New homes reassurances

In light of the article in the Paisley Daily Express (February 4) on the approval of the Taylor Wimpey development of 110 new houses at the former Johnstone ID hospital site in Linwood, I can reassure my Kilbarchan constituents on the specific question of school catchment areas.

I moved against the Taylor Wimpey development at the Communities, Housing and Planning board on January 15 because I felt it contravened the Standing Orders of the council, which state that a decision of the council cannot be overturned within six months.

On September 27, 2018 the full council passed a motion, unanimously I might say, which stressed the primacy of safe walking routes to school, and the importance of consultation with parent councils and local ward councillors.

Although I was not successful, the planning application only won by two votes and the convener of the Communities, Housing, and Planning Board, confirmed that the matter of school catchment zones would be the subject of a forthcoming review.

This issue is pertinent because clearly the Johnstone ID hospital site is within the boundary of Linwood and, importantly, there is a safe walking route less than 10 minutes on the cycle path to both East Fulton Primary and Our Lady of Peace Primary.

Crucially, there is no safe walking route to either Kilbarchan Primary or St Margaret’s Primary therefore the council will need to pay for school buses for children at the new development.

Any school catchment zone review will need to come to full council and be scrutinised by all councillors.

That is only correct and proper as school capacity is very much a movable feast.

For example, Kilbarchan Primary may have capacity at present but if the Barrhill planning application is approved, together with the Milliken Road development, that arithmetic may soon change and community cohesion will be an unfortunate casualty.

Councillor Andy Doig Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch Ward

Renfrewshire Council