. To this day, it is still looked upon with great affection by all areas of the community, so CCG is very proud to be playing our part in ensuring its legacy lives on for many years to come - and what better way to do so than by creating new affordable homes.
“We thank North Lanarkshire Council for bringing us on board, and we look forward to working with them and our much-valued design team partners in the months ahead.”