Livingston is West Lothians largest town and has in recent years become the central hub for West Lothians Council, Local Government and |Justice system. It is a New Town that was planned and developed in the 1960s through til present day wityh work starting in 1962. T
Livingston – West Lothian’s New Town
This New Town was established to cater for the vast population moving out of Glasgow at this time in a wave of Migrancy known as the ‘Glasgow Overspill’.
The Original Area Livingston
The land upon which this New Town was built on originally consisted of a variety of Agricultural land alongside various bits of Mining field and forestry with a few small settlements and farms dotted throughout it. The Old villages of Livingston itself, and the nearby Livingston station also sat upon this land. These settlements have been swallowed up and Incorporated into the new Town with the original Village of Livingston, now being the area of Livingston Village and the Old Livingston Station village now being part of the greater housing estate of Deans South.
Planning the Work
The whole concept of this New Town was to give every resident their little house and garden in a clean and spacious place with no shortage of Greenery. Green space has always been something held dear by Glaswegians so Livingston, like its contemporary Newtown’s of Milton Keynes, East Kildride, Cumbernauld and the like catered for this love for nature.
Working the Plan
The Actual carrying out of the building work of Todays Livingston has been executed over the past decades in as many ‘Phases’. Phase One being started in 1962 and its latest Phase 6, only just in the past few years and still being worked on today.
Phase One
Phase One of Livingston Kicked off in 1962 with the creation of the housing Estate at Craig’s Hill. The aptly named Craigshill Scheme, was Livingstons First housing estate and was quickly populated by Families moving out from Glasgow for a better life in a cleaner environment with Fresh air and Fields. Having ones own garden was a luxury many Glasgow residents never experienced before, the city being as cramped as it was at this time. Now they had their own little plots and the area was filling as fast as it was being built.
The New Housing Estate of Deans which incorporated the existing village of Livingston Station was the next housing development to go up. It spread out over a vast amount of land on which previously stood the Old Deans Chemical Works and Pits and over the surrounding fields to where the old settlement of Carmondene was. This gap was quickly bridged by the Kightsridge estate named after the ridge it was situated upon and the neighboring Ladywell estate to the South.