Princess Anne unveiled a commemorative plaque and spoke to residents at the site in Summerlee Street where 14 new homes have been built.

HRH was greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire Mushtaq Ahmad, Provost Jim Robertson, housing convener Sam Love, council chief executive Gavin Whitefield and well wishers on her tour of the development.

The Princess was given a guided tour by housing officials, introduced to some of the new tenants’ and presented with a bouquet of flowers by young Sophie Haggerty, whose great aunt lives in one of the new homes.

The site has 14 cottage flats, each with two bedrooms and is part of North Lanarkshire Council’s ‘Building for the Future’ house building programme. The £172m programme is delivering 1,150 new homes across the North Lanarkshire area by 2021.

The new homes include features to suit people with mobility difficulties and can be easily adapted to meet a household’s changing needs. They are built with safety and security in mind and have a good eco rating, providing value for money heating for tenants.

One of the tenants to benefit from a new home at this development is Elizabeth Wildgoose. Mrs Wildgoose said: “My new home is well built, spacious and all my neighbours are really friendly.”

Councillor Sam Love, convener of housing and social work services, said: “We were delighted to welcome Princess Anne to North Lanarkshire and it was a privilege to have her officially open this new development.

“We don’t have enough homes to meet demand in North Lanarkshire and that’s why we’re committed to building new properties across a number of sites. To date, 292 homes have been completed and we have many more at the building or planning stage.

“We’ll continue to invest in new housing and maintain our support to the local economy through jobs and business.”

The Scottish Government is contributing £420,000 towards the development costs of this project.

The development was delivered by Wates Construction on behalf on the council.

@nlcpeople