SOUTH Lanarkshire Council will have three planning applications before it on June 24 which could affect the location of Lawrie & Symington's Lanark market.

The company wants to quit its present site close to the town centre, and move to land it owns beside the race course.

An outline planning application for such a move has been with the council for some months.

That strategy is, however, based on the assumption that the present market site would be bought by a supermarket company.

The income from that sale would be used to meet the capital costs of building a new market.

Lawrie & Symington had hoped to achieve that aim with the co-operation of Safeway, which has expressed an interest in the market site.

However, Tesco is also keen to build a new store in Lanark and is seeking planning permission for another town-centre site.

All three proposals will be considered by the council on June 24.

Hunter Murray, director in charge at Lanark, said income from the sale of the mart was an essential part of the company's plan.

However, should the supermarket deal fall through, the company owns a parcel of about 40 acres of land, zoned for housing, which could also be a source of finance.

There is also the possibility of some alternative, but perhaps less lucrative, development on the market site.