Author: adownie (Page 1 of 7)

Back Lane Repairs Update

We have previously reported on plans to undertake some repairs to the back lanes.

It’s been a bit quiet since, mainly because the Council then decided to require us to make a planning application. We have just been informed we have permission to go ahead, and we are looking at a possible start in late April, or failing that in July, depending on the availability of our contractor, Richard Birch Gardens.

The planning application applies to both Vennard/Marywood cross lanes where they meet Vennard Gardens. It can be accessed on the Glasgow Planning Portal, ref 23/00175/FUL, or this direct link might work.

The Marywood Square back lane repairs are just that, and simpler in scope, so we have not pursued a planning application for this work. It may also ultimately be outside our fixed budget, but we will endeavour to achieve what we can.

Meanwhile we were originally told this could be a pilot for further repairs, but have since been informed that we can only apply for funding once. So unless there is a change of policy, the project stops once this work is done.

Network Rail Update – A tale of two bridges

The footbridge

The footbridge is being replaced in the coming months, and should be in place by mid June and open in July.

You will have seen the single lane closure to establish a base on Darnley Road. Further closures are coming:

28 April-2 May
12 May-16 May
2 June-5 June

Complete closure of Darnley Road between Sainsbury’s and Kildrostan Street over three long weekends

5 June-13 June

Closure of Moray Place

This is the design of the replacement:

Network Rail’s latest design proposal. Apologies for the low resolution, but that’s what they supplied.

We have had some further detail (only after pressure…) as follows:

Continue reading

Back Lanes Funding – an update

Having reported last month about the council’s fund to refurbish private lanes, the Society have waited for the release of the details of the conditions and the regulations governing the Fund detailing who can apply and specifics of what funds can be used for. The good news is that details were finally released last Thursday. The bad news is that we have until 11 March to make an application. So we have less than a month to take things forward. This short timetable takes us to just before the local government elections, but presents a major hurdle to preparation of detailed proposals that will make a real difference in our community and that have had scrutiny by the local community.

Our original plan had been to organise to make a bid for each lane, forming sub groups around the individual lanes. That would have enabled individual solutions tailored to meet the needs of the different problems in different areas of Strathbungo. However given that the Council’s rules state that applications need to come from not-for-profit, legally constituted democratic groups with independent bank accounts, the time scales now make that impossible, given that processes for setting up individual groups is both time consuming and and subject to timescales imposed by the authorities who oversee those processes. The Society however is already such a group and can make an application covering the whole Strathbungo area.

The maximum bid to be considered is £20,000. Having examined the criteria that the Council see as being relevant for funding applications, the following would apply as problems common to our lanes:

  • Fly Tipping
  • Lane Surface Water/Drainage Issues
  • Enhanced biodiversity

Looking at the Strathbungo area, we know what the problems are but lack the expertise at this stage to specify solutions or to cost them. For example, drainage and pot holes are a common issue but dealing with them to ensure that we apply sustainable solutions that will last will require a full survey of the lanes. This should provide a costing of repairs and refurbishment. Given that there are promises on the table that the fund will continue going forward, that would allow future bids to be realistically prepared.

The Council also specify that there must be an element of ongoing future management attached to plans. In Strathbungo, we have a history of engagement in the environment, with regular Brighter Bungo clear ups taking place throughout the year. Pre-covid, those activities took place with cover from the council’s Public Liability Insurance. Unfortunately that cover has now been withdrawn. The Society believes that we should apply for money to cover the cost of Public Liability, enabling us to continue to have regular community clear-up days with the safety of volunteers in mind.

In addition, we would like to identify some immediate short projects that could be part of any bid to enhance the amenity of the lanes. Any suggestions should be addressed to treasurer@strathbungo.co.uk. To be included in the bid, they are needed by the end of this month, February, and where possible have some indication of likely costs.

The Society is committed to engaging as many local residents as possible in this process and will be holding a public meeting as well as ensuring that all residents are aware of the project.

Jane Carolan
Chair
Strathbungo Society

Happy New Year – but no Bells

Up until recently it was hoped that 2021 could be the Hogmanay celebration that Strathbungo is used to, a gathering of the community in celebration of the end of one year and the beginning of the new. But in the current climate of a further wave of covid cases, it would not be appropriate to promote a public event encouraging gathering and socialising. Bungo at the Bells should be convivial, social and celebratory, dancing a mad Gay Gordons along the squares. And it would difficult to achieve that with social distancing, masks and self discipline.

So in this period of rising cases we are suggesting that we all make a noise at midnight 2022 from our own doorsteps…..Ring out the old and hope for a newer, better year ahead.

Imminent Network Rail works

We have received the following notification of works this weekend and next week through the local community council and Cllr MacLeod:

Please see below works scheduled in the Strathbungo area that will be undertaken by BAM Nuttall:

  • We will be undertaking ground investigation works at Nithsdale Road bridge on Sat 20th (night shift) and from Mon 22nd – Fri 26th (day shifts).
  • During the single night shift on Saturday 20th and Monday 22nd dayshift, work will involve digging trial holes using a power unit and generator that will be situated on the railway under the bridge. We anticipate a medium level of noise created from the generator, however, please note we have arranged for acoustic sound barriers to mitigate this as much as possible.
  • Dayshift work from Mon 22nd – Fri 26th will be very low impact, with no traffic management or restrictions to the public.
  • All works planned are planned for completion on Fri 26th November 2021.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Network Rail using their 24-hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or via their website at www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus.

The Strathbungo Handbook

After a marvellously busy AGM and book launch last night, we can present to you The Strathbungo Handbook.

We have published this for our 50th anniversary and it is now on sale for £5. All the proceeds will go towards the Society’s events. It’s 32 gorgeous pages of eye-opening stories of the area, amazing photographs, a walking tour and a wonderfully illustrated pull out map. So if you want one as a souvenir or a fantastic Christmas present drop an email to sales@strathbungo.co.uk; we take PayPal, or cash or card on collection.

If you weren’t there last night, you will have missed Andrew Greg (No. 1 Moray Place) launching the book with a fantastic talk about all things Strathbungo, the 15 Minute Neighbourhood and thoughts of how we can make the area more environmentally viable (also in the book).

A huge thank you to all who came to the AGM last night. The Society can’t do the work we do without you. Thanks also to those who offered to join in the work. If you are also interested, come along to one of our meetings in the den at The Bungo on Nothsdale Road; there’s a social meeting on 14 December, and a back to business meeting on 18 January 2022. You don’t need to tell us in advance. See our calendar of events.

Strathbungo AGM and our big birthday – we’re 50!

AGM details

The Strathbungo Society AGM will be held on 16th November 2021.

Where: in the Hall at Queens Park Church of Scotland, 170 Queens Drive
When: Tuesday 16th November at 7pm

Agenda:

The required business of the AGM is first:

  • Approval of Minutes 2020
  • Chair’s Annual Report
  • Financial report of Accounts
  • Election of the management committee

Followed by other items of local interest:

  • Report of the East Kilbride line electrification
  • Bin & cleansing issues

If there are any other issues you wish to raise, please contact the chair at chair@strathbungo.co.uk by October 15th.

Papers in advance:

The Trustees of the Strathbungo Society have published our draft Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 and draft minutes of last year’s AGM. The meeting is asked to consider and then approve the Annual Report and Accounts before they are submitted to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. They will appear on the AGM Minutes page in due course.

The Annual Report gives an indication of what the Society has been doing and achieved over the last year (up to 30th April 2021), despite the pandemic.  Do please take a couple of minutes to read it – hopefully it will inspire people to get involved in whatever way they can!

If you have questions on either the Annual Report or the Accounts and are unable to attend the AGM, do please contact the Treasurer by email.

Our big birthday!

We will also be celebrating as the Society will be 50 this year. The AGM will be followed by the launch of a new publication on the history of the Society and Strathbungo, with cheese and wine.

We hope to see you there…

Please come along, hear about our past and our future, and support the work we do. New blood on the committee is always welcome too!

Network Rail Consultation Response

Here is Network Rail’s response to some of the questions raised by the recent bridge consultation:


Hello,

Thank you for your email and for providing us with meeting dates, I have shared these with the wider team and will get back to you with availability as soon as I can.

We have so far received a fantastic response rate from the community vote, and while we appreciate some residents in the area are disappointed at not being able to retain the current footbridge, overall the response to this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive. We have since extended the vote to encourage further engagement and the vote will now close on Friday 11th June.

For your reference, I have shared information below that supports some of questions that were raised by members of the community.

Community Option/Comparison to Stirling Station

Our teams were aware of the ‘Option D’ footbridge design that was shared by a member of the community, and while we are very appreciative of this engagement, the design unfortunately provides us with the same challenges around raising the height of the structure, an option that our project team and architects have explored in great detail.

The reasons for undertaking a bridge replacement at this location is that the bridge needs to be lifted in height to allow for electrification below it, and the sides of the bridge must have solid 1.8m high unclimbable parapets. Both these elements are safety related matters and therefore are not open to change or non-compliance. Due to the additional vertical loading from the proposed bridge modifications and the solid side increasing the wind load which would be applied to the bridge, substantial strengthening of the existing bridge would still be required, all of which would have significant impact on the visual appearance of the footbridge.

We appreciate there were some references in regards to the Stirling station project, although these bridge works are quite disparate. Stirling Station bridge was capable of accommodating the additional loading as a result of the 1.8m Perspex attached to the inside of the parapets, whereas the footbridge in Strathbungo cannot accommodate this loading without substantially strengthening the lattice work, and losing its main characteristic. The bridge in Stirling also sits within the A-listed station building and has a high footfall serving platforms 6 to 9, whereas the footbridge in Strathbungo is a C-listed structure, with a much lower footfall and doesn’t serve railway passengers.

Aside from the visual difference, altering the current footbridge with these changes is much more costly than a replacement. The bridge modifications could not be undertaken while the bridge remains in place from a safety point of view, therefore the bridge would need to be removed and taken away for such works to be undertaken. While the footbridge in Strathbungo encourages active travel amongst the community, it would not be a financially responsible decision to make these changes and raise the height of the current footbridge at this location. Although the most cost effective solution would be to remove the bridge entirely, we believed that this was not an appropriate solution in this instance due to local communities strong connection to this bridge, and as such took the novel and unusual step of creating multiple solutions and engaging with the local community to offer the opportunity to select their most preferred solution.

We appreciate that a bridge replacement is moving away from the Victorian style lattice structure which is there today, but sadly the existing structure is not fit for purpose in terms of the safety requirements for electrification.

Accessibility

In addition to the current footbridge not being the correct width for accessibility access, we are unable to provide the appropriate ramps for accessibility access due to several challenges. The bridge access on the East side leads directly onto the road at Moray Place which is not preferable for a proposed accessible bridge and the pavement widths also do not lend themselves as accessible approaches to the bridge itself. These issues associated with the road network and approaches are out with our control, and sit with the local authority.

There is a fully accessible alternative route over the railway on Nithsdale Road, approximately 50 metres away, and given the proximity of this alternate route, low footfall and this not providing access to station platforms, we are not obligated to consider an accessible solution for this structure. These factors, balanced with restricted space confirm that making this bridge fully accessible would not be considered an effective use of money. As these works form part of a larger tax payer funded decarbonisation scheme, we must demonstrate responsible and efficient use of public funding.

Please be assured that where possible and in line with regulations, we are progressing with many accessibility improvements along the route as part of this project.

I will be in touch shortly regarding the Zoom meeting, although please let me know if you have any further questions.

Kindest regards,

Rosie

Rosie Riddell
Communications Manager
Scotland’s Railway

Network Rail
151 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5NW
Rosie.Riddell@networkrail.co.uk
www.networkrail.co.uk

Strathbungo Eco-Group: Connecting and Protecting

You are invited to join a meeting of the Strathbungo Eco-Group: Connecting and Protecting. Examples of existing wildlife and habitats in Strathbungo and a discussion of what we can do to make them even better.

The meeting will be on Zoom.
When: Jun 8, 2021 20:00 Glasgow

Register in advance for the meeting:
Register here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

That bridge again

The reasons Network Rail say the footbridge at Strathbungo has to go are

  • It is too low to allow clearance for the electric overhead wires.
  • It is too dangerous as members of the public can poke objects through the lattice and risk electrocution.

Network Rail have proposed a higher bridge, with glass sides for protection.

A local, Seamus Phillips, created an interesting alternative approach, raising the existing bridge, and providing glass protection panels.

It is such a shame Network Rail have no prior experience of such a project.

Meanwhile, in other news

Here’s how Network Rail raised and restored the footbridge at Stirling Station to allow for electrification. How clever!

Bridge replacement at Stirling Station

You can read more about it on their website.

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