GLASGOW MAFIA STRIKE AGAIN.

Subject: North Kelvin Meadow.

       “Time is running out to save an award winning community green space in Glasgow’s West End from Developers”.

        North Kelvin Meadow, a well used and supported green-space in the heart of Glasgow’s West End is now the subject of a planning application to build 115 flats, which if successful, will mark the end of this well loved community initiative.

       The developer New City Vision Ltd (NCV) chosen by Glasgow City Council has now kicked off their drive to gain planning permission for their housing development by holding two public meetings allowing the community to comment on their design. However the fundamental question of whether any housing development is right for this green space will not be up for discussion (1). They expect their main planning application to go in by March 2011.

      Even after two and half years of hard work by the community, GCC have chosen “to carry on regardless with the sale process” and to bulldoze North Kelvin Meadow. They have never consulted with the local people about what should happen to this land. Local people have been looking after this land in the absence of any management by the Council. And this work has been recognized for two years in a row with an award from Beautiful Scotland. They have cleared dumped rubbish off the land, regularly pick up litter, run a community composting service, and have set up community allotments so that local residents can grow fruit and veg. This green space is in constant use by dog walkers, children, and others who appreciate it as a

wild park. They would like to extend their work to provide a permanent resource for the benefit of the whole community. The development by New City Vision will destroy this work and ensure there is one less public resource for the people of North Kelvinside.

     *Douglas Peacock Chairman North Kelvin Meadow Campaign:*

      “This planning application if successful will result in a Meadow and community Allotment being bulldozed, 100s of trees being cut down and a successful award winning community initiative ceasing. Thats not a great legacy to leave the next generation to say the least! This land has never been built on and always used for the local community and that should continue.”

     “Glasgow City Council are out of step on what people are looking for on this issue, this is backed up by the number of politicians voicing their support plus 1000 people to date have signed the petition, that and the overwhelming support from local people asking that this green space not be built on.”

      *SNP Depute Leader Nicola Sturgeon* has recently mentioned, in Dec 2010, the plight of North Kelvin Meadow: http://www.snp.org/node/17556

*Notes*

       1. A pre planning application was recently introduced by the Scottish Government to help communities, understand and get up to speed with what a developer is planning in their area prior to its main application for planning consent. This period last 12 weeks. North Kelvin Meadow is one of the first in Glasgow to be in this new process. Crucially though people aren’t being asked, and have *never* been officially asked, what they like to happen to this land. This pre planning consultation is mainly about what should happen to the small amount of open space which currently is shown as a small roundabout within the housing complex e.g. should it be grass, trees, seating, BBQ area, tarmac etc?

      2 *North Kelvin Meadow web site* http://www.northkelvinmeadow.com/ for further information email northkelvinmeadow@gmail.com  

     3. *Images for publication* available for download and use from  http://www.flickr.com/groups/northkelvinmeadow/
     4. *New City Vision Ltd* http://www.cloustonstreet.co.uk/
 
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THE GLASGOW MAFIA STRIKE AGAIN!!

     Geesus, they never give up, you have got to hand it to them for persistence. I am of course referring to our beloved Glasgow City Council, also known as the Mafia in George Square, previously known as the Purcell Gang. They keep coming up with ideas to turn Glasgow's public parks into commercial buildings, private car parks or privately owned expensive play pens for the for those with a large disposable income.

     We have had the wonderful idea of turning part of Victoria Park into a car park, then there was the one about Botanical Gardens housing a night club and café, and we all remember the Pollok Park private play pen where you could have a shot on their swings at £45 a go. There was the other idea of a café and car park in Kelvin Grove Park and having been rebuffed on all of these baffling ideas they have come back with another attack on one of Glasgow's Public parks. This time it is a charity and café in Ruchill Park. These people seem to have an aversion to green spaces except around the leafy suburbs where they live.

     This latest attempt at hiving off Glasgow's public green spaces is in an area where there is an abundance of vacant ground lying derelict waiting for some sort of amenity to spring to enrich the lives of the community. If the Mafia in George Square wish, I'll take them by the hand round the district and show them acres of space for development that would not damage one blade of grass. To build privately run concrete and tarmac on the one green area in the centre of this district would diminish the quality of life in the area. There are all sorts of ludicrous rumblings coming from the mouths of the Mafia, “- it will bring visitors to the Ruchill Park area from all over Scotland and raise the profile of the park and the north of Glasgow.” Once again, turn it into a tourist attraction and to hell with the local people. Building on the park would be blatant destruction of the limited amenities available to the local people of Ruchill.

      Their other attempts to hand Glasgow's Parks to the private sector have been stopped, let's organise to make sure this latest proposed sale of our public assets is stopped in its tracks.

 

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