North Kelvin Community Council Minutes
 
Monday 28 February 2011 at 6:30pm
St. Charles School

Present: Dave Beavan (DB) (Chair); Janet Andrews (JA); Gordon Barnes (GB) (Website); Peter Blackshaw (PB) (Secretary); Kevin Edgar (KE); Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JMacK); Jane Morgan (JM) (Planning Officer); Douglas Peacock (DP); Kate Wooding (KW) (Treasurer); Kirsty Davidson (KD) (Minute Secretary)

In attendance: Steven Black (SB), New City Vision, Nick Wright (NW), Planning Consultant for New City Vision; Sandra White (SW), MSP for Glasgow; 44 members of the public

Apologies: Ken Andrew (KA) (Vice-Chair)

1.     Introduction and Welcome

DB welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked the members of the public for coming.

DB explained the purpose of the meeting was for the Community Council to engage in dialogue with the developers. DB said he would be asking the members of the public for comments, but these would be put through the Chair.

DB asked the members of the public a couple of questions, to gauge the audience. DB described the area the Community Council represents and then asked the members of the public, who lives in this area? The vast majority of the audience do. Secondly, DB asked, who uses the North Kelvin Meadow? The vast majority of the audience does. Thirdly, DB asked, who has taken part in the pre-consultation process? About 60% of the audience has. Finally, DB asked, has anyone been involved with the planning process on other developments in the area? Only five members of the audience had.

DB informed everyone that there were two corrections to the agenda. Firstly, KW would be giving the presentation on behalf of the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign, rather than DP. Secondly, there will be no representative from Glasgow City Council, despite them agreeing to send someone.

DB asked the Community Council members to introduce themselves and state whether they had an allegiance to another organisation. DB also asked the representatives of New City Vision (NCV) to introduce themselves.

2.     Meaning of the site to North Kelvin Meadow Campaign and their future plans

KW on behalf of the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign gave a presentation about the site. KW explained the site had been a dumping ground, which was needle ridden and covered in graffiti. Whereas now, for example, the site provides raised beds for flowers and vegetables to be grown. There is an eight-year waiting list for Glasgow City Council (GCC) allotments. The site also provides composting facilities for the local community to use.

KW reported that the North Kelvin Meadow has won a Beautiful Scotland Award two years running.

KW stated that GCC’s CityPlan2 advocates building on Brownfield sites rather than Greenfield sites. KW highlighted the fact that 480 trees will be cut down if planning is granted for the development.

KW reported that the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign had hand delivered 1,700 questionnaires in the local area. There was a 6% return rate, where the industry standard is 1-3%. KW said 94% wanted no development on the site and the green space kept; 2% wanted the site sold to the developer; 86% wanted the majority of the land kept as green space and 96% support the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign and want it to continue.

KW said that if the North Kelvin Meadow were allowed to remain the campaign would be able to apply for grant funding to improve the site.

3.     Presentation of 2008 plans and up to date plans

NW on behalf of NCV gave a presentation about the original 2008 plans and the revised plans.

NW started off by saying that NCV have extended the deadline for comments on the revised plans until 14 March. NW said NCV expects to submit a planning application in late March. Once the planning application has been submitted, NW said the public would have 21 days to write to GCC about the application. GCC would then have four months to consider the application.

NW explained that NCV had chosen to focus on the open space during the pre-consultation process, as this was where they felt there was the most scope. As part of the legal agreement with GCC and the development brief, NCV has to build 90-115 houses/flats; have at least 20% open space and the design must be of high quality.

NW stated that most people objected to the development at the Ideas Workshop held on 15 January. The main points raised were – too much development: only develop Sanda Street block; open space too small, too manicured; open space: publicly owned and managed; protect lime trees on Clouston Street.

NW showed everyone the original plans from 2008 and then showed the revised plans. The main differences between the original plans and the revised plans are that the amount of open space is greater, as blocks have been removed on Kelbourne Street. However, as a result, the block on Sanda Street/Kelbourne Street is one storey higher, to reach the 90 houses/flats minimum requirement.

NW reported that 46 questionnaires were completed at the Ideas Workshop, with 10 people for the development, 11 people undecided and 25 people against the development. NW said that NCV have received 65 emails since the revised plans were shown at the public exhibition on 12 February and all but one objected to the proposed development.

4.     Community Council Discussion

The Community Council had a discussion about the revised plans. During this discussion, GB raised the issue of where the money from the sale of the site would go. JMacK said £1.1m was designated for the development of the North Kelvin playing fields, with the rest of the money being used to support capital expenditure. GB said Council Officers had informed him that the money was ring fenced for sports pitches. JMacK said he would seek clarification on this matter.

JM asked the reason why NCV had not considered undercroft or first floor parking instead of street parking. NW explained there is undercroft parking on Sanda Street, which has open space on top. NW said the marked visitor parking bays had been included in the plans, as this was a suggestion by the Roads Department.

NW confirmed, as required by GCC, that there are 1.25 parking spaces per flat/house. Members of the public confirmed that parking is already problematic in the area.

JMacK asked how NCV would feel if GCC made planning consent conditional on the green space being developed first. NW said he imagined that NCV had this down as being developed last so it could be used to house the site compound during development. If this was a condition of planning consent then NW said there would be a financial implication, as NCV would have to explore options for locating the site compound elsewhere. JMacK suggested the site compound could be located on Kelbourne Street, as there are no houses at that point and very little traffic.

DP said the local community do not want the development (strong support in the room for this statement) and he urged the Community Council to object the proposed development outright. JM said the pre-application process is new and not well understood. The pre-application process is a chance to influence the plans and not the appropriate time for the Community Council’s formal objection. JM said she would prefer to say ‘the Community Council is not convinced and here are our comments’, as this is the developer’s plans and not the planning application.

The issue of the height of the proposed flats on Sanda Street was raised. As was the architectural style, Georgian Townhouses rather than Victorian. There was also concern about the semi-private open space behind the flats on Sanda Street. The issue of ownership, control, payment and land liability was seen as very important and a mechanism for dealing with this has to be worked out.

A member of the public asked JMacK as a Glasgow Councillor about where the funds from the sale of North Kelvin Meadow would go. JMacK said the sum that has been mentioned for the sale of the site is £10m, with £1.1m of this designated for the development of the North Kelvin playing fields. JMacK explained the rest of the money would be used to support capital expenditure. SB asked for the meeting to be stopped at this point.

When the meeting resumed, a member of the public urged the Community Council to reject the proposed development outright. JM reiterated that this is the opportunity to make the plans as acceptable as they can be and it is at the planning application stage that a difference can be made. Katy Gordon (KG) said that is was important to try and follow the process. KG asked whether it would be possible to open up the semi-private open space by moving some of the mews houses and creating more continuity with the open space in the centre of the development.

KW proposed the motion – ‘This Community Council rejects the proposed development on North Kelvin Meadow’. DP seconded the motion. JM proposed an amendment to the motion – ‘This Community Council is unconvinced by the proposed development and will submit detailed views to the developer, as well as seek a meeting with Glasgow City Council to ask pointed questions’. JA seconded the amendment. The Community Council voted on the amendment – four were for the amendment, three were against the amendment and the Chair chose not to vote. JM stated the Community Council still has the opportunity to reject.

DB called the meeting to an end. Members of the public expressed their unhappiness that their views had not been heard and that there had not been enough time for discussions. DB reiterated that the purpose of the meeting was for a dialogue between the Community Council and the developers.

DB expressed his thanks to the members of the Community Council.

Next meeting: 16 March 2011 @ 6.30pm, St. Charles School

North Kelvin Community Council Minutes

Wednesday 16 February 2011 at 6:30pm
St. Charles School

Present: Dave Beavan (DB) (Chair); Janet Andrews (JA); Ken Andrew (KA) (Vice-Chair); Gordon Barnes (GB) (Website); Peter Blackshaw (PB) (Secretary); Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JMacK); Councillor Kieran Wild (KWi); Kate Wooding (KW) (Treasurer); Kirsty Davidson (KD) (Minute Secretary)

Apologies: Susie Hallas (SH); Jane Morgan (JM) (Planning Officer); Douglas Peacock (DP)

1.     Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising

DB welcomed everyone to the meeting and said it was good to see KWi again.

JA said she had been unable to open the agenda. KA suggested PB forward the agenda to him and he would re-circulate it to everyone in a format they can open.

Action: PB to send future agendas to KA for formatting and recirculation.

The minutes of the January meeting were approved by KA and seconded by GB.

2.     Councillor’s Report

JMacK said he had attended New City Vision’s drop in session on Saturday (12 February) and there had been some interesting changes since the Ideas Day on 14 January. JMacK reported that the green space had been repositioned and the amount of green space has been increased from 20% to 32%. Though as a result of this change there has been a slight increase in the height of the flats facing Sanda Street.

JMacK reported that letters had been distributed regarding the one-way system around St. Charles’s School and the responses were currently being collated.

JMacK said engineers had been asked to look at the condition of the 60 Steps and as a result approximately £10,000 worth of work would be carried out in the near future. This work is conservation rather than restoration, which is the long-term goal.

GB suggested that the Community Council should make contact with the 60 Steps Preservation Trust. DB said he had met some members while manning the West End Festival stall and asked them to make contact with the Community Council, which was not followed up.

JMacK suggested it might be nice, as a note of goodwill for the Community Council to make a donation to the 60 Steps Preservation Trust. DB suggested inviting them to a meeting.

Action: DB to contact the 60 Steps Preservation Trust and invite them to a future Community Council meeting.

JMacK reported that Glasgow City Council (GCC) passed the budget, more or less as he had reported at the last meeting.

JMacK confirmed that the lighting on Clouston Street would be a lighting renewal programme rather than just a repainting job and that this job had been accelerated. DB asked what type of lamp standards would be installed, as this area will soon be part of the conservation area. JMacK said he would ask the question.

Action: JMacK to confirm what type of lamp standards will be installed on Clouston Street.

JMacK reported that no agreement could be reached with all the residents of 7 Jedburgh Gardens for a plaque to be installed on the wall, commemorating Lieutenant Jock Young. However, a chiseled granite slab will be installed in the footpath instead. JMacK said GCC plans to hold a formal ceremony on 30 March (the day before he died in the Battle of Kohima in 1944) and there will be a PR launch a few days before the event. KA suggested putting something on the website after the event.

KWi said he was impressed with the changes New City Vision have made and felt things were moving in a positive direction.

PB reported that the dropped paving stone at the entrance to Oban Lane had been repaired, but the surface had not been finished off properly. JMacK said he would chase this up.

Action: JMacK to chase up the resurface work to Oban Lane.

PB said the condition of the road and pavements around the building site at the bottom of Oban Drive were bad. JMacK confirmed there would have been a condition attached to planning consent for the road and pavements to be put back into the original condition.

3.     Discussion on Licensing Laws

PB raised the issue of how KW and he were treated at the Alcohol Licence Board. KWi said he had heard things about how the board is conducted.

KW suggested gathering information together into a fact sheet for future Community Council members, as we might not go through it again for a while.

KW said the Alcohol Licence Board need to improve the situation, so it is a better experience. KW said she intends to write a letter to them with suggestions for improving the system. It was agreed this should be sent on behalf of the Community Council.

Action: KW to write a letter to the Alcohol Licence Board with suggestions for improving the system.

JA suggested sending a copy of the letter to the Community Council Resource Centre. DB suggested asking for this issue to be added to the agenda of a future Community Council Forum meeting. KWi said the Community Council should invite a representative to attend a meeting. DB said they should be asked to come and address the points raised in KW’s letter.

4.     Information – website

GB reported that New City Vision have published the updated plans on their website today and he has put a short piece on the Community Council website directing people to the plans.

GB says he still has questions about what material should go on the website and about how to engage more with the local community. GB said these issues can be discussed by the website sub-group and apologised for not having arranged a meeting yet.

GB said he is happy to provide training to members of the Community Council who are interested in updating the website.

KA suggested putting on information about Lieutenant Jock Young, the 60 Steps Preservation Trust and local walks. JA suggested mentioning the Hilltop Garden. DB said the website should focus on providing information about the local area rather the wider locality. KA said the public should be given information in advance. DB said the agenda should be advertised online a few days before the meeting.

GB raised the issue of a Community Council notice board again and said he would be happy to follow this up with Boots. JMacK said that if it were installed on the wall outside Boots then residential permission would be required. It was suggested that Boots or some of the local shops might allow a notice board in their window or perhaps Tesco when it is built. KWi said GCC has a portal on their website, which they plan to give the public access to soon.

5.     Treasurer’s Report

KW reported the account balance is £1,313.25.

6.     Correspondence

PB said there were a number of events coming up –

- Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Partnership consultation event – 21-28 February (5 different locations)
- Future of Housing in Glasgow – 2 March
- Association of Scottish Community Councils (ASCC) Common Ground event – 26 March

PB said that DB and he had attended the Community Council Forum on 5 February. The Commonwealth Games were discussed and it was good to hear about the plans, but there are no venues situated in the North apart from Scotstoun.

PB reported that there are plans to install a mobile phone mast on Wilton Street. A local resident is objecting and has been posting flyers in the neighbourhood alerting people to this proposal. PB said that Friends of Glasgow West are also objecting, but noted there are only a few days left to raise an objection.

KWi said potential reasons for objecting to the plans would be – loss of visual amenity, distance on pavement and distance from windows to the object. It was felt the key thing was that this area would shortly be part of the Conservation Area. JMacK said he would be raising an objection.

KW suggested contacting the Planning Office at GCC for advice on what we can and cannot object to in terms of the planning application. PB to write objecting to this proposal.

Action: PB to send a letter of objection on behalf of the Community Council.

7.     AOCB

DB confirmed the special Community Council meeting with New City Vision would take place on Monday 28 February at 6.30pm in the Gym at St. Charles School.

It was agreed to invite a GCC representative to the meeting on 28 February. JMacK and KWi suggested the best person to contact would be Andy Young (AY), the Head of Property Development and Management at GCC.

Action: PB to invite AY to the meeting, explaining the reason for the request.

It was agreed the agenda should follow this format – background, developer presentation, public asked what questions do they want to raise with the developer, Community Council discussion and then presentation to the developer.

Action: DB to prepare a timed agenda for advertising.

DB asked KW to invite the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign to the meeting to discuss what the site means to them and what the future holds. The GCC representative will also be asked to discuss these two points.

Action: KW to invite North Kelvin Meadow Campaign to meeting on 28 February.

KW agreed to draft a press release about the meeting on 28 February.

Action: KW to draft press release.

DB said that neither KD nor he would be able to attend the March Community Council meeting. DB asked KA to chair the meeting and to organise for the minutes to be taken.

Action: KA to chair March meeting and arrange for the minutes to be taken.

KW said we had not discussed how to deal with licensing requests that are received outside of meetings. PB to add this to April’s agenda.

Action: PB to add ‘Discussion on Licensing Applications’ to April’s agenda.

 

Next meeting: 16 March 2011 @ 6.30pm, St. Charles School