FOUR Clyde Valley councils have been given the go-ahead to develop detailed plans for developments which will cost more than £440millioon.

Between them, they will result in new and improved roads, contaminated sites being made ready for developers, a new railway station and visitor centre, less congestion and improved air quality.

The schemes will be funded with cash from the £1.13billion City Deal set up to improve infrastructure projects across Glasgow and seven surrounding councils.

The aim is to boost the economy of the West of Scotland and create thousands of jobs and new homes.

North Lanarkshire is hoping to get cash to carry out three scheme costing almost £200m.

A report to councillors says poor connections between the southern and northern parts of North Lanarkshire is a barrier to growth.

As a result. it is planned to carry out improvement along the M8/A8 corridor to stimulate business investment and create jobs by improving access to key business sites, increasing occupancy of stalled commercial sites, improving access to employment, education and training, improving journey times and encouraging a switch of freight from road to rail.

The council also wants to provide new roads and park and ride schemes at Gartcosh and Glenboig which it says will help to tackle the recent slow pace of housing growth, unlock development potential and stimulate business investment.

A report says the areas need key roads to help meet the target of 3000 new homes being built on the sites over the next 15 to 20 years.

It adds: "The project will support the stalled development of Gartcosh Business Park and enhance the marketability of the area as a place to live and work, encouraging housing and other development and increasing the area's attractiveness to employers as a location.

"The new link roads will realise major development opportunities and connect labour markets.

"Further benefits are achieved from improving journey time reliability, construction employment and developing the freight sector."

The final project in North Lanarkshire involves improving connections to neighbouring areas through improved capacity on the roads and better bus services."

The report says: "The project will help to maximise job opportunities and connect communities to key employment locations, supporting existing and attracting new businesses to North Lanarkshire.

"It will help improve links between urban centres and to unlock commercial and housing developments across North Lanarkshire, South, Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire. The project also supports the development of Ravenscraig."

South Lanarkshire is hoping to develop four schemes at a total cost of almost £170m.

The Cathkin relief road will provide a new 7.3m wide carriageway between the two junctions on what is described as an extremely busy road easing congestion in the centre of Rutherglen and improving accessibility for areas of high deprivation.

Cash would also be spent on improving capacity in education, community facilities and roads to accommodate a planned 7000 increase in homes in Newton, East Kilbride, Hamilton and Larkhall.

The new housing would result in thousands of new jobs and private investment of up to £800m being levered in.

South Lanarkshire also plans to widen the existing A726 from Calderglen Country Park into a dual carriageway which would allow a number of key industrial sites to be developed.

West Dunbartonshire wants to provide all the infrastructure necessary to allow the Exxon site at Bowling to be developed at a cost of almost £28m.

A report says: "The site is crucial to West Dunbartonshire's future economic development and will make a significant contribution to economic growth across the Clyde Valley.

"While ownership of the site presently remains with Exxon, it is the council's intention to acquire it as soon as possible.

"Remediation of contaminated and land and provision of suitable enabling infrastructure would allow the economic development potential of the site to be unlocked."

East Renfrewshire wants to carry out improvements to the M77 at the Barrhead junction which it says would improve connections between Newton Mearns, Dams to Darnley Country Park and Barrhead.

Officials say there is a need to address the lack of light industrial space for business start-ups and growing business, unproductive brownfield sites in Barrhead, lack of space for start up businesses and lack of public transport to serve new and existing housing.

The City Deal Cash totalling £44m would also help to establish a new rail station at Barrhead and a visitor centre at the country park.