Our view on Kelbourne Street planning decisions
We welcome the fact that the 10-flat planning application for Kelbourne Street (21/03226/FUL) was refused (December 2021). However, we feel that the grounds given for refusal are relevant to 20/02110/FUL (39 flats), which was approved at Local Review having initially been refused.
Progress on the site appears to be stalled at the moment and we continue to raise the issue at our monthly meetings.
In January 2022 (sorry for the delay in posting it here) we wrote to Glasgow City Council to express our concerns about the two planning proposals:
The site is adjacent to a popular and well used children’s play park and just opposite the new North Kelvinside Primary School.
As the community council for the area, we have noted significant local concerns about the 2 recent planning proposals for this site and on that basis objected to both. The status of these applications are as follows:
- 21/03226/FUL development of 10 flats – refused
- 20/02110/FUL development of 39 flats – approved at local review, which we believe is a flawed process for this large size of development.
We discussed the current status of this site at our meeting on 4th January 2022. We welcome the decision to refuse application 21/03226/FUL. In considering the grounds given for refusal these could equally apply to 20/02110/FUL. We therefore consider it would be extremely detrimental to the local area should this development be allowed to proceed.
As far as we know there are two separate pieces of land, the smaller one owned by the Council (21/03226) and the larger one sold by the Church of Scotland directly to the developer (20/02110). However, the proposal 20/02110 included the smaller piece of land, which wasn’t known at the planning approval stage.
To restate our concerns, we consider that the proposed development of 39 flats is contrary to the City Development Plan. It is too large, dense and being 7 storeys tall too high for the site. It will adversely affect residential and visual amenity. It will significantly overshadow a popular children’s play park and during the construction period will also impact on safe use of the park. It will also aggravate existing challenges in relation to parking and traffic management in the local area.
We would request that this development is paused and that we take the opportunity to review and consider other options for this site with the local community.
I support this development. The fact that all the residents are so against development is beyond. Building private housing will attract affluent folk which will gentrify the area. What do these people propose?
Any word on why the construction has stalled?
It’s also worth noting that the entrance to the underground car park would remove on street parking spaces on Kelbourne street, compounding the already difficult parking situation.
It’s a shame the area can’t be tidied up in the meantime – it’s full of litter, traffic cones, the fences are falling down. The rubble and overgrown weeds are also an eyesore.
Re the stalling of the construction, as we understand the position at the moment: the Council sold the smaller piece of land to the applicant for that site, but then rejected the proposed building (21/03226/FUL). However, the plan for the larger piece of land (20/02110/FUL, which was originally rejected but passed at local review) is reliant on ownership of that smaller piece.
The Council’s legal team are still in discussions with the original developer to try and resolve the issue.
And yes, as things stand, the site really is an eyesore.
Changes…
With the new school, N Kelvinside has a nice family oriented pull in the housing market. That is all about to change. We are already seeing more students in the area and the quality of life in our streets and closes are all going downwards. We moved to this area ten years ago because the building was owner occupied a mix of older couples and young families. An ideal place to live.
10 Kelbourne Street.
This development has gone from bad to worse, the oversized and atypical seven story plan now abandons the parking requirements to go with student housing. As my wife said over breakfast, its almost unbelievable that the council would let this monstrosity shade out the children’s play area. But push comes to shove, more students in North Kelvinside simply means the parking becomes worse, the street life changes and if there is a harbinger or future life here, perhaps this is the point we consider moving. The fact that they don’t list the increase in housing with the shift to the student model, is indicative. What is GCC thinking?