Fears over historic estate land plans
Residents’development worries
stood have been cut down. It feels that the land is being chipped away at.”
Mr Mcneill added that grass seed had been put down to cover part of the ‘Core 190’ route to Bothwell in recent months.
Member of Viewpark Conservation Group Michael Geoghegan messaged North Lanarkshire Country Parks on their Facebook page on June 28 this year to ask why core path routes had to be moved. He received the reply: ‘The landowner would like to divert the Core Path to facilitate future development.’
Grace Mcneill said: “This message from NLCP states quite clearly that development of the area is planned. We are concerned about its future. Industrial units have already been built on the Grove Wood area to the south of the Douglas Support Estate already.”
A Douglas Support Viewpark Glen Facebook page has been set up by Viewpark Conservation Group which has more than 2220 members.
Estate land has been used by the public for recreation for decades since the mansionhouse was demolished in 1939.
Central Scotland MSP Margaret Mitchell, who supports the conservation group said this week: “One of the first issues I was involved in as a new MSP in 2003 was the Douglas Support and the local community’s fight to retain and protect it.
“Having walked round the estate with Tom Mcneill I was left in absolutely no doubt of its historical and cultural value which should be preserved. It is not just an important green space and recreational facility for the local and Lanarkshire community, but a site of national historical importance.”
The Advertiser understands that a recommendation to refuse the diversion of the core path 190 is to go before North Lanarkshire councillors in the coming weeks following hundreds of objections to the move.
A North Lanarkshire Council spokesman said; “The HFD Property Group, owners of Strathclyde Business Park, requested the diversion of part of core path 190 to facilitate development of land in their ownership at Grove Wood. Phase one of the development has already been completed.
“A public consultation has shown that the local community are against the proposed diversion. A report will go before a meeting of the Infrastructure Committee in around two weeks’ time advising of the outcome of the consultation.
“The vast majority of the land within Viewpark Glen is not owned by the council. However, the council does maintain the land that it owns next to Viewpark Glen and will continue to preserve and maintain this land.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said the tree removal was in accordance with published orders, an environmental statement and public exhibitions.
He commented: “As part of the M8/ M73/M74 motorway improvement project, trees were removed from this area in 2014 to facilitate construction works.
“These trees were within land purchased for the scheme and on the alignment of the new M8 Motorway.”