A portion of a Coatbridge industrial park can now be used for housing as North Lanarkshire Council has approved a change of use.

Drumpellier Business Park applied for the change of use for the 1.45-hectare site, which is currently empty apart from a single office building, and also submitted a suggested layout showing how 43 new homes could be built there.

Although the land will not be developed as a direct result of the council’s decision, it can now be sold for the express purpose of housing development.

A further planning application will need to be approved before the final form of any such development is known.

Although the site was designated for business use in 2007 little activity has been seen and it is believed that all options for attracting companies have been exhausted.

The application attracted 22 objections from nearby residents who cited various complaints including the impact on wildlife, problems with fly infestations, the effect of more homes on traffic and the loss of land for businesses.

However council planning officers recommended approving the application subject to a number of conditions which included limiting the number of properties to 43, various stipulations around road and pedestrian access routes, a minimum number of parking spaces and the need for additional site investigations ahead of any construction.

The recommendations were unanimously approved by the council’s planning committee.