BID TO STOP BLIGHT VAN MAN PLAN Residents object to Paisley sales centre extension
WILDLIFE WOOD IS UNDER THREAT
Controversial proposals to tear down trees and expand a van and sales centre in Paisley have been met with backlash from outraged residents.
Architects have prepared a “masterplan” on behalf of Classic Land Property to extend the footprint of the Northern Vans site in Linwood Road into a small woodland directly behind it.
The contentious bid – which includes a blueprint for an office, workshop and valet shed, ‘van graveyard’ and hundreds of storage units – has sparked an influx of objections from neighbours.
Homeowners in nearby streets have voiced their opposition to the plans which have been submitted to Renfrewshire Council for consideration.
Gordon Brown, who lives in Fisher Drive, said: “I feel as though the world’s been turned upside down.
“My wife and I are in our mid50s, we bought that house when it was new and we’ve lived in it for 32 years.
“The plan is to put in 200 containers as storage – 10 behind my house, two-storeys high with walkways on them.
“There’s security issues, there’s lighting issues, the place is a flood plain, it continually floods, it’s got animal life, it’s everything.
“To change it from a woodland area to an industrial site, where three sides of it are houses, it’s just unbelievable.”
People’s protestations have focused on the potential effect on amenity and privacy, loss of woodland, impact on wildlife, increase of traffic in an already congested area and drainage.
Liz Stewart, who lives in Linwood Road, said: “I’m concerned about people’s health and wellbeing having to put up with the amount of work that will be going on.
“The people in the area who are older, the people who have young children, the people who work shifts, they are going to be constantly disturbed. I don’t think that’s viable.
“This whole thing would be more suited to an industrial estate, not in an area where there’s housing.”
Jordyn Baxter, who also lives in Linwood Road, said: “This development has no place being there. The houses on Linwood Road are all kind of old Victorian era built houses looking on to this wooded area at the back.
“Although it’s in a busy area, you go out the back door and you wouldn’t think it’s a busy area because it’s backing on to these woods. For them to put in this storage centre, containers, business units and the van stuff as well, it’s out of character for the area.”
Martin and Brenda Muirhead, who live in Whites Bridge Avenue, are worried about a loss of biodiversity in the area.
“The lack of wildlife and green areas around here is bad enough already,” Martin said.
“Now they’re wanting to chop down and totally destroy this one.”
Brenda added: “It’s a small area but it’s used well by a lot of wildlife. You get deer, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, ducks and bats out there.”
Jewitt and Wilkie Architects, the agent working on behalf of Classic Land and Property, has submitted a host of documents, including a flood risk assessment, preliminary ecological appraisal and tree and woodland survey report, with the planning application.
In a design statement, the company said: “Northern Vans/ Bradley’s Removals and Storage are a well-established family-run company employing four fulltime and up to eight part-time employees, operating three vans from their base in the north of Glasgow.
“They are looking to expand the storage side of the business and move into the Renfrewshire area with a view to employing a local workforce.
“The company advertise and regularly work in and around the Renfrewshire area, as well as storing goods in the Bishopbriggs storage facilities at a high cost and logistical impracticality to their business.
“Thus, having their own storage facility in the Renfrewshire area would be of great financial benefit and would allow them to expand and grow their business locally.”
Drawings show plans for a landscaped buffer around the site edge, while issues relating to loss of trees and impact on biodiversity have been considered later in the design statement.
It added: “Whilst the proposals required the loss of existing vacant, self-seeded scrubland, a tree report and ecological report confirmed this was of low quality and the impact was negligible.
“It did, however, provide an opportunity for additional planting to enhance the biodiversity of the buffer strips within and outwith the site boundary.”
Jewitt and Wilkie Architects confirmed it would not be making a further statement on the application.
The plans are expected to be called in for consideration by the planning and climate change policy board.