The planning officer has recommended the following to the Councilors on the Planning Committee that meet this Tuesday 20th October at 11am in the City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow:

1. That the planning application by New City Vision Ltd to build 90 residences on the land be approved.
2. That the planning application by The Children Wood Group to “keep the meadow and wood wild and for the community’ be approved.

Which one gets the go ahead will be up to the Planning Committee and the Council. Multi applications can be approved for a piece of land, it comes down to the owner of the land i.e. the Council in this case, which one they go for.

In 1993 the Council took away the goal posts and in 1995 formally decided the land was surplus to their requirements. However from 1993 local people have been managing the land and its been used by a range of people, often young kids. The 500 trees and range of grasses and shrubs seen today is from that initial planting they carried out. The planning officer says the biodiversity is low, however if you’re a 5 year old kid living in a tenement flat, which is the norm in this area, then this land has all the biodiversity you need. Our planning system needs to take account of the health benefits these wild green pockets of land have for this age group within an inner city environment.

However the land’s success is from having a whole range of age groups that use and care for this land, as each activity and group has helped the others. It’s also not a formal park but a wild green meadow and wood and as such it’s important those that make decisions on the future of the land really understand why it’s turned out so successfully.

Therefore we ask that the Planning Committee, before they make any decision on this land, come visit it and let local representatives have a hearing. Otherwise how will they know what will be lost if they approve the application to build the 90 residences?

There will be a demo this Tuesday 20th Oct at 10.30am outside the City Chambers on George Square, Glasgow to show support for The Children Wood Group’s application, and to show the strength of feeling in making sure this land shouldn’t get bulldozed for housing.

North Kelvin Meadow Group