How to volunteer?

 

We only use volunteers to maintain the land , hence why it’s so important for you to get involved and volunteer your time.

People interests and time available are all different from person to person. But do get in contact , there will be a way for you to help the land , the wildlife, the people that use it and you’ll learn loads and have fun along the way! Even if it’s only 1 hour a month it all helps.

Its not often the opportunity arises to help to manage 1.4 hectares of inner city wild green meadow and wood comunity space.

Simply email:  northkelvinmeadow@gmail.com

 

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The Land is now saved from the planning application by New City Vision Ltd , so whats below is kept just for reference purposes. Topic below is therefore Closed. 

The Scottish Ministers that made the decision were Alex Neil and Marco Biagi.

This means our local MSP Sandra White is key to getting them to make the right decision and throw NCV Ltd planning application out.

Please lobby them all and any one esle in the Scottish Government or those that can influence it.

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Below refers to the Planing Application by NCV Ltd to Glasgow City Council. This has now happened and so is kept here for reference only. 

Whats happens now?

1. The Council’s Planning Committee which is made up of 19 Councillors will make a decision on New City Vison Ltd Planning application. This will be after 29th June 2015 which is the last date for people to submitt their objections. The Committee meet monthly.
2. Its likley the decision of the Planning Committee will then be voted on by all 79 Glasgow City Councillors.
3. If they still want to sell it then it is likely it will go before a Scottish Government Minister i.e. its ‘called in”.

You can see from the above there is actually alot of people that can take the decsion not to sell off this land ! We ask you communicate with them all.

So to start with get you objection email / letter in and try to get others you know to do that.

Next lobby the planning committee members below directly. A short polite, but to the point, email / letter would be great as most won’t know much about North Kelvin Meadow and all the good work of the The Children’s Wood Group. A few photos would go along way too. Perhaps your kids would like to draw the wood or meadow and send it to them?

The Planning Committee Councillors are as follows:

franny.scally@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
nina.baker@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
martin.bartos@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
james.scanlon@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
jonathan.findlay@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
liz.cameron@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
stephen.curran@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
john.kelly2@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
fariha.thomas@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
josephine.docherty@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
glenn.elder@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
phil.greene@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
russell.robertson@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
james.adams2@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
stephen.dornan@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
alistair.watson@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
lip.braat@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk

Anyone can object to this planning application, so you don’t have to be close by.

We’ll post more here as we know it.

In the meatime please Lobby i.e. write and meet:

1. Planning Committee Councilors
2. Other Councillors and officials including those Councillors on the Executive Committee.
3. George Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council.
4. MSPs,
5. MPs
6. and anyone else you feel can make a difference on why you think this land shouldn’t be destroyed to make way for 90 private flats.

Its about quality over quantity at this stage. We don’t just want to solely rely on the planning officer summarising our points into his report. We need to bring the issues to these people directly. A short email is fine, be polite and state your reasons. Lets be sure they understand what people want. If we get enough well written letters in we stand a very good chance of saving this land. All the above have surgeries where members of the public can come and meet with them which is what we’d also recommend people do as well as writing. Feel free to include any photos or videos from our or the childrens wood website. Note Councilors on the Planning Committee can’t give their views to you, so don’t expect a reply. Its about helping them to understand whats there and why its important – sometimes a few photos is all that it takes in matters like this.

However its very important to get as many objections in as we can. If you’ve alreday objected then get your neighbours , freinds , family , groups you know to submit objections. We’ll know more on how to do that soon.

When was the last time 1.4 hectares of greenspace was saved from flats in the heart of City of Glasgow? We ask you be a part of saving this one!

So people can lobby now i.e. write and meet all of the above including the Planning Committee Councillors. These people who represent us in Glasgow are keen to know what people think on this issue. At the moment the Developer describes the site as a gap site and disused! The Council say its currently being used for football games.

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In addition please read below an alternative decision making process that may be open to us:

Scottish Parliament – Call In

Call In means Scottish Parliament Minister makes the decision instead of Glasgow City Council (GCC). They won’t call it in if people don’t ask them to , so do write to your MSPs and say this is a decision that you feel they should make. Ask them to debate the issue in the Parliament as well. We believe there are two main reasons that this could be Called In to the Scottish Parliament IF Glasgow City Council’s Planning Committee is in favour of this planning application:

1. Financial.
Glasgow City Council (GCC) owns the land, receives the sale money , appoints the Planning Committee and so are basically Judge , Juror and Executioner in this process. The Scottish Parliament can bring an objective view to this decision. Is it in the long term interests of the citizens of Glasgow or are they selling land off , which shouldn’t’ be sold off , to plug a gap in their budget? We believe the latter!

2. Material breach of Council Policy.
We believe anyone reading our submission document won’t fail to acknowledge that Glasgow City Council (GCC) has not followed their own Policy on this land. Couple that with the very strong and wide-spread public opinion not to destroy this greenspace and there is more than enough of a breach for this to be called in on this point alone.

There is no better time than writting to these people and any others you think might help us. Whats their views on this issue?

It will be helpful if you copy the Meadow on your email. Our address is: northkelvinmeadow@gmail.com

Write to Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council

Email address: gordon.matheson@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk/a>

Gordon Matheson Leader of Glasgow City Council can’t have it both ways! He gave an award to us as a finalist in the Best Environmental Award category of the Evening Times – Streets Ahead – awards in June 2012. Then in December 2012 allows a private property company to put in a planning application that will completely destroy that initiative! At that award ceremony he stated “I would like to say thank you to all of the finalists: each and every one of you has made a difference, you should feel proud. “

How do we feel? We feel he should be supporting us!
Where are we? Well for a few months we were outside his office in George square!
Write to him and tell him building housing on this land isn’t good for the people of Glasgow.

Write to Richard Brown at Glasgow City Council

Write to Richard Brown, Director for Development and Regeneration Services (DRS) at Glasgow City Council. It was his dept that recomended the land be sold off for flats.

Development & Regeneration Services
Glasgow City Council
229 George Street
Glasgow
G1 1QU

Email address: richard.brown@drs.glasgow.gov.uk/a>

As an aside , thats us on our third Director of Regenerations Services! Its been a long campaign! The first was Steve Inch, then Gerry Gormal and now Richard Brown.

Head offical at the Council is george.black@glasgow.gov.uk

The Lord Provost should also know about this.

Be sure to write to your local councillors below. Its why we have them! They are:

billy.mcallister@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
SNP (Supports the North Kelvin Meadow campaign)

kieran.wild@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
Green (Supports the North Kelvin Meadow campaign)

Chris.kelly@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
Labour. New Councillor from the May 2012 Council election. So far he has taken no lead in this and appears content to sit on the fence. We have Councillors to help explain Council policy and help put our views across to the Council and their views to the people. Why not write or meet him at his surgery and ask him to support us? The Council describe the land as currently 3 red blas sports pitches and the land is derelict (21st Dec 2012). Looking at the pictures of the land you’ll see thats not the case. Whats Chris Kelly doing to help? He’s been a Councillor for quite some time now.

Helen.stephen@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
Labour. New Councillor from the May 2012 Council election. So far she has taken no lead in this and appears content to sit on the fence. We have Councillors to help explain Council policy and help put our views across to the Council and their views to the people. Why not write or meet her at her surgery and ask her to support us? The Council describe the land as currently 3 red blas sports pitches and the land is derelict (21st Dec 2012). Looking at the pictures of the land you’ll see thats not the case. Whats Helen Stephen doing to help? She’s been a Councillor for quite some time now.

It’s also very important to write or visit your local MSPs:

Sandra.White.msp@scottish.parliament.uk 
great support for us! Sandra is our Constituency MSP i.e. the one dedicated to Glasgow West. Ask her to “Call In” if the Council support the destruction of the North Kelvin Meadow and Children Wood.

Patrick.Harvie.msp@scottish.parliament.uk  great support for us! Ask him to “Call In” if the Council support the destruction of the North Kelvin Meadow and Children Wood.

You may know other MSPs, if so please do write to them.

Our MP has change at at the last election. The pervious one Ann Mckechin (labour) didn’t support us, but we have high hopes on the new one which is Partrick Grady MP (SNP). Watch this space……..

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The four councillors for the Canal area are:

Helen Stephen – Labour, Canal
helen.stephen@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
0141 287 3934
1st Tuesday of each month 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Dunard Primary School, 65 Dunard Street.
1st Wednesday of each month 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm. Ruchill Community Education Centre, 671 Bilsland Drive.
2nd Wednesday of each month 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Lambhill Stables, 11 Canal Bank North.
3rd Wednesday of each month 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm. St Charles Primary School, 13 Kelvinside Gardens.
No surgeries during school or public holidays.

Chris Kelly – Labour, Canal
chris.kelly@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
0141 287 7041
1st Monday each month. 5.30 pm. St Monica’s (Milton) Primary School, 200 Liddesdale Road.
2nd Tuesday each month. 6.00 pm. Hawthorn Street Sheltered Housing Complex, 100 Hawthorn Street.
3rd Monday each month. 5.30 pm. Possilpoint Community Centre, 130 Denmark Street.
4th Tuesday each month. 6.00 pm. The ARC, 340-342 Ashgill Road.

Billy McAllister – SNP, Canal
billy.mcallister@councillors.glasgow.gov.uk
0141 287 4238
07984 469 269
Every Monday. 6.00pm. St Monica’s (Milton) Primary School, 200 Liddesdale Road
Every Saturday. 11.00 am. Miltonbank Primary School, 11 Skerray Street.
1st Friday each month. 5.00 pm. Community Central Hall, Maryhill Road.
3rd Monday each month. 1.00 pm. Ruchill Community Centre, 671 Bilsland Drive.

Kieran Wild – Green – Canal
Note Kieran is no longer on the Planning Committee.
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Local community Council:
chair@northkelvincc.org.uk

Please also copy the North Kelvin Meadow on your email:

Our address is: northkelvinmeadow@gmail.com

Get involved in the campaign too. Even if its repairing a fence, picking up some litter, emptying our bin ( be sure to put a new black bag in ) , stirring the compost etc  – it all helps!

If you live in the local area and would like to help out at the Meadow, please email us. Our address is: northkelvinmeadow@gmail.com