Campaigns
Shawlands Business
A new Business association has been set up congratulations to all the local businesses involved.
Shawlands Action Plan
After a community council meeting about a possible Shawlands town centre action plan there have been few follow up meetings. The meetings have included: local business people; GCC officers; local councillors; community council representatives, and also a representative from the owners of the Shawlands Arcade. Apart from an abortive lighting strategy (hastily put together to hook Scottish Government money on offer) so far little has happened - the new office in the centre to support local business has now closed; the information gathering exercise has told us people want change! Thenew flower tubs/ baskets on Kilmarnock road, only appeared one year. Not much to show and not much political backing by the administration for the council officer time commitment it would take to get a useful plan for our area. I understand an action plan is being prepared now – nine years after it was first mooted!
White Cart flood protection and replacement trees
I’ve been trying to get (keep) green space. The council agreed to cut down 1200 trees along the Cart flood wall route with no clear plan for replacement. I’ve got a commitment to 1200 replacements, not all just ‘sticks’. The walkway is strangely narrow as a result of a number of weird decisions.
Green space protection and the city plan
As soon as I was elected I realised the City Plan was up for renewal. City plan (1) was a comprehensive document, and good in many ways but it allowed developers to buy their way out of ‘amenity’ space provision obligations. It effectively meant that the planners were indifferent between a development that provided the open and amenity space on a development site, and one that paid money (not large sums given the cost of building land) to the council to provide space elsewhere. Since summer this year I have been on the planning committee and have seen dozens of large scale flatted developments none of which provided the required space themselves. Hillhead and Langside are the two most densely populated wards in Glasgow City Council, far and away more tightly packed than anywhere else. In these wards, with great pressure on open space and green, money handed over (so called Res 3 money) as a result of dense developments is not necessarily spent on the ward.I objected to the planners (during the plan consultation process) to this being reproduced in City Plan 2. As a result of discussions and negotiations the proposed plan has been amended in so that a survey of open and green space would identify ‘shortage’ areas, and in those areas planners would presume that amenity space should be provided on the development site. City plan 2 is not completely in force but is already a planning consideration. Residential policy 3 (about green space provision and money) has meant that money paid by builders to make up for ‘over’ building in the south side and the west end, being used to repave the city centre.Promise of an action plan for each ‘tier two’ shopping area (like Shawlands) was held out in the last city plan. Byres road got its plan, nothing has yet happened in Shawlands! Cathcart circle line electronic signs
Lack of train info in Pollokshaws East and Langside stations – l wrote to SPT and they acknowledged the problem and after a year and a half have put electronic signs on Polokshaws east. Pollock Park - Go Ape – Gone!
Most people were strongly against the application by a private company (encouraged by the council) to put a tree top ‘Tarzan style’ walk way for adults as well as kids in the woods. At £25 for each user it is not for hard pressed families. There were supposed to be a few free places for Glasgow schools – a few days worth of the commercial operation time out of the profitable year. That the area underneath a load of screaming adults and kids, would still be as valuable to Park walkers as the current situation, is laughable. When people were asked about commercialisation and private enterprise in our parks, most said yes – to a café, a bandstand, an ice-cream, – not many were thinking of a commercial night club for the Botanics or a ticketed costly noisy Aerial walkway for Pollok! The plan has now been withdrawn sucess to all who campaigned.