Give us new home say West of Scotland Rugby Club
CONFUSION appears to surround the application by developers CALA for new sporting facilities including rugby fields for West of Scotland at Auchenhowie Road.
CALA's application seeks to relocate the club on a 25-acre greenbelt site at Auchenhowie for rugby fields and a golf range and will be heard again on Tuesday.
West's land at the present Glasgow Road rugby fields are to be re-developed for housing under the Kilmardinny/Westpark master plan and the original proposal by the developers included just under 10 acres of sporting facilities — earmarked for West.
It has been widely reported that the move to Auchenhowie was to facilitate 550 new houses at Kilmardinny — instead of the 330 envisaged in the masterplan.
However, West's president this week said this is misinformation and claimed the Auchenhowie suggestion came from the club and council officials.
In a letter to the planning board convener this week, Mr Cairns wrote: "With the officers of the local authority and officials also looking to move the Allander Sports centre nearer to Glasgow Road the master plan for the Kilmardinny/Westpark application was revisited.
"The statement has been made that this is a 'land grab' by CALA. This is not the case — it was West and EDC who asked for the change."
Mr Cairns refers to attempts to link the Auchenhowie application to the Kilmardinny development as misinformation, but objectors believe they are inextricably linked.
Keith Small, of the Kilmardinny/Wespark Action Group, said: "While the Auchenhowie application has to be judged on its own merits, it is a fact and not a notion, that the current local plan calls for the retention of facilities for West in the re-development of Kilmardinny."
Those in favour of West's relocation to Auchenhowie mobilised this week to gain support for the application.
P 5 coach David Sinclair told the Herald: "I have been informed there may be a council-led objection to the sale of the existing site at Kilmardinny and the proposed relocation to the new site at Auchenhowie.
"The boys played in five tournaments this season and won three taking on the best locally and winning.
"They are part of the future locally and need a new modern and larger facility."
In a letter to Milngavie Councillor Eric Gotts, copied to the Herald, Kate Mooney said: "I have been informed by the secretary of West that there may be a council-led objection to the sale of the existing site at Kilmardiny and the proposed relocation to the new site at Aucinhowie. I would be grateful if you could provide more information on this.
"My understanding is that the council does in fact support the retention and reconfiguration of the West facilities and I would like to understand what the objections are in relation to.
"The relocation and development of the new club would provide not only existing members, but the whole community with a state of the art sports and recreational facility available that would go some way to compensating for the reduction of sports grounds elsewhere.
"West of Scotland is a fantastic club with a huge community presence.
"It is one of the most successful and largest junior clubs in Scotland with a great history and heritage, producing a number of internationalists over the years.
"It is a fundamental part of the community not only of Bearsden and Milngavie but Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch too."
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Weather for Milngavie
Friday 25 May 2012
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