The planning application to create a rear door for Sammy Dow’s,  change the frontage and knock a new entrance gate through the boundary wall, has been given the green light by both planning officers and the Planning Committee.  The window planned for the back has thankfully been dropped.

It has been a monumentally long wait – since April – but it was decided by councillors of the Planning Committee to grant the application on the 19^th of August.

Prior to this, nobody on the planning team would even confirm whether it would go to committee. Then when it was recommended by planners and passed to the committee, none of the many objectors was informed of the date and time. This means that Strathbungo residents were denied the chance to go to witness the process. This is despite many requests to the department for notification of the date.

The Planning Portal on Glasgow City Council’s website still lists it as “pending decision” which is an unacceptable delay in letting people know about an important planning application.  I only got access to the report which gives the details yesterday, the 8th of September.

The good news is the fact that councillors seem to have understood and shared our concern that this was really a new entrance/exit to the pub and that the deck was intended as a place for people to smoke. Therefore a stringent condition was attached, by councillors, to the permission :

“For the avoidance of doubt and in the interest of clarity the fire exit to the rear shall be used as a fire exit only and a break glass system used at all times hereafter and shall not be used for any other purpose, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Planning Authority”

This clause means unless there is a fire in the building (which we would sincerely hope there never is) the door at the back of the pub should never be open. If it ever is, we must report it to the Planning Department immediately.

Although there will be disappointment at the fact the plan has been granted approval, this condition is the result of strong co-ordinated objection from residents. It proves it’s worth the cost of a stamp or the click of a ‘send’ button.

I would like to thank everyone who lives in the area who helped with the objections.  Thank you must also go to our MSP Nicola Sturgeon, Cllr MacLeod, Cllr Meikle and Cllr Raja who made their views known and supported residents.

You can read the report and judgment by following the links below.

Sammy Dow Planning Report

Sammy Dow Planning Judgement