'Our village's green space could be destroyed by new homes'

Residents in a semi-rural Glasgow suburb fear a new housing development and access road will wipe out green space and wildlife in the area.

About 400 homes are earmarked for land in the village of Carmyle, which Glasgow City Council says will help tackle the region's ongoing housing emergency.

However locals have told BBC Scotland News of a litany of concerns, including losing a large part of green space, destruction of wildlife and an increase in traffic the area is not equipped to cope with.

Campaigners want funding and resources to go towards other issues in the area, such as repairs to a community centre, rather than the new homes.

The local authority's planning committee is still to make a decision on the proposed plan, but this week another committee - covering contracts and property - voted 10-2 in favour of altering the agreed use of land to include the creation of a road and embankment there as well.

That meeting took place as protestors gathered outside the City Chambers to voice opposition to the proposal.

Chris Mitchell has been heavily involved in the campaign against the development, which originally dates back to a planning application submitted by Carmyle Developments Ltd in 2017.

It will see about 400 new homes built at Cardie Park, next to River Road and Kenmuir Road.

Mitchell, who set up the Carmyle Re:Run group, said: "There is derelict land elsewhere in the city that is suitable for housing, but this is not that - it's green space that is well used and maintained by people across the community.

"We are all for the regeneration of Carmyle, but it needs to involve getting the community centre re-opened, getting local schools refurbished and looking at traffic congestion as a whole.

"These things should be sorted before a developer is given a contract."

Carmyle Developments Ltd first submitted a planning application in 2017 for land which includes the former Kenmuir Farm.

In addition to the original development, Glasgow City Council agreed to approve the off-market disposal of a further patch of land in November 2024.

This deal meant further plots of land at Kenmuir Road were also to be developed.

The area's Orchard Park has been protected but some locals told BBC Scotland News the loss of space at Cardie Park was a far greater concern.

Sharon Greechan has family members who regularly use the space while recovering from serious health problems.

"They have been told by their GP to keep active, and it's great for that.

"They go a walk, get some exercise, and it's good for mental health too.

"If these houses go ahead we won't have that anymore - it's not like you'll just walk around a housing estate the same way."

However some city councillors believe the plans could be hugely important for the area as a whole.

At Thursday's meeting Councillor Ruairi Kelly highlighted that the city is still facing a housing emergency - meaning there is huge pressure on the local authority to deal with the amount of homelessness cases.

Kelly, the convener of housing, development and land use at the city council, said in 2024 that the deal to dispose of the land would "bring significant benefit to the city, with much-needed new homes".

Protestors say they are not opposed to further housing in the Carmyle area, but feel concerns they are raising are not being given satisfactory answers.

Ava DeCrystal has lived in the area all of her life. She questions what will happen to the amount of wildlife found in the area, including otters, bats, deer and badgers.

She said: "You'll lose so much wildlife that goes along that area - where will they go?

"It's sad - it feels like it will kill the eco-space here."

Others are concerned about knock-on effects of the plan.

Mitchell said he does not believe the current space can handle a large influx of new residents, or extra traffic.

He also believes the site being close to the River Clyde will lead to flooding, particularly where the proposed new road will be.

A Sepa report previously stated the area suffered flooding once in a generation, something he disagrees with.

"It happens much more than that because there is no flood prevention for a big part of the area.

"You're talking about land near the Clyde and while looking at pie charts and maps is great, when you actually see it in person, you realise how close the river really is."

At Thursday's meeting council officials stated they had not yet carried out an on-site visit to look at the road, or at the proximity to the Clyde.

The two councillors who voted against approving the motion - Holly Brown of the Scottish Greens and Seonad Hoy of Your Party - both expressed reservations about backing the plan without officials having visited the area.

They also said Sepa's most recent flood assessment of the site is seven years out of date.

Officials stated in response that they believed there was no reason to think the road would be affected by flooding, based on consultation work carried out.

They also stated the new road part of the plan would help to lessen traffic, and stop any bottlenecks on other roads in the area.

The local authority's planning applications committee will consider the proposals in due course.