A COMMUNITY has claimed victory in stopping plans for Green Belt housing in Glasgow's last remaining village which were given the go-ahead in breach of the city council's own rules.

Glasgow City Council has said they were not contesting a Court of Session appeal by Carmunnock residents over the decision.

Carmunnock Community Council had called on the chief executive of Glasgow City Council to investigate the "farcical" decision, warning it has ramifications for sensitive conservation areas across Scotland.

It set up a fighting fund of around £7,000 initially in its court fight over the decision by the three-member city council planning review committee it describes as "outrageous" as Glasgow prepared to host the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

The council appointed lawyers who delivered court papers to the Court of Session over what it called "an unexpected and unplanned giveaway of Green Belt".

Glasgow City Council said that the only way it could be opposed now is through a judicial review.

The row surrounds plans by East Kilbride-based Zoom Developments to build four new five-bedroom homes on green belt land in Carmunnock, despite proposals for the site being previously rejected by the council.

The homes are to be built on "iconic" green space called locally as The Horse Field in Busby Road, which was used for equestrian grazing.

Last year, the council said that it was not considered to be in accordance with their development plan for the area and would result in the loss of Green Belt "with a significant adverse impact on the landscape character of Carmunnock village".

Community councillor Derek Scott said: "While we are delighted that good sense has prevailed and Glasgow City Council has conceded the case at the Court of Session over the Green Belt development we have a number of residual concerns over the conduct of the city council committee that first passed the project.

"This has been a bitter and costly experience for the residents of Carmunnock.

"As such we will be writing a range of stakeholders shortly to ask for meetings to discuss what happened and why?

"Why was this Green Belt development allowed to get planning permission by councillors on the committee against GCC’s policy and advice "What can be done to reform the nature of Glasgow’s planning procedures and structures to prevent this happening again?

"And shat assurances can be given to the people of the village of Carmunnock that we will not have to continue to live in this perpetual state of conflict with Glasgow City Council, the planning committee and developers to preserve our village and the green belt around the city."

The Herald:

The council's environmental policy states that “it is important that the council continues to exercise a strong presumption against development that would adversely affect the function and integrity of the remaining green belt."

But SNP Drumchapel and Anniesland councillor Anne McTaggart, a former MSP, who chaired the planning review panel said she wanted to uphold the appeal believing the development "enhances the most beautiful conservation area". She said she took into consideration the families in the area who would be able to remain because of the new homes.

The community council had said that if the city council defends the action, it would have to explain the actions of the councillors who ignored strong advice from its own officials that they needed "material reasons" to allow the green belt development.

A council official had advised the councillors the plans do not meet any of the official exceptions against Green Belt development in the latest 2017 review.

The community council created its own video on the council discussions and urged people to watch it to "fully understand the lack of process, apparent lack of knowledge of the issues and consistent ignoring of advice from council officials" that was evident.

Mr Scott added: "This case has caused significant and tangible stress to hundreds of people in the community as well as leaving us with a large legal bill to pay.

"It is an appalling waste of time, resource and money to continually fight these cases against Glasgow City Council (acting on behalf of the planning committee) when we believe it is the council and councillors that should be upholding the city’s policies and protecting the Green Belt.

"It should not be up to citizens living in Carmunnock to fund these repeated battles from our own pockets – often with pensioners and families on low income contributing to the legal costs – in order to get Glasgow City Council and councillors to follow the council’s own policies."

The council, which has previously said the only way it can now be opposed is through a judicial review, declined to comment on the case.

Lying five miles south of Glasgow city centre and surrounded by green belt land, the old part of Carmunnock was declared a conservation area in 1970 and has its own heritage trail.

Since the project surfaced last year, there have been a total of 107 objections from residents including a petition with 63 signatures were presented to the council over concerns.

The Herald:

The West of Scotland Archaeology Service (WoSAS) warned that the development fell within an area of some sensitivity in an area that included recorded sites and finds from the prehistoric and medieval periods.

Agents for Zoom which backed the plans told the council that the land was what it called a 'gap site' and added: "It is incredibly difficult to justify why this site is not considered developable in principle. Its continued designation and protection as Green Belt is on balance unjustified."