Open Space Strategy for Glasgow – have your say!

The City Council are currently carrying out a consultation on the open space strategy for the city.

The Executive Summary from the strategy document states:

“The City of Glasgow has a long tradition in the pursuit of a high quality built environment and public realm, continuing to the present day. This strategy represents the next steps in this tradition by setting out how open space should be planned, created, enhanced and managed in order to meet the priorities for Glasgow for the 21st century. This is not just an open space strategy. It is a cross‐cutting vision for delivering a high quality environment that supports economic vitality, improves the health of Glasgow’s residents, provides opportunities for low carbon movement, builds resilience to climate change, supports ecological networks and encourages community cohesion. This is because, when planned well, open space can provide multiple functions that deliver numerous social, economic and environmental benefits.

Realising these benefits should be undertaken in a way that is tailored to the needs of the City. As such, this strategy examines the priorities Glasgow has set out and identifies six cross‐cutting strategic priority themes for how open space can contribute to meeting them. It should be noted that the themes are not mutually exclusive and, given the potential multifunctional nature of open space, should be delivered in conjunction with one another. The strategic priority themes are:

1    Place setting for improved economic and community vitality;

2    Health benefits and well‐being;

3    Creating connections;

4    Improving ecological quality;

5    Enhancing natural processes and generating resources; and

6    Managing the micro‐climate.”

The deadline for submitting repsonses is 12 Dec 11 and you can find out more on the Council’s website – this includes the full strategy document, the survey and also a set of postcards that have been produced to make it easier for people to respond to the consultation.

Link to website www.glasgow.gov.uk/glasgowopenspacestrategy

Postcards gosspostcards.pdf

Local Development Plan consultation

Glasgow City Council recently launched a 10 week consultation for their new Local Development Plan (LDP), which will run until 12 December 2011.

The plan sets out the Council’s land use strategy for the coming years and will provide a basis for assessing planning applications. The plan is scheduled to be competed in 2014 at which time it will replace City Plan 2.

In drawing up the LPD, it is important to take on board the views of the public and other interested parties.  The first key phase of public consultation during the production of the new LDP is on the Main Issues Report (MIR) which is aimed at encouraging discussion on the key changes that have occurred since City Plan 2 was prepared, and at identifying the main issues that the LDP is likely to address, as well as the Council’s ideas as to where development should and should not take place.

The MIR contains details of 40 of the most important planning challenges that Glasgow faces, which have been summarised in a series of postcards that can be viewed on the Council’s website. These 40 issues are explored under six themes:

1. The Sustainable Use of Resources – Planning for the prudent and sustainable use of natural and other resources, including land, energy, water, waste and existing built infrastructure, including the public transport network and utilities.
2. A Sustainable, Strong Economy – Planning for an attractive and accessible city and a range of effective employment locations (including the City Centre, town centres and industrial and business locations), which are appealing to existing and potential businesses, and accessible to residents.
3. Sustainable, Strong Communities – Planning for enhanced living environments and life opportunities that can help sustain and strengthen the City’s communities and involving those communities in shaping the future of their areas.
4. Sustainable Connections – Planning for a reduction in the need to travel and a more significant role for active travel and public transport, whilst helping realise opportunities for regeneration and economic development.
5. A Sustainable Environment – Planning for the protection and enhancement of natural and historic features to help promote biodiversity, flood protection, recreation and active travel and for the role this plays in “place-setting” the City.
6. Sustainable Design – Planning for distinctive, high quality places, buildings, streets and spaces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote increased social interaction, physical fitness and more attractive environments for current and potential residents, visitors and investors.

During the public consultation (3 October until 12 December 2011) the MIR and the accompanying documents are available to view at all local libraries, at the offices of Development and Regeneration Services, 229 George Street, Glasgow (during normal business hours) and on the Council’s website.

Comments received during the consultation period will be taken into consideration in drafting the Proposed LDP for Glasgow, due for publication in November 2012.  At that stage, you will have the opportunity to formally object to any aspects of the Proposed LDP with which you disagree.

Planning Aid for Scotland (PAS), an independent organisation, will be running a information session for community councils and community groups which will be held on the morning (9 until 12) of Saturday 5^th November in the Parish Halls, George Street, Glasgow.  The event is intended to provide community groups with a better understanding of the content of the MIR and how to prepare effective representations on it.

For more information and details of how to respond to the consultation please visit the Council’s website or email the Local Development Plan team

Doors Open Day weekend!

This weekend sees Glasgow take part in Doors Open Day

Doors Open Days give you free access to hundreds of fascinating buildings across Scotland.  Every weekend in September you can explore places that are normally closed to the public.  Some open up once a year, some just once in a lifetime…

On Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September hundreds of buildings across Glasgow will open up to the public for free! Some of the places you can visit in the West of the City are:

• Allotments including Trinley Brae allotments in Knightswood, Beechwood allotments in Broomhill (Saturday only) and Kelvinside allotments (Saturday only)
• The new Anniesland College campus (Saturday only)
• Knightswood St Margaret’s Parish Church (Saturday only)
• The Glasgow/West of Scotland Family History Society in Mansfield Park, Partick
• The new Riverside Museum
• Partick Curling Clubhouse in Victoria Park

There is also a Heritage Event about Gartnavel Royal Hosiptal Chapel on Friday 16th September at the Glasgow School of Art.

The number of venues participating in the event in the South and the East of the city have increased significantly over the last couple of years – so what about way out West? What are the places and buildings that people feel should be part of this fantastic celebration of Glasgow’s built heritage?

You can see the full listing of events in the West of Glasgow here and you can find out more on the Glasgow Doors Open Day website and the Scotland wide Doors Open Day website

Glasgow’s Future Vision

Can you remember what Glasgow was like in 1961? And did you have a vision of what the City might look like in 2011? Well Glasgow City Council are currently undertaking a visioning initiative to consider what the City might look like in 50 years time in 2061.

The initiative will explore the prospects for the city over the next 50 years and look at the quality of life residents, workers and visitors might enjoy.

According to the promotional blurb the vision will be driven by Glasgow’s citizens and stakeholders – that includes me, you, your families, your neighbours, your colleagues and people that come to visit.

This is a really interesting question for us here at the Environment Trust. The Trust was established seven years ago to realise the Yoker, Scotstoun and Whiteinch Environmental Vision and so the idea of looking ahead to create a vision of the place where you live, work and play is at the core of what we are about. We’ll be making a submission to the initiative and we would encourage you to do the same.

So what do you think? What will Glasgow look like in 50 years? And what will the area around the Dumbarton Road Corridor look like…
- Where will people work? And how will they get there?
- Will there be cars on the roads? Or will bikes and horses be a common sight?
- Will people be growing vegetables everywhere?
- Will people be crossing the river on their own personal jet packs?
- Will there be plastic bags and litter everywhere?
- What will houses look like in 2061?

There is a deadline of 30 June for you to submit your initial views on what you think Glasgow 2061 will be like and you can make the submission online.

You can find out more about the initiative on the dedicated Glasgow City Vision website, on their Facebook page or via the City Council website.