Pollok park: Ministers refuse to call-in Go Ape plan
Posted by: Richard in Campaigns, Glasgow, Politics, Southside, UK, tags: council, Glasgow, save pollok parkThings had been quiet over the summer with regards the Save Pollok Park campaign. The application was with Scottish Ministers (as the council has a financial interest in the proposal), and they were to decide whether to call it in.
Despite the fact that the council didn’t accurately portray the views of their supposed park management partners National Trust for Scotland, the Maxwell family (who bequethed the park to the people of Glasgow), and despite the views of over 5000 people who signed a petition, and despite the fact that the councils ‘consultation’ was woeful in the extreme, and countless other issues, Ministers decided not to call the application in, so it’s been returned to the council to proceed as they see fit (BBC news article here).
Personally, I’m appalled. It smacks of cowardice, a lack of concern, and despite their repeated deferral of a decision, not really understanding the issues and concerns that were being legitimately raised by the Save Pollok Park campaign, and brushed aside by the council. Call me naive too, but the rather populist agenda of the SNP had me thinking they’d surely see the campaigners view point. But I fear budgets may have been a factor, and calling-in notable other planning proposals has become something of a hot potato.
It’s far from over. There are numerous legal avenues to explore, and the campaign is moving forward with these issues. There’s also a new petition, which you can also sign online. This one asserts that the council is acting illegally in proceeding without the agreement of it’s partners in Pollok Park, the NTS and Maxwell family.
More on this whole sorry mess very soon.
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September 24th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
As we’ve learnt fighting our local council over planning permission, the requirement for consultation doesn’t require government bodies to change their point of view in any way. They simple have to demonstrate that they collected the information and performed the consultation.
An exercise in rubber-stamping.
I hope you don’t lose your park.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Indeed. In our case here the consultation was horrifically flawed (schoolchildren from a distant school constituted a large proportion of the ‘positive’ responses). With a Freedom of Information request it was discovered there was no formal process in the consultation, and that the notices hadn’t been displayed about it in any meaningful way for regular park users to find out about it.
What annoys me so much is politicians at all levels seem to forget it’s often steamrolling (relatively) small issues like this that build a view of disenfranchisement and ultimately cynicism and declining voter turnout. The electorate see little point in taking part in the political process (be it voting, responding or writing) if they know the council/government will get its way in the end.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Stickability can win.
Keep on looking forward and its nice either way it goes, when you know have done all you can.
September 28th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
[...] Richard Leyton is disappointed at the Scottish Government’s decision not to intervene in the Go Ape! planning application in Pollok Park. [...]