Go Ape - Public Meeting

Received from Save Pollock Park Campaign

There will be an open supporters' meeting at 8pm on Wednesday, 2nd April.

The meeting will be in two parts. First, we will have a cross-party panel of national and local politicians all of whom are opposed to the Go Ape application and the way it was handled by the City Council. You will have an opportunity to ask questions and hear their views.

Nicola Sturgeon MSP and Conservative Councillor David Meikle, late of the Planning Applications Committee, have already accepted and we have sent invitations to the Greens and LibDems. We have also invited the one Labour councillor who spoke against Go Ape, Bailie James McNally, to attend.

After this discussion, we will work out plans for the next stage .We have lost round one of our campaign but last Tuesday's decision by the Planning Applications Committee was only a bump on the road to victory. It's now time to re-energise ourselves for the very important next phase – to have the planning decision called in by Scottish Ministers. For this - and other actions - we need your continued support and ideas.

Scottish Ministers can call in a planning decision due to the strength of opposition, when there are grounds to question how the planning authority reached its decision and if there are wider policy issues.

The Council has not yet granted a lease to Go Ape and it's important to launch this action to prevent that happening.Up till now the campaign has only been able to oppose on strict technical planning grounds and the Council was able to hide behind this to avoid answering bigger questions. At a call-in, we can raise more relevant issues about the way the 'consultation' was conducted, whether the Council has any right to grant a lease (given the conditions of the deed of gift from the Maxwell family) and the conduct of the council planning department in its preparation of the planning report.

Please note the meeting will be held in Pollokshields Burgh Hall, Maxwell Park, G41 4LL Glencarin Drive. (not Pollokshaws) at 8.00pm

For more info on the Save Pollock Park campaign click here