NORTH KELVIN MEADOW CAMPAIGN

Questions have been asked in the Scottish Parliament about the use of derelict land by local communities. The questions posed was:

Bill Kidd (MSP): Asks the Scottish Executive what support the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment provides to local authorities to allow local residents to make use of unused derelict lands in urban areas for the purpose of community growing projects, gardens and orchards. (S3O-7631)

Click here to see the transcript of the Minister’s response and the ensuing debate

Bill mentions the North Kelvin Meadow in his supplementary question as an example.

Who would have thought it, but its true: we’re in the Beautiful Scotland! Judges come out this Wednesday, 2nd September. So, who knows: if we can get a decent day of sunshine, and the poppies, sunflowers and all the other plants bloom that day, then we’re in with a chance. So many of you have worked so hard planting all these things and picking up the litter etc – just being entered for this great award is something you should be proud of. Indeed, when you see where we’ve come from within a year you can believe anything is possible!

The award is a relatively new initiative in Scotland, designed for groups making local environmental improvements in their area, particularly (but not exclusively) in urban areas. There are additional awards for improving and encouraging biodiversity, so this is our chance to show off our wild orchids and poppies, and hope our resident bees and butterflies are out in force when the judge visits next Wednesday…

For more information click here

Also, please note the new pictures now on the website under Our Story in Pictures.

Gardeners with Meadow produce

Douglas Peacock, chairman of the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign, and Karen Chung, treasurer, appeared before a Court 1A packed with Meadow supporters at Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday to defend an interim interdict brought against them by Glasgow City Council. The interdict was sought by the Council to try and prevent Karen, Douglas and the campaign group from cleaning up and improving the derelict land on the site of the former Clouston Street Playing Fields – now known as the North Kelvin Meadow – ahead of a proposed sale to a property developer.

Absurd legal action

The court action, which has appalled local residents and been described as “absurd” by Patrick Harvie MSP, saw Glasgow City Council get the campaign group’s name wrong in the legal documentation and in court, and radically reduce the terms of the interdict they were demanding before a not-very-impressed sheriff.

The sheriff was asked to consider such weighty matters as bat boxes and illegal mixed salads, as the Council’s solicitor attempted to read out in court private emails sent by campaign group members – presumably obtained by the solicitor from the Glasgow City Council Stasi files. He was cut off pretty sharply by the bench: “Yes, yes. I have them in front of me.”

The sheriff was asked to consider
such weighty matters as bat boxes
and illegal mixed salads

The proceedings were mercifully leavened by the sheriff’s nice line in dry wit. Our favourite comedy moment was the following exchange. Sheriff to Douglas: “What exactly are bat boxes?” Douglas: “Boxes for bats, M’Lord.” Sheriff: “Ah yes. Perhaps I should have been able to work that out.”

The result is that Douglas and Karen only are prevented from putting up bat boxes on the land and installing raised beds. Douglas and Karen can continue to tend their existing beds, and the rest of the group can continue as before. The sheriff said Douglas and Karen “had done only good”.

Karen will seek to have this limited interdict overturned on appeal. She will base her case on a motion passed by Glasgow City Council in October 2008 which encourages the public to make use of derelict land for crop production in the period before development takes place.

Lack of consultation

In his closing remarks on Friday, Douglas reminded the court that this was the first time the community group had been in the same room as the Council – despite the group’s repeated requests for a meeting and attempts by Bob Doris MSP to broker this. This gives the lie to the Council’s claim to have consulted with the local community.

The Council’s claim that the community had a choice about what would happen to the land and chose the residential development the Council favours is also disingenuous. At the consultation stage, the community was, in fact, presented with four broadly similar proposals, all residential in nature. It opted for the ‘least worst’.

“Now the community have chosen what they really want,” said Douglas outside the Sheriff Court on Friday. “Local people have voted with their feet – and their trowels – and chosen a green space.”

Local people have voted with their feet
- and their trowels -
and chosen a green space

Furthermore, although the Council claims the money from the sale of the land will be used to refurbish playing facilities at the corner of Queen Margaret Drive and Maryhill Road, in fact only a fraction (less than one-tenth) will be used for this purpose. What will happen to the rest? There has been no word from the Council about this. Could it be that local people are being deprived of their green space to pay off the debts the Council has run up?

To read the press release about the court case click here

To read an article about the court action published in the Herald on Saturday, 22 August click here

Karen and Douglas would just like to THANK everyone who gave their support and especially to all those that made it to the Court. So many we packed it out !!

Thanks.

Karen Chung and Douglas Peacock, along with the ‘North Kelvinside Green Space Initiative’  (sic) have been summoned to appear at the Sheriff Court in Glasgow on 21/08/09 at 12 noon to defend an action that has been brought against them by Glasgow City Council. The Council wants to prevent the community group caring for the disused land, growing vegetables in raised beds and keeping the disused brick outbuilding in good repair.

We would therefore like to ask you to support Karen, Douglas and the North Kelvin Meadow  in any or all of the following ways:

1. Please attend court if you can. Our aim is to fill the public gallery to overflowing. The case reference is A2833/09 and the address for the Sheriff Court is: 1 Carlton Place, Glasgow G2 1DU

2. Please again write to Steve Inch (DRS), your counsellors, your MSPs and your MP Ann McKechin to protest this utterly ridiculous and disproportionate reponse from GCC, which apart from anything else is a complete waste of Council taxpayers money.

3. Please tell anyone who may be interested about what is happening at the Meadow and GCC’s disproportionate action.

To view the press release sent out by the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign about the court action, click here

Thanks

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/display.var.2523180.0.0.php

Laura is a local resident.

First of all, here’s a great video shot at Sunday’s Big Lunch event which explains what the Meadow is all about:

GCC slapped a 14-day eviction notice on the North Kelvin Meadow on 15 July, so now’s the time to do everything we can to save this precious local resource.

Click here to check out our latest press release (and some of our other press activity).  Please forward the latest press release to anyone you think might be interested. The main points are:

• Further to GCC’s eviction notice posted on the land on 15 July, Bob Doris MSP and Councillor Billy McAllister have come out in support of the Meadow
• Over 100 local residents showed their support by turning out for the Big Lunch
• Over 500 people have signed the petition protesting against GCC’s plans to close the Meadow and sell the land for flats

If you disagree with the eviction notice, please write to Steve Inch, executive director of development & regeneration services at Glasgow City Council and tell him. His address is 229 George Street, Glasgow G1 1QU and his email is: steve.inch@drs.glasgow.gov.uk

If emailing, please copy the Meadow on your email (northkelvinmeadow@gmail.com)

It’s also good to copy in the Canal Ward councillors:

billy.mcallister@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
ellen.hurcombe@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
kieran.wild@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
jim.mackechnie@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk

You can download an A4 poster here encouraging others to protest to the Council. Please put it up wherever you can.

Thanks!

THANKS to all who came down to the BIG Lunch we had on the Meadow yesterday.  Thanks especially to all the helpers (Caitlin, Sinead, Kate, Robin, Colin, Mark and Karen) who helped with the preparations – we had all kinds of weather to deal with sun, rain, high winds. Face painting, coconut hitting, music from a DJ (thanks to a nearby flat for supplying the electricity), BBQs, loads to eat and drink and great chat made up the day. Everyone seamed to have had a great fun time and it was another reason, if one was needed, to save this land from being sold off for flats.

Turnout was just over 100. Land was left just as we found it as well.

Lets hope we’re around next year to have another BIG Lunch!

Throughout the UK there will be Big Lunches (7200 at the latest count) on Sunday 19th July at 1pm. So we’re planning on having ours as well! Lucky for us we have the Meadow aka that ground beside Clouston , Sanda and Kelbourne Streets.

What’s the Big Lunch I hear you ask? Well its just a chance to “break bread” with your neighbours and local residents that live in the streets near to the North Kelvin Meadow basically. So do come along, join in and have lunch. The only thing is…… as this is a local community event its up to you to do the lunch! So if you have any portable tables and chairs do bring them (if not don’t worry as am sure there will be enough) we’ll put them in the middle where the grass is short (picnic style with rug is also good). Bring some food and drink to share. Thats it really – oh and get set to meet your neighbours!

Have a look at the big lunch web site for further information. They have some great videos etc that tell people more on the “why”.

Even if you only have time to come along for a short time do come.

If you’d like to help more, have ideas etc then do email us at  northkelvinmeadow@googlemail.com

See you then!

Here’s an update on what’s been done and said so far (get yourself a cup of tea or coffee as its a long one!) :

The campaign has been in the Evening Times, the Big Issue and most recently, The Herald Magazine. We’ve also been interviewed on STV news and Clyde FM. We’ve had site visits and support from MSPs Bob Doris (SNP); Patrick Harvey (Green) and Robert Brown (Lib Dem), local Councillor  Billy McAllister , local Councillor Kieran Wild and the petition, both online and on paper, has attracted over 500 signatures since 3rd June. Authors Louise Welsh and Alasdair Gray have also provided their backing. This is fantastic momentum and shows overwhelmingly support by people for the campaign.

However local Councillor Jim Mackechnie is just as keen to sell the land for flats. He’s previously said when referring to this land ” I am afraid I do not believe allotments would add to the amenity of the locality. They would be visually unattractive”. He goes on to tell the Herald Magazine “There is no trespass law in Scotland , but trespassing is what these people are doing. They should not be there.” So it continues to be an uphill battle to put forward the point that people not only want a place to grow their food, and remember part of the proposal here is to have a community orchard, so thats 150+ raspberry bushes, blackberry bushes and  apple trees etc , the fruit being free to the local people (we’ve already started this). Buts its also to have a green space for health, recreation and well being. Often people ask who owns the land? The answer is the Council but they are there to manage it on the peoples behalf. What’s happening here is the Council are taking a different view from the local people and while that can sometimes be justified when needing to look at a wider picture. It surely doesn’t apply for this Green Space not being turned into a housing estate. Indeed on a wider front the Scottish government has asked the Councils to free up more land for this type of activity we’re doing here. The Council finds themselves the odd one out.

Glasgow Council have stated they see this land as revenue generating i.e. it should be sold. And while the funds will no doubt be used for worthwhile projects throughout Glasgow (one hopes) , they haven’t understood what this land now means for the local people, what it has become and what it could be. The main project they would like to fund with the sale proceeds is a renovation of the blaze football pitches on the corner of Queen Margaret Drive and Maryhill Road. £1.1m of this land sale will go towards the total renovation cost being £3.8m. The expected sale price of the North Kevin Meadow had been approx £12m last summer but with the credit crunch has dropped to £10.3m last we heard. The Council are still in neg. but it could well be the case the deal is watered down even further due to the state of the property market. The renovation cost of the North Kelvinside Football pitches off Maryhill road needs to stand on its own merits. It shouldn’t be linked into what’s right for this green space. The Council could decide to use funds from other sources to pay for the renovation of the North Kelvinside Football Pitches. And its not too late for them to decide that either.

Steve Inch who is Director of Regeneration Services for Glasgow Council says ” Although the current difficulties within the property market have (and indeed continue to) delay the development, the Council and New City Vision are very close to finalising the missives for the disposal of the site, and I expect these to be completed and signed by late July.  The developer advises me completion of the missive will unlock the funding necessary to undertake all of the detailed design work on the development, and they anticipate submitting a detailed planning application around the end of 2009. ” he goes on to say “You should note that as of 3 August 2009 applicants for major scale developments will be required to consult local communities before a planning application is made.  This is separate from pre-application discussions with the planning authority and other bodies.  The Council has produced a note of guidance detailing the pre-application consultation requirements for applicants.  The threshold for major housing developments is 50 units, so this site falls into that category.”

So even if the sale goes through there is still an opportunity for you the people to save this land.

Putting aside the question of whether the land should be sold and asking whether this property market following the credit crunch would give “Best Value” for any land sale. The Council has refused to comment. It states its been in negotiations with New City Vision Ltd for about a year now. So the issue from a taxpayers view point is this land can only be sold once by the Council and having kept it on its books for decades, 2009 doesn’t appear to be the best year for best value.

In contrast the cost to the Council this last year on all the work that has been done on the Meadow by local people has been zero.

Various letters from the Council talk about the plans having a substantial green space. Unfortunately the detail shows something entirely different. It won’t be substantial or green. 20% will be open space and while that might sound a lot in actual fact it isn’t. Its actually quite difficult to build on 100% of the land, just due to the design of flats, pockets and islands of space will exist. It won’t be in any measure a community green space. The only trees kept will be the old lime trees along Clouston Street, all others will go.

Little has been mentioned so far of the plans to build flats on the site of the former School off Queen Margaret Drive. With so many plans for additional flats local Residents are worried over car parking issues.

Bats have also been found on the land but its not clear whether that’s enough to stop the flats being built.

As far as this land is concerned we see this as a test case, are the Council willing to move with the times in terms understanding what people want or are they taking the easy option and sell the land? Going into the online petition (see news item below) and reading the comments gets a good idea what people want, further demonstrated by Glasgow having an 8 year waiting list of allotments.  We are also encouraged to be part of something bigger – many other people and communities across Scotland and the UK are in a similar position, with a lack of accessible, green space for health, relaxation and recreation, as proven by the success of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s Landshare which we are a part off – there are lots of other North Kelvin Meadows out there!

So in summary there has been overwhelming support for the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign to save the land but its been met with an inflexible Council who still won’t listen and want to carry on with the sale process regardless.