Our area has been forgotten
A community has begged South Lanarkshire not to forget about them when it comes to investment.
Residents in Springhall say they are constantly overlooked when money is being spent.
They say their area has become a dumping ground for people suffering from problems.
John Black
A community has begged South Lanarkshire not to forget about them when it comes to investment.
Residents in Springhall say they are constantly overlooked when money is being spent in the area.
And they are making a plea through the pages of the Reformer for a longterm plan to improve the area.
They were prompted by our story about a £ 44m investment in the housing stock at Whitlawburn. They also say money has been spent in Fernhill and Cathkin while they have been largely ignored.
John Black, chair of the Springhall Community Resource Group, invited the Reformer for a walk around the scheme.
Several residents approached us to complain about people with problems being brought in from other areas in South Lanarkshire. And they had plenty to say about crime, the state of the shops and people’s difficulties in accessing the library.
John said: “Looking at the past 20 years, the council have been into Whitlawburn three times while Cathkin and Fernhill have had budgets of their own. This is the forgotten land.
“I grew up in the 80s. I’ve seen this in the east end of Glasgow, places allowed to go to rack and ruin – that seems to be going on here. But people want to stay here longterm, they have stayed here all their lives. We border one of the most
People are disillusioned. Springhall is tired and that makes the residents tired.