Shoppers in North Lanarkshire are to benefit from a new mall featuring Aldi, Home Bargains, M&S Simply Food - and a drive-thru Starbucks.

North Lanarkshire Planning Committee has unanimously approved plans for a new Neighbourhood Centre in Westfield Cumbernauld.

It will bring shops to an area that currently has few amenities for the local community.

The £25m development will create 200 full time jobs and around 50 jobs in the construction phase which the developer, L&S Broadwood, hopes will start later this year.

The new neighbourhood centre includes a seven-unit shopping parade, a pub, a drive thru coffee shop, a petrol station and 600 car parking spaces on a brownfield site in the shadow of Broadwood Stadium.

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M&S Simply Food and Aldi will be next door neighbours in units seven and eight with Home Bargains further down the parade, while Starbucks are in advanced negotiations over the lease of the drive thru coffee shop.

The developers are also in discussions with potential tenants for the remaining four retail units, the pub and the petrol station.

Bryan Wilson, Development Director with L&S Broadwood said: “We believe this local neighbourhood centre will be a tremendous asset for the people living on the other side of the M80 who currently have very few local amenities.

Read more: Cumbernauld shopping complex under threat as rivals claim it derails vision

“It will give them top High Street brands on their doorstep and provide a real focus for their community.

“We are grateful to the members of the Planning Committee for giving us the green light for our proposals.

"We hope to have shovels in the ground later this year, with a view to start trading in around 18 months time”.