The plans would have seen treetop walkways and zip slides
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Campaigners succeed as controversial plans to build a treetop adventure playground in Pollok Park in Glasgow abandoned.
The Go Ape facility was given the go-ahead by dotty Glasgow councillors last year, despite a large campaign against it.
Now the firm behind the adventure course in the park’s north wood, behind the Burrell Collection, is pulling out.
Glasgow City Council has called it a “major disappointment” but the Save Pollok Park group said it was delighted with the move.
The proposed Go Ape adventure play area would have seen platforms and zip slides placed in the trees near the Burrell Collection.
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 Our main objective was to secure an additional attraction for park users  Robert Booth
Glasgow City Council |
In March 2008, members of the planning committee at Glasgow City Council voted in favour of the plan after a special meeting and visit to the site.
Despite a continued campaign from objectors, the Scottish National Party Government decided it would not issue any restriction or call in the plan.
The scheme was referred to Scottish ministers because the council had a financial interest in the scheme.
Go Ape are understood to have now decided the venture would be too expensive to pursue.
Inquiry call
Robert Booth, Glasgow City Council’s executive director of land services, said: “Obviously we regret Go Ape’s decision not to proceed with their facility at Pollok Park.
“Our main objective was to secure an additional attraction for park users at no cost or financial risk to the council.”
Save Pollok Park campaign said it was “delighted” with the decision of Go Ape to abandon its plans.
A spokesman added: “However, the council’s failure to consult and respond to the real legal and operational issues resulted in over two years of unnecessary work and a waste of taxpayers’ money which could have been avoided.”
“We call for a detailed inquiry into the council’s futile posturing and mishandling of the Go Ape affair.”
Campaign Information Background:
We are a group of park users and many others (over 5000 signatures) who are concerned about Glasgow City Council’s proposal to give a 21 years lease covering a large part of the North Wood of Pollok Park to Adventure Forest Ltd to develop a “GO APE ” facility
Go Ape and Glasgow Council are bogged down in a legal mess
It is now established that Pollok Park ( and Knowehead Lodge ) are part of the Common Good and they will haveto go to court to remove them
This will cost either Glasgow Council tax payers or Go Ape tens of thousands of pounds – and legal precedents are such that it is likely they will lose (and the case could take several years)
The NTS has not yet given its required consent for the proposals as they presently stand. The dicussions to use Knowehead Lodge have got nowhere
There is no chance of a lease being signed in time for the Go Ape proposed start date of 2010. If one is signed now it will be subject to a legal challenge
It is clear that Glasgow Councillors (and Go Ape) contiune to be misled by Land Services
We suspect they are all now trying to find a way to wriggle out of this without accepting that they have made a total mess – no doubt they will try to put the blame on the 5000 objetors and those of us who have been telling them since 2007 that they got it wrong in the first place
Oposition to Go Ape’s agressive tactics and flouting of local agreements is growing across UK
Go Ape and Glagow Council thought we would just go away- but we have shown that we undestand the legal status of Pollok Park better than them – and contiuue to win round many politicians at local and national level through our reasoned arguments and independent legal opinions . We are stronger than ever .
The Council , Go Ape and its PR company have produced no counter arguments or evidence to what we have been saying – in fact Go Ape tried to libel us in the press (Oct 2008) - a tactic which back fired as nobody believed them and made Glasgow people even more angry
So watch this space
UNDER PRESURE GLASGOW COUNCIL HAS FINALLY CONCEDED THAT POLLOK PARK BELONGS TO US – IT PART OF THE COMMON GOOD
IT CANNOT BE LEASED WITHOUT A COURT ORDER AND ANY INCOME BELONGS TO THE COMMON GOOD AND NOT COUNCIL SERVICES
WE SAY THAT AS IT WAS A GIFT TO US IN PERPETUITY WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE USE OF ANY PART OF IT
It is now officially established that the Park belongs to us – we have a right to use it freely without hindrance or cost as the people of Glasgow have been doing for over half a century - it is inalienable. Depite this the Council and Go Ape are still pursuing the idea of fencing off areas ( for example the land on the right of this photo identified as the Go Ape ” training area” ) and charging us £25 to go into it
I have been using the Pollok Park since I was knee high, and have been out running and walking in the park early morning very frequently over the last few weeks, and have been regularly spotting groups of six to eight deer grazing in the very spot that Go Ape propose to masacre. These deer have probably already been trapped within the park due to motorway and continuing developments around the park, but if Go Ape were to go ahead these deer will have a substantial amount of their habitat taken away. I can’t describe what an amazing site it is to see these deer and it elates me every time to see such beautiful wildlife so close to home. I am very much saddened by the fact that Glasgow Council disregard such an asset to the park and just want to fill their greedy pockets by collaborating with whoever it takes, they seem to have no shame.
I am 32 years young and would like to have enjoyed this park just the way it is, it’s a ‘little piece of peace’ just moments away from the hustle and bustle of the secular world
We exposed Glasgow Council’s flawed public consultation process, their cavalier treatment towards the National Trust for Scotland and that the Council and Go Ape’s statements that they would only come to Pollok Park if the people of Glasgow wanted them as a con
We exposed the the fact that Councillors were misled when they approved the proposal in 2007 – because they were not told of the legal agreement in place which mean that NTS consent is needed to certain developments – nor were they told that Pollok Park is Common Good Land – it cannot be alianated and anyway the projected commercial deal to raise money for Council services is a non-starter
We exposed the “offer ” by Go Ape of 450 free places to Glasgow schoolchildren as a con – head teachers were not asked if they would agree to the health and safety requirements or to virtually shutting schools down to enable enough teachers to accompany the pupils- we did ask and we have not found one school who said they would take up the “offer”
We have exposed the poverty of the planning application- the lack of public toilets, no parking survey was done, no study of the flora to be affected was done, the less than truthful assertion that ” we would have to look up to notice anything at all ” the visual and noise pollution of the fences and zip wires in an area of national landscape importance . Despite this 14 Councillors voted through the application – but now the Council has recognised the flaws and is trying to get round them – see News and Updates
We rallied over 5000 signatures , held public meetings of 700+ and a vigil of 1000 people . We have shown that we are not a small group of “NIMBYs but people from all over Glasgow and beyond who value the gift to the “Nation and the Citizens of Glasgow “ that is Pollok Park and are determined to safeguard it as it was intended even if the Council seems to have abandoned its obligations under the terms of the original gift
We have supported other campaigns in UK fighting GoApe proposals in equally unsuitable sites and exposed that they cannot be trusted – eg they have illegally felled trees in Chorley
Save Pollok Park supporters in Feb 2008 on the occasion of Pollok Park being awarded “European Best Park”
1000 people turned out to a silent vigil – to mark the site of the Go Ape development (we could only mark part of it) - here is the proposed site of a 120 metre mechanical slide across an area created by the Maxwell family in the 18th century, described by Scottish Natural Heritage as of National Landcape importance, home to several roe deer, and gifted to the city ” to be preserved in its orginal state. Go Ape says ” we will have to look up to notice anything at all”
See News and Updates for result of a debate with Glasgow Scouts and young people from Greater Pollok
See News and Updates for news of a campaign similar to SPP in Lancashire
See News and Updates
Find out why this will make the Council’s attempt to use money from Go Ape for Land Services unlawful - and what you can do about it - Go to The Common Good section of this website
Another successful public meeting on 28th October heard expert views affirm that Pollok Park is part of the Common Good of Glasgow and confirm our views on the Legal Agreements – See News and Updates for Details
Almost 300 people attended the meeting on 28th October at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall- they unanimously endorsed 2 new resolutions
A separate meeting was also held on 28th Oct to start the setting up of a Friends of Pollok Park
The National Trust for Scotland has publicly re- affirmed its opposition to the present proposal for the Go Ape development although at persent it remains neutral on possible alternative suitable sites in Pollok Park - Go to news and Updates for Details
An Archaeological dig has just finished on the Go Ape Site – see News and Updates for more details
An Archaeological dig has just finished on the Go Ape Site – see News and Updates for more details
A lovely view of Pollok illustrating why people feel that we need to conserve it as was intended in the gift to the people of Glasgow – as a country estate – and not an urban theme park - sent in by supporter Christopher S. Walton (thanks)
Cick on this Link to Gerry Fletcher’s website which has additional photos and videos (with sound ) of the Park and of some of Save Pollok Park’s actions to date
http://www.gerflet.co.uk/savepollokpark2008/
A packed meeting of 200 people vowed to continue to challenge the proposal . Representatives of 4 political parties were there- all of whom gave their support – Nicola Surgeon, the constituency MSP spoke as did Jackson Carlow MSP and Patrick Harvie MSP. Others were Robert Brown MSP and Bashir Ahmed MSP. Glasgow Councillors Danny Alderslowe and Paul Colsehill also spoke and Cllrs David Meikle , George Roberts and Margo Clark were there in support of the next stage which is to persuade Scottish Ministers to call in the application and overturn the Glasgow Council planning decision
THE REAL FIGHT TO SAVE OUR PARKS HAS JUST BEGUN – our main strength is in our numbers- already over 5000 petition signatures Can we all be wrong?
- To find out more about what is proposed go to The Development
- To find why we think it is a bad deal for Glasgow go to The Proposed Lease
- To find out about why Pollok is unique go to Historic Pollok
- To see photos of Go Ape and of the areas of the Park it will affect go to Photos- Go Ape/Park
- News and Updates includes some new and older pieces of news of the campaign
Here is a mock up of a the Zip wire going across the Glade – a Conservation Area and designed landscape of national importance (Historic Scotland)-and yet Go Ape says it will have little impact and ” we will have to look up to notice anything at all” - are these people serious?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD3FFT-Qt1Q
A soundtracked slide show of the Planning Commmitte’s visit to the Park on 25th March – thanks to Geery Fletcher (and Joan Baez – make sure you turn your speakers on)
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees
Put ‘em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see em
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got-till its gone
Joni Mitchell – Big Yellow Taxi- written in 1970 but the message is timeless
Pollok Park was gifted by the Maxwell family in 1969 “for the enjoyment of the citizens of Glasgow” and the “enhancement of the beauty of the neighbourhood” This development will restrict the use and enjoyment of parts of North Wood to ordinary users, walkers etc
It will cost £25 per adult and £20 for a teenager to use – that is not the meaning of the word “Gift”
There are agreements in place form 1939 and 1969 with the Maxwell family and National Trust – they have to be consulted and if they say no – then the Council cannot do this. Representatives of the family and the National Trust have formally objected – so why has the Council told the Company to put in a planning application?
The red lines mark are the activity areas with some fenced off bits adn zip wires – but the planning application area is the whole area within the yellow line – there is no guarantee that these sites may not move over the next 21 years – and we believe there is evidence that the sound of users and zip wires will carry across much of it. The blue dots mark the 2 new buildings – the Burrell Museum is botttom right- this area is 30% of North Wood and 50% of North wood outside the mountain bike track area
