Plans to regenerate Bellahouston play park delayed for third time

EXCITING plans to regenerate Bellahouston play park have been delayed for a third time as councillors demand more information on the funding for the project.

Glasgow City Council’s 2022/ 23 budget previously allocated £ 1.5m to the area partnerships across the city to invest in parks and open spaces with £ 49,800 allocated to Pollokshields.

During the most recent committee meeting a number of proposals, totalling more than £ 66,000, were brought before members who decided more information was needed on each of the plans before they could make a decision on what areas would benefit most from the funding.

As well as plans for Maxwell Square, Balvicar Street and Craigton Primary School play areas, one of the initiatives was to invest £ 15,000 in Bellahouston Park’s play park and install new equipment, with a further £ 3000 to be funded from other sources.

But committee members were not happy about the lack of information surrounding the proposals.

Bailie Norman MacLeod said: “What are the other sources of funding, what is the item of play equipment and will that then make that whole area open and safe to be used?

“At the moment from memory, there’s a portion fenced off.”

He was advised by a council officer that the local authority received its play area renewal fund at the end of August with the intention to use part of that fund in order to make up the difference for the Bellahouston Park project.

Councillor MacLeod added: “I am not content that we make a decision on this today. A further paper is going to be brought to a council committee, presumably to say how much money we have got and where the department is recommending it be spent. Until and unless we have sight of that report, and it is agreed, we are wasting our time with all due respect because we don’t know which play areas in the city are going to be funded either wholly or in part by the Scottish Government funds and until we know that we can’t make intelligent decisions on how much we are prepared to spend.

“I will not be supporting taking any definitive decisions today until and unless we know what is going to be available from other sources.”

Members agreed with the councillor and raised concerns about the money being focused in one area of the park.

Community representative Mary Williamson said: “I would like to agree with councillor MacLeod. Why are we looking at parks and open spaces money to be spent on play equipment when there is a separate play equipment fund? It doesn’t compute with me.

“Bellahouston Park needs fundamental work, not just the play park where funding can come from somewhere else. The park is in dire need [ of some of this funding].

“Craigton itself is in dire need of some of this funding, not just all to Pollokshields.”

Chair Jon Molyneux responded: “The projects detailed here have all come forward from suggestions by members of the community. Members of the community have identified them as being in need of renewal and repair.

“The Scottish Government capital funding which is coming, is not going to be sufficient to deliver the renewal of play equipment which might be wished for across the city. So we have to look at levels of prioritisation.

“This is the third time we have had these proposals at this area partnership and we have continued the paper on each occasion so at some point we need to make a decision.”

Until and unless we have sight of that report, and it is agreed, we are wasting our time