Friends of Victoria Park
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
New campaign group vows to win U-turn on car park plans
PROTESTERS fighting plans for a massive car park on a green space in Glasgow's west end have launched an official campaign group. Scotstoun residents Dorothy Parker, 48, and Nicola Mathews, 32, have joined forces to form Friends of Victoria Park.Tonight they will hold the first in a series of public meetings which council representatives will also attend.
The campaigners, who live in Victoria Park Drive North with their homes looking on to the park, were among hundreds of people furious to learn a car park with up to 625 spaces was being proposed.
Glasgow City Council wants to site two new football pitches on blaes areas, and 200 permanent parking spaces.
During events at nearby Scotstoun Stadium, which is to be upgraded, 400 temporary spaces will be made available by allowing parking on new grass pitches.
Now Friends of Victoria Park will take on the council in a bid to force a U-turn on the plan.
The group has already attracted 25 members but expects many more to sign up. Already 400 people have lodged objections with the council.
BBC worker Dorothy said: "This is a way of bringing together lots of people and having a stronger lobbying voice.
"We hope to get detailed answers from the council's representatives and to persuade the council to change its mind about the plans.
"I would ask anyone concerned about these proposals to come along to the public meeting and register their interest in the campaign."
Objections have been flooding in since the second phase of a consultation on the proposed new 6000-seater Scotstoun Stadium - and associated plans for Victoria Park - was launched.
More than 700 residents have been leafleted by Scotstoun Conservation Area Residents Association over the issue.
The association has compiled an objection document and is urging local people to sign up.
It claims event parking in Victoria Park "will fail as it fails us now due to the lack of proper traffic management".
Neil Brown of the association, said: "The council is missing the key issues. Will 600 cars ever even use the car park in Victoria Park when they can park elsewhere closer to the stadium?
"Tarmacing an area of the park will not stop our avenues being used as a car park."
The closing date for objectors to make their views known on the issue is March 10.
A city council spokeswoman confirmed today that officials from the cultural and leisure services, and land services departments, and Councillor Irene Graham will be attending the meeting of the new campaign group.
l Tonight's public meeting will be held at 7pm in Scotstoun and Whiteinch Church on Earlbank Avenue.
03/03/06
Bob, 2:31 PM
