The following objection to planning application reference 19/01220/FUL for the land at Duke Street and Bellgrove Street has been submitted to Glasgow City Council by Dennistoun Community Council, as per our ordinary meeting held on 11th June 2019.
Dennistoun Community Council (DCC) generally welcomes many aspects of the proposed development at this site, and various elements of the submission are to be commended. However, there is a serious shortcoming. This development only includes one- and two-bedroom dwellings. Not one single flat has three or more bedrooms.
Succesful placemaking and urban planning of balanced and inclusive neighbourhoods, with a diverse mix of well-supported community facilities, should account for parents wishing to raise children. An appropriate supply of homes is critical in attracting and retaining families in an area that can grow and thrive sustainably. This development represents a significant opportunity to offer new opportunities for urban family living that would be missed if it is approved without provision for a suitable mix of households.
By way of comparison to this proposal, it is noted that initial New Gorbals regeneration developments included a significant proportion of family-sized homes: half of those properties included three or more bedrooms.
DCC identifies the following GCC policies as directly relevant to this matter:
– The Glasgow City Development Plan 2017 identifies a Strategic Outcome of “A thriving and sustainable place to live and work“. It states that “We want to achieve a City that is made up of sustainable, vibrant and distinctive places which are well-designed, accessible, safe, healthy and inclusive, and which provide for the City’s growing and diverse population.” CDP 1 (‘The Placemaking principle’) identifies the need to encourage “social cohesion” and “building diversity (lifelong living)” as part of “healthy urban planning control”. CDP 10 (‘Meeting Housing Needs’) states that “The focus of the Council’s approach is on ensuring that good quality places are created, with a mix of accommodation to suit different household types“.
– The Glasgow City Council Strategic Plan 2017 to 2022 makes a commitment to “Empower our citizens, giving them a stake, and a say, in what happens in their local communities and communities of interest“. It pledges to deliver “A Thriving Economy, A Vibrant City, A Sustainable and Low Carbon City, Resilient and Empowered Neighbourhoods, A Well Governed City that Listens and Responds“.
– Glasgow City Centre Strategy 2014–19 identifes nine City Districts. This development is adjacent to two of them. Of the six Core Objectives given, one is ‘Stay and Live’, pledging “To encourage new developments […]; to attract a variety of residents including professionals, families, down-sizers and students […]“.
If GCC is to adhere to those policies, the proposed application must be rejected with a requirement that any subsequently approved development includes suitable provision for the required balance of households.
– Dennistoun Community Council
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