Bid to block homes plan for historic campus site
A FURIOUS community group is demanding a re-think over plans to build hundreds of new homes on a historic Glasgow site.
Strathclyde University has acquired planning permission in principle to build as many as 400 houses on the former Jordanhill College campus.
Now Jordanhill Community Council has published counterproposals it hopes will see the development drastically reduced.
John Grierson, a spokesman for the community council, said: “A public meeting attracted 350 residents and a working group was formed to co-ordinate all the objections.
“We have produced a Community Value Proposition (CVP) which argues that the residents of Jordanhill deserve some benefit from this development and suggests how this might be achieved.
“There are huge environmental, traffic and road safety impacts in the planning application to develop the campus and no-one should be in any doubt that the people of Jordanhill aren’t prepared to accept the plans in their current form.
“We are awaiting a response from the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow City Council to our proposition.”
The future of the 43-acre site has been up for debate after Strathclyde University decided to move to new premises in the city centre.
Originally given the go-ahead to develop the site in 2011 with a maximum of 364 new homes, plans were stalled by the economic downturn.
Now preferred bidder Cala Homes has announced plans for 420 houses.
The community council claims areas of greenspace and woodland previously to be safeguarded will now be built on while a commitment to retain two significant rooms in the David Stow Building as civic or community amenities has been abandoned.
The CVP proposes a Management Plan for existing community sports pitches to be used by Jordanhill School and local sports clubs as well as the construction of a multi-func- tional community building.
Local resident Rob Scott added: “People in the area feel badly let down by the University of Strathclyde.
“Some locals now feel they have been conned as we have seen no evidence of them working with the community – only against it.”
A CALA Homes (West) spokesman said: “No development numbers were approved in the initial planning application, which related to establishing the principle of residential use.
“Although the number of properties has increased from that indica- tively submitted with the planning application, it is by less than 15 per cent and the complexion of the development has changed to include differing housing types including one and two bedroom flats.
“The Matters Specified in Conditions application seeks to develop less than 60 per cent of the site, whilst retaining notable woodland areas and areas of public open space. The existing playing fields will also remain untouched.”
Strathclyde University was contacted for comment but did not respond before the Evening Times went to print.