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BURNBRAE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Special Edition Newsletter – January 2007

NEW BEARSDEN ACADEMY PLANNING APPLICATION -

PUBLIC HEARING TO BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY 31st JANUARY 2007

As reported in December’s newsletter, the Burnbrae Residents’ Association objected to the Planning Application for the new Bearsden Academy at the St Andrews Campus. We are not objecting to the new school being sited on the St Andrews Campus, but we are OBJECTING to the shortcomings in the content of the plans, as well as concerns over safety, and traffic management.

We, as a Residents’ Association, do not want to delay the building of the new school, but we do want the best possible facilities for our children and the community as a whole. We believed the only way to achieve this was to object to the Planning Application and, therefore, we requested a Public Hearing and a site visit in order that our concerns are fully presented to the Planning Board.

On 16^th January, the Planning Board granted a Public Hearing and a site visit, and decided to hold both the Hearing and site visit as quickly as possible.

Listed below in more detail are just some of the concerns:-

• The sports facilities proposed appear to be inadequate in size and number to satisfy the school curriculum and community use. For example, the all weather football/rugby sports pitch measures 106X66m, but ideally the playing area for rugby should be 100mX70m, add In-goal of 5m, as well as adding a min. of 5m to the playing enclosure for the line of touch. Ideally the pitch should measure 110mX80m.  A letter from SportScotland points out numerous shortcomings in the sports facilities.

• Quote from Scottish Hockey “Both of the proposed surfaces and the size of the second surface at Bearsden Academy would make the facility being developed unsuitable for hockey use by the community and the secondary school. It might be usable in a limited capacity by primary school aged children. This is supported by the International Hockey Federation”
• A grass running track is shown on the plans, crossing the rugby and football pitches. We believe that a modern all weather surface should be provided.
• We are concerned that there will be a time when no sports facilities are available at the existing site, the new site or Colquhoun Park. The PPP team have informed us that approaches were being made to Rangers for the use of Murray Park, West of Scotland Football Club for the use of Burnbrae, and University of Glasgow for the use of Garscube. The PPP team have no agreements in writing for the use of any other facility. We are therefore demanding that all facilities are maintained at the existing school until the new facilities are ready. If there are no sports facilities readily available the Council will fail in its duty to provide the required PE curriculum and extra curricular activities.
• We understand that a “parallel build” plan has been prepared but we have been refused sight of this. This plan we are told allows Bett Homes onto the playing fields at the existing school from April 2007. We are strongly objecting to this proposal, as sports facilities will be lost, and construction work will impact on pupil’s daily routine. This is also a very important period for pupils preparing for and sitting examinations.
• We have been informed that traffic management arrangements for the new site have not been finalised. We have many concerns, and we believe this should have been completed before the Planning Application was submitted, in order for us to make comment.
• According to the planning application the triangle at Stockiemuir Rd, Drymen Rd, and Duntocher Rd would remain in tact. This raises many safety issues for children crossing to enter and exit the school site, as the triangle is renowned for accidents

I am sure most of you will agree we have cause for concern. The opportunity to provide a new school only comes around every 50 or 60 years, and therefore we want to make sure we can get the best possible facilities for the new Bearsden Academy.

Your Committee have agreed that Keith Small and Amanda Stewart make a joint presentation on behalf of Bearsden North Community Council, Burnbrae Residents’ Association, Mosshead Residents’ Association and Baljaffray Residents’  Association.

We would, therefore, encourage as many of you as possible to attend the Public Hearing on Wednesday 31^st January 2007 at 5.30pm in the Council Chambers, Tom Johnston House, Kirkintilloch.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

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