3 days ago
Charity appeals ruling in bid to keep homeless shelter open
Homeless Project Scotland said the complaints depend on claims there has been a 'deterioration in local amenity and an alleged rise in anti-social behaviour'.
In its appeal, the charity said there is no evidence to back up the claims linking the shelter to the harms cited.
READ NEXT:'Frightened' homeless Glasgow teenager put in hostel dorm 'full of men'
The Shelter has been operating in Glassford Street since December 2023 with a free food service in the evenings.
Local residents and nearby businesses have said the shelter has led to more anti-social behaviour and said the queues outside before it opens are detrimental to the character of the area.
The charity in its submission states: 'Allegations of disorder, intimidation, and criminality are generalised in tone and speculative in content, often lacking dates, photographs, or incident reports.'
It also said it is significant that the police have not objected to the shelter.
The charity states it believes it has been refused permission on 'the basis of perception, prejudice, and an unevidenced fear of crime'.
READ NEXT:Mother and new baby turned up at homeless shelter needing help
It states: 'This omission carries substantial evidential and legal weight. In planning terms, the views of police are often determinative when objections relate to crime, public safety, or anti-social behaviour.
It adds that a named police officer confirmed there is no causal link between the shelter and crime trends in the area.
The ongoing wrangle has developed since the charity moved into the premises and operated without planning permission.
The council issued orders to close with a deadline to comply but the charity, in the meantime, applied for permission which was subsequently refused.
Homeless Project Scotland has now exercised its right to appeal the decision allowing it to continue operation until the process is exhausted.
The basis of its appeal is that the shelter is an essential part of the solution, not the cause of a persistent problem in Glasgow city centre.
The appeal states: 'These are long-standing urban challenges, rooted in structural factors such as economic deprivation, housing undersupply, public health inequalities, and mental illness.
'The shelter is not a source of the problem; it is an emergency intervention designed to alleviate its most dangerous manifestations.'
The organisation said that without the shelter, many people would be out on the streets overnight.
It said: 'The benefits of the night shelter are not speculative, they are verifiable and substantial.'
It added: 'The shelter's operation is consistent with the Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan, supports Glasgow City Council's statutory duties under the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.'
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council, said: 'An appeal has been received in respect of this application and it will be considered by the Planning Local Review Committee in due course.
'It would be inappropriate to comment further while this appeal is in place.'
