Consultation Digest (Local) Issue 158, 02 May 2024

Life on the edge…

The latest Liveable Neighbourhood consultation features some less well known areas at the edge of the city. They have some surprises, as a recent GoBike ride found in Ruchazie (pictured) with its rare water vole habitat. LN consultation events for Lambhill to Milton take place TODAY and tomorrow.

Nearby, the Flourishing Molendinar project is back with detailed plans, including for junction 12 of the M8. Over the boundary in North Lanarkshire there are new plans for an Urban Cycling Park. East Dunbartonshire has an update on development at the edge of Bishopbriggs. Elsewhere, there’s parking in Prestwick and East Renfrewshire has its eight town centre surveys.

Section 1: Current Consultations
(in date order for responses)

1.1: Liveable Neighbourhoods Tranche 3

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: GCC program to “rebalance the way streets are designed and used” and “placing walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport as a first, and logical choice for everyday journeys.” The latest ‘Tranche’ of neighbourhoods include: Cardonald to Mosspark, Knightswood to Anniesland, Lambhill to Milton and Ruchazie to Easterhouse. They include destinations like Bellahouston Park, Glasgow BMX Centre, Lambhill Stables and The Fort Shopping Centre. All four areas are around the edge of the city boundary – cross-border connections to other councils will be important as well as links between neighbourhoods.
Drop-in events, including TODAY for Lambhill to Milton:
Thursday 2 May 2024, 2pm – 6pm: Cadder Community Centre, 110 Tresta Road, G23 5AE
Friday 3 May 2024, 3pm – 6pm: North Glasgow Food Initiative, Liddesdale Square, G22 7BT
Website links: Liveable Neighbourhoods Tranche 3.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

1.2: Prestwick parking consultation 2024

Organisation: Ayrshire Roads Alliance (on behalf of South Ayrshire Council).
Subject: Proposals to add further streets to an existing residents car parking permit scheme around Main Street, Prestwick. The new town centre streets added at the northern end of the area include Berelands Road, Mieklewood Avenue and Links Road. The latter is part of NCN7, along with Station Rd and Kirk St.
Website links: Prestwick parking consultation webpage.
Deadline: 03 May 2024.

1.3: East Renfrewshire Town Centres

Council: East Renfrewshire.
Subject: Further consultation about eight East Ren town centres: Clarkston, Eaglesham, Giffnock, Barrhead, Busby, Neilston, Newton Mearns and Thornliebank. The last phase collected suggestions about changes to each place. Some of the most popular options are now available to choose in ‘Final verification surveys’. Questions are grouped under headings: ‘Roads, transportation and active travel’, ‘Buildings, retail and meeting spaces’ and ‘Green space and path networks’.
Featured: Digest 121, 1.14 (and 112).
Website links: East Renfrewshire Town Centres Commonplace site.
Deadline: 05 May 2024.

1.4: Westerhill Regeneration Area – Draft Planning Guidance

Council: East Dunbartonshire.
Subject: Consultation on more detailed planning guidance for the masterplan of the Westerhill Regeneration Area, north of Bishopbriggs. EDC say: “The Masterplan is a long-term, overall framework for the development of “land parcels” and will be used for future planning applications.” It follows public consultation on initial masterplan in April/May 2023. There are some detailed documents which talk a lot about a new Westerhill Development Road (WDR) but also about active travel/cycling. Proposals include a 4m wide, 2-way segregated cycleway from the current Wester Way path, going north past Low Moss prison, to the Forth & Clyde canal. EDC want comments via email: citydeal@eastdunbarton.gov.uk.
Featured: Digest 134, 1.1.
Website links: Westerhill Regeneration Area Planning Guidance (9.9MB), this and the other documents are on WRA – Draft Planning Guidance Consultation webpage.
Deadline: 6 May 2024.

1.5: Flourishing Molendinar

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: A project started by St Paul’s Youth Forum and their On Bikes team. Their original base is on Langdale St, Blackhill which had one of the first Spaces for People streets created during lockdown. More SfP streets followed on Royston Rd, Provanmill Rd and Cumbernauld Rd before the wider project was taken over by Glasgow City Council. These (very) detailed draft plans would make those protected lanes permanent and add a new public space in the middle of Langdale St (on a block with no houses facing onto it). Also, they’d add crucial connections to places like Smithycroft High School, taming junction 12 of the M8 motorway in the process. Public drop-in events have passed.
Featured: Digest 91, 1.2.
Website links: FloMo poster, FloMo plans sheet 1, FloMo plans sheet 2 and FloMo plans sheet 3.
Deadline: 13 May 2024

1.6: North Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2 (NLLDP2) – Topic Paper Consultation

Council: North Lanarkshire.
Subject: Another step in the process for a new development plan. Topics include forests, historic places, vacant land, design quality, rural homes and soil(!). Fill your boots…?
Featured: Digest 143, 1.7.
Website links: NLLDP2 Topic Paper Consultation.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

2.1: Urban Cycle Park plan

Organisation: Socialtrack.
Subject: Socialtrack run the Wishawhill Wood Pump Track in Craigneuk. They announced initial plans for an Urban Cycle Park on neighbouring land. This kind of bike park would be a first in Scotland and be designed with Trail Therapy in mind. The initial community survey has finished and Social track said in a Facebook post “…got some great feedback and especially excited by the comments and suggestions made by young people! Job now is to make the council hear their voices!”
Website links: Urban Cycle Park, Daily Record article.

Section 3: Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders

3.1: Glasgow City TROs and Traffic Calming

Subject: Barras (North) TRO for Melbourne St, Calton –
At western wall of old abbatoir, off Duke St. The order is for speed tables and a 2-way cycleway, north-south between the old superintendent’s house/gates and the future Duke St Avenues Plus lanes. This seems linked to the Meatmarket development’s ‘linear park’ and a conversion project for the house and sheds, led by the new Meat Market Heritage Trust. GoBike asked GCC to consider contraflow cycleways on Hunter St/Barrack St, to allow eastbound cycling between Havannah St and Melbourne St, but we were turned down. Deadline: 10 May 2024.
Other ongoing TRO consultations include Yorkhill Area/Radnor St and Duke St/John Knox St. The page also lists recent ‘made’ orders for St George’s St/Clarendon Place and the North East Active Travel Routes (NEATR).
Website links: GCC Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders and GCC Proposed Traffic Calming Schemes.