NORTH KELVIN MEADOW CAMPAIGN

Visitors are always amazed at the variety of plant-life growing on the Meadow. However, we have never known the details of what we have growing here. Until today!

A friend of the Meadow has undertaken an examination of the plants inhabiting the land and provided us with a list of species below. More will be known once this examination is done in the summer months. But at last we have a better understanding of the amazing biodiversity on show at North Kelvin Meadow.

We will of course continue to maintain this list and add to it as we discover even more plant life.

If anyone finds something they think is missing please let us know and we’ll add it to the list.

Remember that all this will be destroyed if the plans to build on the land get approved.

The NVA Glasgow Harvest is a celebration of local food being hosted by community gardens in the South, East, North and West of the city this autumn. An irreverent homage to the village fête – centred on the Harvest Meal – each celebration will feature live music, communal cooking, food sharing, workshops and competitions. New work by visual artists will draw inspiration from the people and garden spaces that make urban growing in Glasgow so unique.

The next and final Harvest event of 2011 will be hosted by Woodlands Community Garden on West Princes Street, on Saturday October 8th between 12 and 4pm.

A free escorted bike ride supported by Free Wheel North will set off from North Kelvin Meadow (Clouston Street end) at 12pm on the day and we’d like to encourage as many Northkelvinites and friends of the campaign to take part as possible. If you don’t have a bike and would like to borrow one, let us know and we’ll try to arrange it for you (call Michelle Letowska on 07951 969394 or email michelleletowska@freewheelnorth.org.uk).

We’re looking forward to seeing as many cyclists there as possible.

More about the Harvest Event (via NVA):

How to Join In?

We’d like you to bring some things with you…

Donate surplus produce you have grown

Got any spare fruit or veggies? Bring them along so they can be turned into puddings, soups, pakora or other delights by a team of local cooks

Make food to share in a huge open air meal

Bring a vegetarian dish to share, featuring at least one locally grown ingredient.

Design and plant up a Creative Container

Choose an unusual object to grow something in and enter it in the competition.

Bring a jar to the tasting station

Make your own jam, chutney, pickles or preserves and bring a jar, along with the recipe, for a mass tasting. Oatcakes, crackers and cheese provided!

There will be workshops showing you how to make your own jams, chutneys and preserves, and creative container planting sessions at different locations in the lead up to Glasgow Harvest.

Further information from NVA and Woodlands Community Garden

The developers, New City Vision Ltd, have been very quiet during the summer months and despite previously stating their intention to submit an application for planning permission in the spring, no such application has been made to date.

Test drilling on the Meadow

Last week however we received an email from New City Vision Ltd (NCV) informing us that they intend to submit their application in the “coming weeks.”  They also indicate that they intend to arrange for some test drilling to occur on the land:

“As part of our requirements we will be carrying out some investigation works on site to determine the condition of the soil, trial pits will be dug so that soil samples can be analysed.

We are keen to meet with the Meadow group in advance of these works so we can clearly identify the areas we will be working in.”

NCV have also updated their Clouston Street site with this information.

We have replied and confirmed that we would like to meet with them soon.

During this meeting we intend to confirm the following issues:

• That all drilling works carried out on the land should be the minimum necessary to acquire the data needed.
• That all disruption to the land caused by drilling works and associated access vehicles be returned to its previous state.
• That all efforts be made to avoid any cutting down of trees or disruption to root structures.
• That all efforts be made to avoid disruption to raised beds but where this is not possible, fair prior notice is given and all moved raised beds returned to their original position and state.
• Any fencing removed to gain access to the land is replaced once the survey is completed.

Additionally we intend to find out more about any changes NCV may have been made to the plans revealed to the public at the beginning of this year during their pre-planning consultation process.

If you have any questions you’d like us to put to NCV please do get in touch in the next few days. We may not have much time with them but we are happy to raise issues on your behalf and report back.

Preparing for the Planning Application

A number of volunteers met during the summer to prepare our arguments against the NCV plans. This mainly involved trawling through Glasgow City Council’s enormous City Plan document and noting relevant issues. We expect to use the results of this research to form the core of our argument against the development. Also, since 9 August the Meadow is now officially part of the Glasgow West Conservation Area. This means that NCV will now have to fall in line with the more stringent rules that apply to building in a conservation area. Clearly this also helps our case greatly.

Once the Planning Application is submitted by NCV we will be encouraging everyone to write letters of objection. The research we have undertaken will be available for all to refer to.

Meanwhile, we will report back as soon as we have met with NCV.

It looks like we might have a busy winter.

Meadow Flowers

It might not have been a perfect summer but the Meadow still looked great.  Here’s a short film of some of the flowers we’ve seen on the Meadow over the summer.

It’s now May and, so far, we have not seen a planning application from New City Vision. According to the developers’ web site they are still working on their submission to the Council.

Please be assured that we will let you know the moment we hear anything about the planning application.

Meanwhile, the Meadow is looking really beautiful. The extended sun we have had over the last week or so has really shown the land in a great light.

Here’s a video we shot on the very sunny North Kelvin Meadow today:

Keep in touch with the latest on the North Kelvin Meadow campaign
Web: www.northkelvinmeadow.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/northkelvinmeadow
Twitter: kelvinmeadow
Flickr: www.flickr.com/groups/northkelvinmeadow

On 28th February the local Community Council (North Kelvin) held a special meeting to discuss the proposed development with the Council’s preferred developers, New City Vision Ltd (NCV). Members of the public were encouraged to attend and help provide feedback to the Community Councillors.

Both the developers and North Kelvin Meadow campaign made presentations.

However, despite an invitation, there was no representative from Glasgow City Council present at the meeting.

It was clear from the outset that the overwhelming majority of people attending the meeting felt strongly that the development should not go ahead.

Sadly, the Community Council did not feel able to reflect this strong indication of local opinion and decided to pass a motion which stated that they were not yet convinced by the development. Whilst this does not rule out an eventual outright objection to the development, it does fall short of the support that the community had hoped to receive from their local Community Council.

The meadow campaign hopes to continue to work with the Community Council over the coming weeks to ensure that the local community’s views are fully understood.

The official minutes of the meeting are available from the North Kelvin Community Council web site here:

North Kelvin Community Council Minutes 28 February 2011

Those unable to attend the meeting might wish to view the presentations:

North Kelvin Meadow presentation (PDF). Apologies this is a large file.

New City Vision presentation (PDF).

North Kelvin Community Council are holding a Public Meeting tonight (Monday 28 February) at 6:30 pm at St Charles’ School, 13 Kelvinside Gardens, G20 6BG.

Further details are available from the Community Council site, www.northkelvincc.org.uk

This will be an opportunity to make sure the Community Council fully understand the feelings of the community towards the proposed development by New City Vision. Please come along if you can.

Meanwhile, the first signs of spring are appearing on the meadow.

Following on from the developer’s drop-in event on Saturday 12 February, New City Vision have now published their plans for building on North Kelvin Meadow.

Whilst some concessions have been made, the entire project still has minimal open space. The majority of visitors leaving the drop-in session felt that the number of flats proposed was excessive and that the loss of the open space necessary to build them was not acceptable.

The plans are available to download from New City Vision now. (PDF)

The Pre-planning consultation is still underway.  It would help enormously if you could voice your demands to keep flats off the Meadow.  Every item of correspondence received by the developer will have to mentioned as part of their final report to Glasgow City Council.  Please help us make the council understand that this development is not wanted.

If you write, please address it to:

Steven Black, Project Manager
New City Vision Ltd
13 Newton Place
Glasgow
G3 7PR

Or email: sblack@newcityvision.co.uk

It would be great if you could also send us a copy if you’re emailing it:
cc to: northkelvinmeadow@gmail.com,
Plus cc the New City Vision Ltd Planning Consultant Nick Wright too:nwplanning@gmail.com

You can also write to your Politicians, Councillors, local Community Council and anyone else you know to make your views know. Their contact details are listed here.

Glasgow City Council Sports Pitch Policy:

Para 8.5 – Release of Blaes Pitches

“It should be recognised however that sports pitches also act as
informal recreational green spaces with value for amenity and informal
outdoor use. Any proposals to dispose of sports pitches should be
subject to consultation with local communities, and require a
determination by Council that these pitch spaces are not required as
part of any other open space function.”

As you will see from the recent posts here on the website, there is a lot going on around the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign. With the developer moving quickly to gain Planning Permission to build flats on the Meadow, now is the time for us to ask for your help by writing or emailing a letter or two. The developer as per their public meeting on 12 th Feb state they want to build 90 flats now. We urge you to write to them now objecting to this as per below. YOUR emails count!!

How you can help
If you are only going to write ONE letter of protest about the development, you should hold fire and write it once the developer has put in the planning application, which will probably be in late March or April 2011. This is the process where they submit their plans to the Council, and if these get approved they’ll start to build. That is the time when you can write to the Council with your objections to the development. The Council have to take account of your objection letter. We’ll be in touch again once they put in the planning application and tell you who to write to etc for that part.

However, if you’ve got enough time to write TWO letters, you can write one NOW (to the proposed Private Developer, New City Vision Ltd) as well. It’s your chance to say anything you like about why you don’t like the developer’s plans. Its up to you, but it don’t feel it has to be a long letter, just get your points over.

New City Vision Ltd will have to report any letters that they receive in their report on the community consultation process that they have to submit to the Council as part of the planning application. A letter of objection won’t count for as much now, but it will still make an impression about the strength of feeling in the community.

We can think of loads of reasons you might want to object, and we’re sure you can think of many more, but some issues you might want to raise include:

• The fact that the ground is a greenfield site, NOT a brownfield site – it’s NEVER been covered with buildings before. Its always been used for the good of the community.
• The impact of the development on your property and family (noise, mess, light, congestion, parking and house price)
• It’s a very high-density development that doesn’t fit with the character of the area. Some of the flats go up 6 story! Which is completly out of keeping with existing tenaments.
• The development will take place in an area that will soon become part of a conservation area. Also this isn’t the only development in the wider area, the West End is busy enough without building more!
• The loss of a place that you and your neighbours currently use for relaxing / walking the dog / growing veg / playing / picnics / community events and generally enjoying the Meadow etc
• How a development will ruin a true community initiative that’s built up around the Meadow. One that’s won awards from Beautiful Scotland two years in a row.
• With high tenements in this area and more planned in the wider area, building on this land is no legacy to leave our children. They play here, go and build on a brown field site.
• Any objections you have about how the community consultation process is being run.

If you write a letter now, please address it to:

Steven Black, Project Manager
New City Vision Ltd
13 Newton Place
Glasgow
G3 7PR

Or email: sblack@newcityvision.co.uk

It would be great if you could also send us a copy if you’re emailing it:
cc to: northkelvinmeadow@gmail.com,
Plus cc the New City Vision Ltd Planning Consultant Nick Wright too: nwplanning@gmail.com

You can also write to your Politicians, Councillors, local Community Council and anyone else you know to make your views know. Their contact details are listed here.

Display a poster
Finally, it be great if you could download and print our new poster and stick it in your window so that everyone can see how you feel!

Writing though is the main thing.

Thank you all very much for your continued support!

New City Vision, the developer appointed by Glasgow City Council to build up to 115 flats on the Meadow are holding a Public Exhibition this Saturday, 12 February 2011 in Kelbourne Street Scout Hall from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

It is understood that they will be displaying the plans which they intend to submit as part of their application for Planning Permission. This is the first opportunity the public will have to see the finalised version of the housing scheme.

Members of the public will be able to drop in and speak to the developers one-to-one about their plans. This will not however, be a formal meeting.

We encourage anyone with an interest in the future of the Meadow to come down, view the plans and make your views known to the developer.

The band Open Swimmer perform their song “Bending Trees” live on the meadow as part of the How We Sang project to record bands live in the great outdoors.