Glasgow Save our Schools Campaign
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Objections to the new superschool + Comments
Hi everyone
If you haven't had a chance yet to communicate your objections to the new superschool to the planning department, try to do so soon, before the end of this week, as we were given the rather vague instruction that we would 'a few weeks' to put comments in after the application
If possible it's best for letters of objection to differ from each other - i'm attaching the letter heather and i put together and of which we've been getting multiple copies signed. this might be useful as a resource for points to make, or you could do a slightly different version of it, or indeed just sign this one if you're pushed for time to put anything together yourslef. it would also be great if you could get a few signed by others (and individualised if possible ...)
letters of objection should be sent to:
Mr dale development and regeneration service
229 george street glasgow g11qu
Heather and I will be setiing up a stall at hillhead subway at lunctime on thursday (around 1-2) to publicise the campaign and get some more letters signed. our stall last week was really successful and was good evidence that people still want to get involved and fight the plans at this stage. do come along on thursday if you can make it lets get some ideas together of future actions -let me know of any inspiration you have
cheers
Anthea
Comment
I presume the class size issue still holds. Also, I get the impression that the cost of c. £12 million is a lot greater than the original proposal. Could someone let me know if this is correct. This could be another grounds - the fact that the costs seem to be increasing and that it would be more cost effective to repair existing schools, as well as what parents want. Marion
Comment
I'm a parent of 4 children and I DON'T want the old
school repaired. I want the new school built.
The current Hillhead primary is not fit for purpose. It
has 2 of the smallest most desolate playgrounds I've
ever seen; children can't see out of the windows,
its over 5 levels, there is no room big enough to
accomodate all of the children, the dining hall is
positively depressing....need I go on. Which
schools do your kids go to?......
F. R.
Dear Mrs R.
My children went to Hillhead Primary and say that it is the teachers who matter. The boy said that boys want to play football and need a hard surface for that.When we acquired a piece of ground for a further play area the council promptly sold it off for over-development.
What we are extremely concerned about is that they plan to build this school next to a heavily polluted and busy junction.Pollutants from deisel engines damage the development of young children's lungs, yet the council is refusing to do any air quality tests on site. It is the SITE to which we object. Perhaps you could lobby for air quality monitoring?
We are also worried about safe routes to school. Going through Kelvingrove or along Kelvin Way is not safe for children when there are not many people about, or when it is dusk.Not all children are accompanied to and from school, or ferried in cars.
There are other reasons why this particular site is not considered suitable, e.g. the extra traffic generated on a small road above the Kelvin which is unable to take the weight. We have had no satisfactory response to questions relating to this.
The site was selected by the education officers before councillors were informed or before people who know the area were informed.The community council was effectively excluded from all consultations and local residents who originally favoured the general proposal have not had satisfactory answers to their questions.
It is also not permitted to take any land within the curtilage of an A listed landscape.Kelvingrove and its 'depot' are such a listed landscape. There are other sites which are not part of the listed landscape and should have been explored.
I think parents should be asking their councillors what other sites were available and why they were not explored. I would not send my children to a school on the site in Gibson Street if I had any choice in the matter..
Jean Charsley secretary Hillhead Community Council
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Tuesday, October 02, 2007
School closures have become a national issue
Hi everyone
Just a note to remind you to keep the pressure on our newly elected council over the issue of school closures and to update you on the steering group's communication with them. None of the building has begun yet, and last time we checked planning had not yet been applied for.You will I'm sure have been following on the news that attempts have been made to apply the same types of cuts in other parts of the country, with, perhaps disappointingly if not surprisingly, different parties at the helm. It would seem that there is a tendency among some parties to act differently depending on whether they are in opposition or not ... It has been great to see, however, that pressure from parents, school students and local residents in Edinburgh has seen the Edinburgh process stopped in its tracks for now (see link below).
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1637&id=1483442007
You'll remember me writing shortly after the election to say that I contacted, on behalf of the steering group, all the new local councillors for the areas affected by Glasgow proposals J and K, as well as all members of the new Education Committee, to request that they move to re-open the issue in the council as a matter of urgency given the lack of representation we had seen previously. I'm sure many of you did the same. Although I had some communication with Phil Greene (SNP) and Christopher Mason (Lib Dem), they did not take any action that I know of and I have not heard from them in a while.
Martha Wardrop (Green councillor for Hillhead) responded a while ago and Heather Anderson and I recently arranged a meeting with her. It is good to hear that Martha is keen to re-open the issue and has been looking into the history of the objections etc in some detail. She is keen to speak with campaigners to gather further information. You can get in touch with her via the Council's website.
So, send a few emails, make a few phone calls and keep an eye on what's going on elsewhere - school closures have become a national issue.
All the best
Anthea
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