NEWS RELEASE: North Kelvin Meadow – award winners!

Posted on October 28, 2009

On the first anniversary of its formation, the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign (1) has been awarded a Certificate of Merit as part of Beautiful Scotland’s Neighbourhood Awards. Karen Chung, Treasurer of the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign, collected the award today at a ceremony in Motherwell Concert Hall.

The certificate was awarded as recognition for the environmental and community improvements the Campaign has made to a previously derelict site. The group won particular praise for tackling problems such as litter, graffiti and vandalism, and for positive efforts to communicate and engage with a wide cross-section of the local community.

Over recent months the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign has been threatened with eviction by Glasgow City Council, which wants to sell the land to a developer for flats. The land has never been built on and has always been a community resource. The campaign to retain the land as a community green space has attracted support from a wide cross-section of people, including MSPs Patrick Harvie (Green), Bob Doris (SNP) and Robert Brown (Lib Dem), as well as a petition of over 800 signatures.

Beautiful Scotland Assessor Brian Chennell praised the group’s work, saying:

“The project is at a very early stage but does have great potential, given the number of people involved and the size and location of the site. If they had the cooperation of Glasgow City Council, the group could develop the meadow into an alternative community area for the benefit of residents.”

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“There can’t be many community groups being threatened with eviction one day and winning awards the next. I am immensely proud of the work the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign have done over the last year, work which I know is inspiring people across Glasgow and more widely.

“This award is yet another clear message to Glasgow City Council – it must now be time to abandon your efforts to undermine the good work the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign is doing and instead get behind their efforts to improve their neighbourhood. The administration appear to have forgotten who they were elected to serve, but hopeully this award will refresh their memory.”

Notes

1. The North Kelvin Meadow Campaign was launched on 13 October 2008 after Glasgow City Councillor Jim MacKechnie rejected out-of-hand the results of a survey conducted in August 2008 by Douglas Peacock, chairman of the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign. The survey showed local residents overwhelmingly supported the creation of a green space on the former Clouston Street pitches and opposed the Council’s plan to sell the land to a property developer for the construction of 115 flats.

Since its launch the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign has worked to transform the former pitches, which have been disused for over two decades, into a multi-use community green space comprising allotments, an orchard and a wild meadow. Residents have come together to clear the land of rubbish, repair and paint fences, install composting facilities and raised-bed allotments.

The online petition can be found at:
www.gopetition.com/online/28274.html