RECENT letters from disgruntled Jordanhill residents point to a perceived democratic deficit in the way that Glasgow City Council has handled their calls to engage with them and consider their proposed community value proposition for the likely Cala Jordanhill Campus development (September 14&15).

Indeed, there has been a suggestion that the community’s calls have fallen on deaf ears due to the affluence of the area and Labour and SNP councillors collectively not identifying with the voter base.

As a resident in a neighbouring area I have some sympathy with the view that there was a lack of any meaningful attempt by CALA or the city council to engage transparently and wholeheartedly in consultation with the residents affected.

I laud the efforts by Jordanhill community council (JCC) to have the matters at hand reconsidered via judicial review.

However, there is certain irony, which is that the children of the families that are likely to move to the development are to be excluded from the uniquely funded and highly regarded Jordanhill School, which will be virtually on their doorstep.

Instead, the children will likely be dispersed amongst surrounding schools, some already facing their own capacity and infrastructure issues.

Despite this, the community value proposition focuses on the transferring of existing campus playing fields to what I understand to be the de facto control of Jordanhill School via an associated charitable trust.

Furthermore, there is a push for a non-council run pre and post-school day care facility, again servicing predominantly Jordanhill school pupils.

As a parent council member of a neighbouring school, my understanding is that limited attempts, if any, were made to engage with our own body by the council or the community council, despite us being obvious stakeholders. To my mind, this further undermines council’s planning process and suggests that it is not just affluent Jordanhill residents who have been subjected to undemocratic treatment.

Nevertheless, the community council is also not beyond reproach as the legitimacy and strength of its community value proposition has perhaps been undermined by not consulting neighbouring stakeholders whilst at the same time stacking potential benefits in favour of pupils of Jordanhill School

This is an establishment exclusively the preserve of existing residents that is not expected to shoulder the burden of an influx of children to the area.

It is my belief that a more open and transparent process from all at the city council, CALA and the community council at the outset of proceedings could have perhaps averted what will likely be a resource absorbing judicial review.

M Montgomery,

West Nile Street,

Glasgow.