Work will begin on the first two schools in the £25m programme in the next few weeks.

Kier Scotland will begin work at the £8.8m Woodhead Primary in Hamilton and the £7.1m Cairns Primary in Cambuslang during the coming weeks.

Work on the £9.2m replacement for Hunter Primary in Hamilton is expected to start in the spring and will last up to 15 months.

The plans for Woodhead Primary in Hamilton also allow for a future extension to be built. This will enable the school to take on a number of children from up to 2,000 planned new homes in the town.

The planning consent allows Kier Scotland to go ahead with the initial 14-classroom, three-storey school next year, with a provision for a second phase two-storey extension if required.

South Lanarkshire Council chairman of the planning committee, Cllr Graham Scott, said: “In spite of all of the financial pressures the council has faced, and still faces, we have fought hard to keep the new schools programme on track.

Kier Scotland has already played a huge role in South Lanarkshire Council’s school modernisation programme having rebuilt a number of primary schools in the area.

It’s most recent project, the £7.1m Auchinraith Primary School in Blantyre, was handed over this week, two weeks ahead of schedule.