More than 100 residents form human chain to 'hug' bowling green in bid to protect the 'only green space' from developers

Daily Mail​

06-05-2025

More than a hundred campaigners gathered at a bowling club to form a human chain and 'hug' around the site in protest over plans for it to be bulldozed.
Furious locals held hands to create a ring around the site in Carmunnock Road, Glasgow, to show their outrage at blueprints to rid them of their 'only green space'.
Noah Management and Developments want to bulldoze the building and replace it with 32 flats.
Planning officers have recommended the proposals are given the go ahead when they are put before the local council's planning committee.
But residents have blasted the developers and asked: 'Are you out of your mind to build on that space? It's our only green area.'
More than 120 locals gathered on Saturday to carry out the protest.
Nicola Smith is the chair of the directors at Mount Florida Community Trust, which was set up to fight the proposal.
She said: 'It's right in the heart of our community, right in front of our eyes. It's just very, very sad that it's not available to the community.
'Are you out of your mind to build on that space? It's our only green area. There are other places that could be built on, even within the boundaries of Mount Florida.
'We want access to this.
'The argument that we didn't have access to it before because it was privately owned, frankly, does not hold water, as it doesn't mean that we can't be entitled to having access to it now.'
The battle for the site started in 2020, after the bowling club closed due to insufficient numbers, when the first plan was lodged for 40 homes on the Southside area. This was rejected by planning officials, along with an appeal.
But now, the developer has submitted a set of new documents, which are due to go before the committee and are recommended for approval.
The application, which received 125 letters of support, includes a publicly accessible community space, spanning over half the existing site, as well as a 'community facility'.
Glasgow City Council also received 249 objections to this bid as members to the group say half of the field is 'not enough'.
Nicola explained: 'If it's lost, it's lost forever. Nobody pulls down buildings to reinstate a park, so we are desperately trying to keep this space green.
'When word started to get out that the club was really in difficulties, we asked if we could negotiate with them to look into ways to purchase the site.
'But all of those applications were denied.
'The developer went ahead and bought the site. They knew that there was a strong community wish to keep that space.
'But they pressed ahead and bought it anyway. It was essentially a hostile act against the community because we had demonstrated our need and enthusiasm to keep this space.'
Their goal is to get hold of the greenery and develop it not into a housing scheme but something that residents can use, especially since the site is near a school.
The Mount Florida local explained that the lengthy planning dispute is draining but they will not give up.
She said the process feels like the odds are stacked against them but added: 'We are clinging on to this green space, desperately trying.
'It's recognised that Mount Florida is short of green space, and it's not as though there is anywhere else in the area that we could go.
'This is a whole conversation that should not have gotten this far because after the last planning application was rejected, the community had resoundingly demonstrated the need for this space.
'We live here, this is going to influence the whole feel of our environment forever.
'So, we have motivation, we have to keep finding the energy to fight.'