Court action threat over development on a historic Glasgow site

Cala managing director Jim McIntyre has spoken out as community leaders in Jordanhill raise a judicial review against Glasgow City Council over plans to build on the 35-acre site.

Mr McIntyre has warned that without high-quality residential development opportunities, the city risks losing talented people to other parts of the UK.

He said: "Glasgow and its city fathers have always been open for business; creating high quality residential developments within the city can make a major contribution to Glasgow’s competitiveness."

Almost 900 objections have been lodged with the council with residents demanding the development should be scaled down as well as offering a lasting legacy to the community.

The proposed development by housebuilder CALA Homes would see the landmark B-listed David Stow building in Glasgow's west-end converted into flats while scores of protected trees on the would be destroyed if the proposal is given the green light, say the protesters.

Hundreds are expected to attend a public meeting at Jordanhill Parish Church on Sunday to discuss the court action.

But the CALA executive says that with the Jordan Campus plans Glasgow has an opportunity to provide "new high-quality housing that will significantly improve housing supply in the city".

More than 40% of the proposed development will be given over to parkland, playing fields and children’s play areas. New public access will be created and people will be encouraged to use its paths to walk and cycle, getting them out of their cars, he says.

But he says they believe the proposals also "support Glasgow’s wider economic strategy".

Cala produced this new video promoting their proposals

An impact study in support of proposals carried out by consultants Peter Brett Associates for Cala claimed the development would create almost 200 jobs.

The economic impact assessment says the project would take six years to build, supporting 167 construction jobs annually. During the construction stage, a further 95 indirect jobs would be supported in the wider economy.

The construction would contribute more than £5m to the Glasgow economy, while the development's 400 homes would raise an extra £1.3m in council tax to spent on public services in the city.

But Professor John Winfield, chairman of Jordanhill Community Council said that the court petition is based on worries that the influx of new householders would exacerbate existing traffic and education provision issues and that there was a "lack of attention" to the history of the area.

He said: "Nobody in Jordanhill is against any development. It has a long history. All those are reasons for preserving it rather than let it be sacrificed to the vandals, which is what will happen if it is just left.

"We had assurances from the University of Strathclyde when they were the owners of the site, that they valued the relationships with the Jordanhill residents and wanted to see these continue. "What we want is recognition from the city and Cala that the community has a right to be involved in the processes that lead up to the development being put in place.

"We would like to have a constructive dialogue with the city and with Cala and there doesn't seem to be any prospect of that happening as of the moment.

"Under the plans as published by Cala, there is really no involvement of the community at all.

"We asked for a facility, for example, as part of the development which could be used by out-of-school activities involving schoolchildren and that's, as far as we know, not been agreed to."

The site, owned by the University of Strathclyde, was from 1913-93 home to Jordanhill College where close to 200,000 students became teachers, going on to educate generations across Scotland and around the world.