Meeting Minutes, 26 April 2022

Approved at our meeting on 31 May 2022.

1. Welcome

Tam Coyle welcomed everyone to our first in-person meeting in two years, and our first hybrid meeting

2. Attendance and Apologies

2.1. Community Councillors

Tam Coyle, Niall McColl, David Cowan, Scott Thornton, Gary Atkinson, Daniel O’Malley, Peter Hayman, Eileen Mills;

2.2. Residents

AL, TM, AC, SD, BC, TD, RH, PP, EM, RW

2.3. Elected Representatives

Lord Provost Phillip Braat, Deputy Lord Provost Christy Mearns, Cllr Eva Bolander, Cllr Angus Millar

2.4. Ex-Officio

Rob Wilson - Police Scotland; Clive Wilding, Conor Pittman, Gary Stodart, Teri Porter - Artisan

2.5. Apologies

None

3. Artisan Real Estate, 65-97 Ingram St

3.1 Presentation - Clive Wilding, Conor Pitman, Gary Stodart

  • https://65-97ingramstreet.co.uk
  • Approximately 1200 people have taken part in the consultation
  • Presented to planning officers. PAN period complete, but planning application not submitted – in final stages of preparation for submitting application in mid-May.
  • Focusing on the garden development of the site for this presentation
  • Pend entrance from Ingram St – now 4 separate entrances to the development
  • Ground floor is retail/commercial; highly glazed – will be able to use the courtyard
  • Roof view – Todd building will look down on to the development.
    • Mostly communal space
    • 3 bed flats have own outside space
  • Massing - stepping up to 7 storey bookends at east and west end of the development; maintaining heights on Albion St and Candleriggs
  • Landscape and urban context
    • Courtyard will be a key space as part of Merchant City art trail
    • Trying to take a holistic viewpoint of the development – trying to integrate artwork and garden into the design from the start
    • Courtyard, balconies and roof space contribute to the ecology and diversity of the area
    • Acknowledge that trees are present on site – new trees will be planted
    • Total area of existing vegetation – 648m2
    • Total area of planned biodiverse planting – 1163m2:
      • Ground Floor courtyard – 144m2
      • Communal Terraces and roof – 979m2
      • Balconies 40m2
    • Higher biodiversity value than current site
    • There will be still hard, usable public space
    • Solution has to be robust for Glasgow’s climate
      • Courtyard will be fully accessible to residents and general public
      • Looking at doing something “different” to make the space “sing” with planting and layout, with biodiversity value

3.2. Questions

Tam Coyle – can we have a copy of the presentation. Artisan will send link to the website

  • How much of the mural will be saved and will be seen? MCTCC commissioned the mural and selected the design
    • The building returns will obscure outer parts of the mural
    • There will be new artwork on the left hand side
    • Length of courtyard is longer than two tennis courts, and depth is more than one

Carla Arrighi – who will pay for the maintenance of the mural

  • Glasgow City Council own the wall the mural is painted on
  • Residents will own the courtyard, but factors will manage it – still working out details
  • There will be a public right of way during normal hours, but will be closed at night

Christy Mearns – are you conscious of loss of amenity to the public realm through the loss of existing trees.

  • They did look at this in some detail, including putting trees in the street – however lots of utilities running along the pavement, making it very difficult to put trees there
  • Looking at maximising the trees within the courtyard – design isn’t finalised yet

Scott Thornton – biodiversity. Seems to be mostly on the upper floors. There’s a need to bring families back into the centre of Glasgow, but how many of the apartments will be 1-bed, as that’s not a family apartment?

  • 13-14%; 18% will be 3 bed, the remainder will be 2-bed

Eileen Mills – who’s going to lock and unlock the gates to the courtyard?

  • This will be the responsibility of the factors/estate manager
  • Are the roofs all flat, with greenery? They are flat roofs, as they are gardens. From environmental impact, stalled water – SEPA are pushing for developments to handle water management through the building to feed the gardens
    • The greening is all “in the sky”, so not much to be seen by the public. Can’t really compare what is there now with what will be there in the future
    • Communal access for residents to gardens

Christy Mearns – are potential owners aware of the expense burden attached to opening the gates being opened and closed? Also, proposed building materials don’t fit in with the heritage of the conservation area.

  • As part of the application there will be an accessibility strategy

PP – Community fought hard for the mural, but if the development goes ahead, the residents will be the main beneficiaries of the mural, as public won’t be able to see mural in the way they do just now.

  • None of the views show the trees
  • Todd Building and Ramshorn Kirk are taller, but the proposal seems to be taller than all the other buildings on the south side of Ingram St
    • It is unashamedly modern architecture; low/zero carbon, low energy
    • Building materials have been reviewed and updated several times in discussion with planning officers.

TD – when will the build start. Hope to be on site early 2023. 2 year build

4. Minutes of Last Meeting (29 March 2022)

4.1. Update on Action Points

Item Action by Update
1 Report back on meeting with Mairi Miller re Connolly’s bar, and speak to her re coffee shop on Candleriggs Christy Mearns Coffee shop on Candleriggs still serving food and BYOB.  TC has written to the planning officer.Connolly’s – ongoing issue.
2 Follow up on Candleriggs TRO re pedestrianisation south of Bell St Christy Mearns Not being enforced due to the Candleriggs development – access required at all times of the day. Once development complete, a more restrictive TRO will be put in place
3 Contact David Cowan re experiences with recent filming Angus Millar David is out of the country – Angus will contact David by email
TC – still want to know who in GCC agreed to loud explosions at 1am during recent filming – we were told by the film office that permission was granted.Christy is surprised to hear that; Angus agreed that councillors were not informed
4 Confirm arrangements re use of City Chambers, including ventilation and streaming facilities Phillip Braat Not much ventilation, and wifi is poor. We will continue to follow up – windows do open, but it’s the full window.
5 (Feb) Confirm how many staff directly involved in graffiti removal with Denise Hamilton Tam Coyle Carried to next meeting
6 (Feb)Discuss possibility of having street art on lampposts Tam Coyle and PP Carried to next meeting
7 Impact of demolition of Annie Miller’s pub on local residents Eva Bolander Missed from previous meeting. When the work takes place, there will be a lot of mess. To be discussed once work starts

4.2 Corrections to minutes of last meeting

No changes were requested.

4.3. Approval

Proposed by:  Daniel O’Malley
Seconded by: Carla Arrighi

5. Matters Arising

None raised

6. Police Report (Rob Wilson and Stephen Clark)

6.1. Report

6.1.1. St Enoch Square

  • Still problems with anti-social behaviour
  • Currently running the Safer Glasgow City Centre Policing Plan
  • Traditionally for the night-time economy, but focussing on an earlier start to the programme to tackle anti-social behaviour.
  • Great engagement from Safer Communities team over the last few weeks, and youth engagement team

6.1.2 Connolly’s bar

  • Not in a position to say anything at present, other than there is on-going engagement via a couple of partners

6.1.3. Candleriggs Traffic Enforcement

  • Good number of tickets issued – mixture of residents and visitors

6.2. Questions

  • PP – observation - will the lack of parking in the new development lead to more illegal parking?
  • ST – Anti-social behaviour is not restricted to St Enoch. How many CCTV cameras are functioning in Glasgow?
    • 98% of publicly managed ones, on average
    • Private CCTV cameras are harder to monitor, especially in lanes
  • GA – Is there a plan for the upcoming football matches?
    • There is a robust policing plan in place for all matches.

7. Treasurer’s Report (Carla)

  • Still working on getting access to the account. Taking a lot longer due to banking bureaucracy.

8. Elected Members Reports

Lord Provost Braat had left the meeting due to illness.

8.1. Deputy Lord Provost Christy Mearns

8.1.1. Car parking on open ground at Albion St

  • Fencing to be installed round the ground

8.1.2. Ramshorn Graveyard

  • Property is owned by City Property, who don’t have the staff to open the gates
  • Consideration should be given to moving it from City Property to Council ownership
  • There are dilapidations to resolve but these don’t prevent the park from re-opening

8.1.3. Parking

  • 628 fines since end of March to 26 April

8.1.4. Parklets

  • Following up on process for process for progressing proposals

8.2. Cllr Eva Bolander

8.2.1. Merchant City Festival

  • Dates confirmed as Thursday 28 to Sunday 31 July
  • Will be invited to give presentation at next meeting
  • MCF want to use Ramshorn for one of their events

8.2.2 High St Tenements

  • Planning application submitted for some of them

8.2.3. St Enoch Planning Application

  • Last date for comments is 29 May 2022 (updated)

8.2.4. Buskers

  • Complaints have restarted about loud buskers in the city centre. Will be taken up with officers

8.2.5. Green Spaces

  • South of Trongate could be part of greening plan

8.3. Cllr Angus Millar

8.3.1. Parking

  • Enforcement taking place
  • Inquiries from businesses due to lack of loading facilities
  • Has asked council to engage with businesses for a more permanent solution

8.3.2. St Enoch

  • Planning application includes student accommodation as one of the options, which is something that will be commented on.

9. Planning (Peter Hayman)

  • Peter shared the list of applications, including the redevelopment of St Enoch – 22/00817/PPP

10. Licencing (Tam Coyle)

  • No time for update

11. Merchant City Park (Eileen and Peter)

  • No time for update

12. Social Media (Niall McColl)

  • No time for update

13. Local Issues (all)

13.1. Planters in Merchant City

  • Eileen Mills – planters in the area are not suitable. Question for the hustings event.

14. AOCB

14.1. Hustings

  • Reminder that hustings will take place on Thursday 28th at 7pm via Zoom

15. Date of next meeting

Tuesday 31st May 2022 at 7pm – City Chambers and online via Zoom

16. Action Points

  1. Report back on meeting with Mairi Miller re Connolly’s bar, and speak to her re coffee shop on Candleriggs (Christy Mearns)
  2. Confirm arrangements re use of City Chambers, including ventilation and streaming facilities (Phillip Braat)
  3. Confirm how many staff directly involved in graffiti removal with Denise Hamilton(Tam Coyle)
  4. Discuss possibility of having street art on lampposts (Tam Coyle and PP)

MCTCC/meetings/2022

by admin

Meeting Minutes, 29 March 2022

1. Welcome

Niall McColl welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2. Attendance and Apologies

2.1.  Community Councillors

Niall McColl (Vice Chair), Carla Arrighi, Peter Hayman, Eileen Mills, Gary Atkinson, David Cowan, Daniel O’Malley and Scott Thornton.

2.2.  Residents

AL, PP, EM

2.3.  Elected Representatives

Cllr Eva Bolander

2.4.  Apologies

Tam Coyle; Lord Provost Philip Braat; Deputy Lord Provost Christy Mearns, Cllr Angus Millar; Fiona Clark

3.   Minutes of Last Meeting (22 February 2022)

3.1.  Update on Action Points

Item Action by
1 Report back on meeting with Mairi Miller re Connolly’s bar, and speak to her re coffee shop on Candleriggs Christy Mearns Carried to next meeting
2 Provide copy of Planning Enforcement Charter Eva Bolander Provided by email
3 Follow up on Candleriggs TRO re pedestrianisation south of Bell St Christy Mearns Carried to next meeting
4 Contact David Cowan re experiences with recent filming Angus Millar Carried to next meeting
5 Follow up on recycling collections from 103 Hutcheson St Phillip Braat Resolved
6 Follow up on graffiti tagging on Albion St Phillip Braat Resolved
7 Arrange for “Open daily” notice at Ramshorn to be corrected Eva Bolander Will be re-opening in April – budget approved; needs to be transferred from City Property 
8 Confirm arrangements re use of City Chambers, including ventilation and streaming facilities Phillip Braat Full meeting of council on Thursday – Hybrid style, will be rolled out to some of the committee rooms
9 (Feb) Confirm how many staff directly involved in graffiti removal with Denise Hamilton Tam Coyle Carried to next meeting
10 (Feb)Discuss possibility of having street art on lampposts Tam Coyle and PP Carried to next meeting

3.2.  Corrections to minutes of last meeting

No changes were requested.

3.3.  Approval

Proposed by:  Scott Thornton

Seconded by: David Cowan

4.   Matters Arising

None raised

5.   Police Report (Rob Wilson and Stephen Clark)

5.1.  Report

  • No report as no police presence

5.2.  Questions to be passed to the police

5.2.1.    Grafitti

  • EB - Some areas of the riverfront its no longer value for money to try and cover up the graffiti.
  • ST – thanks to Lord Provost for prompt responses re graffiti on Clyde St
  • ST - given the CCTV coverage in the city, why are more culprits not apprehended.
  • NM – Frieze on Wilson St end of Old Sheriff Court has been targeted recently; removed by private contractors but stonework was damaged due to use of pressure washers

5.2.2.    Youths climbing on Glassford St Car Park

  • Was reported by a resident as a 999, as they were climbing on dangerous parts of the building, and no response to 101 calls

6.   Treasurer’s Report (Carla)

  • Everything is now sorted, except for a recent bank statement. 
  • £1,290.71 as of 8th October.

7.   Elected Members Reports

7.1.  Cllr Eva Bolander

7.1.1.    Graffiti and youth problems

  • Complex issue. 
  • Several different groups:
    • Kids from outskirts of the city, younger than traditionally would come into the city centre
    • Kids from outside the city – as far afield as Aberdeen; result of lockdown
    • Some are groups of friends
    • Some gangs, often pre-arranged via social media
    • Premeditated criminal groups – may include vulnerable children
  • Initiative in Kelvingrove Park last year restarted for 2022; lessons from last year have been learned

7.1.2.    Problems with Glassford St car park

  • Youths climbing on dangerous parts of the building
  • Similar problems have been encountered at residential building near Central Station
  • Ongoing issue

7.1.3.    Speeding on Ingram St

  • Unenforced 20mph zone
  • Exacerbated recently by high volume of traffic redirection recently
  • Investigating introduction of traffic calming measures

7.1.4.    Parking on Candleriggs

  • Enforcement is taking place, but doesn’t seem to make a difference
  • Further discussion needed re enforcement and prevention

7.1.5.    Merchant City Festival

  • Will be an in-person event this year, from 28 – 31 July
  • Less emphasis on food trucks, more emphasis on supporting local businesses
  • Details still being worked out, but George Square and Merchant City will feature heavily.

7.1.6.    Green and Open Space Fund

  • Fund has been renewed for 2022/23
  • One possibility is for planters and seats outside the Ramshorn
  • Another is Kings Court or South Block, south of Trongate

7.1.7.    Friends of Ramshorn

  • Initial meeting will take place soon

7.1.8.    Community meetings

  • Space available within the City Chambers from 1 April

7.2.  Deputy Lord Provost Christy Mearns (by email)

7.2.1.    Graffiti on Clyde St

  • Reported and removed

7.2.2.    Indiscriminate parking on green space, between Albion Street and Shuttle Street

  • Confirmed ownership is not within GCC but Strathclyde University and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow so I have written to them asking for solutions to be found

7.2.3.    Indiscriminate pavement parking on Candleriggs

  • Reported and I am chasing up Parking Enforcement attention

7.2.4.    Green space funding for parklets

  • I organised a walkabout with Parks officers and members of the Community Council. This was a positive meeting exploring options for Merchant City “Parklets”, seeking confirmation of the funding available for MC (which I will report on separately) and opportunities for greening which there is undoubtedly a strong need for.
  • There was interest in a possible site at the corner of Wilson Street/ Candleriggs; a possible site on the sunny corner of Wilson Street/ Hutcheson Street; a possible option on Wilson Street (in a parking space roughly outside Cavendish Clinic); and a possible option of introducing small trees in the existing large capacity black planters around Wilson Street, Hutcheson Street eg.
  • To keep costs down, as there is not a significant amount for each “parklet”, we discussed the possibility of considering benches (bolted down) and planters, alongside other ideas to introduce more bespoke timber raised structures.
  • Officers strongly supported each option in principle – they believed that they were all relatively quiet spots with a good degree of sunlight and direct sun. I have requested that further detail on feasibility of each option be provided at the earliest opportunity, so all options can be looked at in the round, and communicated to local residents, before a final decision is taken.

7.2.5.    Ramshorn Cemetery

  • seeking update on the budget I secured to permanently reopen it. It is owned by City Property so the Council is engaging with them to understand how they will provide public access to the site in line with the Council’s decision and recently-allocated budget. This is not however a business-as-usual activity for City Property so they may come back to the Council asking for assistance; if they do, Council officers will work with colleagues in City Property in order to provide access in line with the budget decision.
  • I believe that the asset should be considered for transfer back to the Council who may be better placed to manage and maintain this public space. I am making enquiries about this and will keep you updated about wider progress on this generally.

7.2.6.    Artisan, Ingram Street Site

  • I understand that the Community Council may vote to object to the pre-application proposal for residential development on this site. I would be happy to support the CC, and residents, in objecting to this pre-planning proposal at this moment in time, as I believe that it presents a good opportunity to make representations and provide an early opportunity to resist private housing development here which, in my opinion, is not in the best interests of local residents, of the environment, and of the liveability of the local area.

7.3.  Questions

  • DM – Parking on Albion St open space – parking tickets were issued, but problems persist
  • EM – update on ventilation in Committee Rooms; Eva unsure, will follow up
  • EM – noted that “Four corners” is not so named now, as problems are wider than that area. Action points have been implemented, including taking the children home to their parents
  • ST – Greening the Merchant City. Useful meeting with horticulturist, but no guarantee that GCC will maintain them longer term.
  • GA -  similar youth related problems at Union Square in Aberdeen; there they found an old bye-law that was used to prevent offenders coming into the city

8.   Planning (Peter Hayman)

Planning list had been circulated in advance:

  • 22/00292/LBA Community Cnl: Merchant City & Trongate Flat 3/2 117 Candleriggs Glasgow Internal and external alterations to listed building.
  • 22/00303/FUL Community Cnl: Merchant City & Trongate 65 Argyle Street Glasgow G2 8AH Upgrade of rooftop telecommunications site.
  • 22/00324/FUL Community Cnl: Merchant City & TrongateFlat 3/2 117 Candleriggs Glasgow Formation of 3No. conservation style rooflights and refurbishment of existing window.
  • 22/00385/FUL Community Cnl: Merchant City & Trongate 75 - 95 Dunlop Street Glasgow External alterations
  • 21/02821/PAN Community Cnl: Merchant City & Trongate St Enoch Shopping Centre 1 St Enoch Centre Glasgow Redevelopment and refurbishment, including phased demolition works, to provide mixed use development comprising retail (class 1), financial and professional services (Class 2), residential flats (including build to rent, open market sale, co-living, student accommodation and later living (Sui Generis)), restaurants (class 3), public house (sui generis), office and business space (Class 4), hotel, apart-hotel and hostel (class 7 and Sui generis), serviced apartments (sui generis), residential institution (class 8), non-residential institutions (class 10), leisure and culture (class 11) and other related ancillary uses, public realm (including outdoor performance space), landscaping, car parking, servicing and access and associated works.
  • 21/03774/PAN Community Cnl: Merchant City & Trongate Site At Osborne Street/ Old Wynd Glasgow Erection of flatted residential development and associated works.
  • 22/00492/FUL | Frontage alterations | Public House 199 Albion Street City Centre Glasgow G1
  • 22/00195/ADV Display of non-illuminated signage. - 62 Virginia Street Glasgow G1 1TX
  • 22/00245/LBA Internal and external alterations, includes erection of rooftop extension - 61 Glassford Street Glasgow G1 1UG
  • 22/00246/FUL External alterations, with erection of rooftop extension with retractable roof as ancilllary bar/ restaurant to hotel use, includes installation of plant to roof - 61 Glassford Street Glasgow G1 1UG
  • 22/00667/LBA Installation of telecommunication equipment upgrade - Premier Inn 187 George Street City Centre Glasgow G1 1YU
  • 22/00672/FUL Installation of telecommunication equipment upgrade - Premier Inn 187 George Street City Centre Glasgow G1 1YU
  • 22/00643/LBA Internal and external alterations to listed building. - Storey 1 10 Montrose Street Glasgow G1 1RE
  • 22/00644/FUL Installation of 2No. ventilation louvres - Storey 1 10 Montrose Street Glasgow G1 1RE

GA noted that the last time telecoms equipment was installed at the Premier Inn, the noise was unacceptable and went on late into the night.

9. Licencing (Tam Coyle)

  • No Licencing report due to Tam giving apologies.
  • Connolly’s and Murphy’s bars still causing ongoing problems
  • Candleriggs Square due to reopen 1 April

10. Merchant City Park (Eileen and Peter)

  • Eva withdrew from the conversation, as she sits on the Planning Committee

10.1 Motion

  • Peter proposed the following motion

Merchant City & Trongate Community Council maintain their commitment agreed at their January 2019 meeting “their wish to see the site adjacent to the Old fruit Market bounded by Candleriggs, Ingram & Albion streets become a green, multi function community park.”

To this end, having the site built on would be incompatible and they object to any plans to do so.

 The objectives are to:-

  • Preserve the space for community amenity and make up for lack of local meet up facilities
  • Support Glasgow City Centre development plans calling for green, public space
  • Address mental and physical health issues of isolation loneliness and lack of social contact
  • Preserve the existing trees and add to the biodiversity potential lacking in the city centre
  • Tackle pollution 
  • Preserve the major civic artwork mural, its appreciation and draw for visitors and tourists
  • Create a space for children to play
  • Attract visitors westward to a pleasant meeting place, and onward to High Stree
  • Provide a space for outdoor games, such as boules, chess etc.
  • Have a space for performance, music, sports or outdoor cinema
  • Allow for farmers’, book sale or other markets, or other temporary events
  • Give patrons of City Halls & Old Fruit Market a place to gather before and after performance
  • Potential for a mobility hub to promote active travel in the area
  • Aid local businesses with a pleasant setting allowing breathing space for customers

There will be a public meeting on Thursday 7th April at 6.30pm (in person at 18 Montrose St and via Zoom)

Niall recommended that we postpone a vote on the motion until after that meeting, as that will be an up to date gauge of public support. This was accepted

10.2 Comments

  • Christy Mearns supports the MCP plans, and advises that now is the time for locals to let it be known what they want for the site
  • Proposals Are at https://65-97ingramstreet.co.uk, feedback can be given until 10th April
  • AL – be careful what we wish for; what is to say that the park would not be blighted by the problems that affect other parts of the city centre
  • PH – already vast amounts of housing being developed in the city centre
  • GA – affordable housing is needed, but none of the plans include that; it should be part of the planning requirements

11. Social Media (Niall McColl)

  • Facebook followers 622 (469 at November 2021)
  • Twitter followers: 124 (103 at November 2021)
  • Mailing list: 76 (74 at November 2021)
  • Recent tweets about parking on streets in Candleriggs – other areas of the MCTCC area are affected but this is the most blatant.
  • The April meeting will hopefully be in person, with a livestream available via Zoom (register in advance)

12. Local Issues (all)

12.1 Flyer distribution

  • Thanks to PP and all who have helped with the flyering
  • Feedback from businesses in Parnie St area, not keen on online meetings, not hearing about filming until too late.

13. Filming

  • Batgirl filming is winding down. They are making a donation to the community; once the money has been received, we will let everyone know and will be looking for ideas on how to use it for the benefit of the local community
  • Some filming of “Borderland” will take place in one unit on Parnie St in April. The production met with residents to go through their plans in great detail and to allay their fears. That production team has been very engaged with the community council – they had asked to film a scene on Ingram St at Virginia Place, but were dissuaded when we talked about the disruption to businesses and residents already experienced this year. 
  • A cooling off period is now in force for use of the Merchant City & Trongate areas due to the number of productions there have been in recent months

14. AOCB

14.1 Hustings

  • Preferred date Thursday 28th April at 7pm via Zoom. Daniel to organise. Same format as last time
  • List of candidates should be known first week in April.

15.        Date of next meeting

Tuesday 26th April 2022 at 7pm – location to be confirmed.

16.        Action Points

Item Action by
1 Report back on meeting with Mairi Miller re Connolly’s bar, and speak to her re coffee shop on Candleriggs Christy Mearns  
3 Follow up on Candleriggs TRO re pedestrianisation south of Bell St Christy Mearns
4 Contact David Cowan re experiences with recent filming Angus Millar
Confirm arrangements re use of City Chambers, including ventilation and streaming facilities Phillip Braat Full meeting of council on Thursday – Hybrid style, will be rolled out to some of the committee rooms
9 (Feb) Confirm how many staff directly involved in graffiti removal with Denise Hamilton Tam Coyle
10 (Feb)Discuss possibility of having street art on lampposts Tam Coyle and PP
11 Impact of demolition of Annie Miller’s pub on local residents Eva Bolander Missed from previous meeting

by admin

Meeting Minutes, 22 February 2022

Approved at our meeting on 29 March 2022.

1.   Welcome

Tam Coyle welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2.   Attendance and Apologies

2.1.  Community Councillors

Tam Coyle (Chair), Niall McColl (Vice Chair), David Cowan (Secretary), Peter Hayman, Eileen Mills, Gary Atkinson, and Scott Thornton.

2.2.  Residents

DH, AP, EM, GW, MG, PP, TD

2.3.  Elected Representatives

Lord Provost Philip Braat (for part of the meeting), Deputy Lord Provost Christy Mearns, Cllr Eva Bolander, Cllr Angus Millar, Kaukab Stewart MSP

2.4.  Ex-officio

Constables Rob Wilson and Stephen Clark- Police Scotland; Clive Wilding, Conor Pitman, Teri Porter and Tim Blathwayt, Artisan Properties; Nicole Mitchell, Newsquest

2.5 Apologies

AC, AL, NR, Carla Arrighi

3.   Minutes of Last Meeting (25 January 2022)

3.1.  Update on Action Points

Continued to next meeting

3.2.  Corrections to minutes of last meeting

No changes were requested.

3.3.  Approval

Proposed by:  David Cowan

Seconded by: Tam Coyle

4.   Matters Arising

None raised

5.   Presentation – Ingram St Car Park

5.1.  Presentation from Artisan

  • Presentation available at https://65-97ingramstreet.co.uk
  • They now have legal control of the site and hope to submit a planning application in May for approval by Autumn 2022
  • 3 consultation workshops – one has taken place, one will be in March, with a final one before the planning application is submitted
  • Proposing housing for the site
  • Artisan also own the HMRC building on Cochrane St

5.2.  Questions

  • ST – What is the future for the mural?
    • The mural is owned by the City Council, so will remain in place
    • Edges of the mural will be lost where the building abuts on to them
    • It will be a public square, accessible to all
    • Ground floor space will be glazed north and south
  • EM What does legal control of the site mean
    • Artisan have contracted with City Property to purchase the site subject to planning permission
  • EM - Is the site address correct?
    • Intention was to use the numbering of the buildings that were there, but will double check
  • GA - Where will rubbish/waste be stored and entrances for goods in the retail units
    • They’re built into the stair cores
  • Deputy Lord Provost - Replacement trees
    • surveying at the moment
    • will be part of the planning application
    • Considering sustainable urban drainage in the courtyard and on the roof of the building
  • TD – Parking plans
    • There will be no parking provided by the development

6.   Police Report (Rob Wilson and Stephen Clark)

6.1.  Report

  • Several fixed penalty notices have been issued to vehicles driving the wrong way along Garth St
  • Ongoing monitoring is taking place re pavement parking on Candleriggs. Education in first instance, followed by enforcement
  • Substance abuse issues are resurfacing in both Albion St and Glassford St Car parks, including several reoffenders. Police increasing patrols
  • Several cyclists have been issued with fixed penalty notices for going through red lights, as well as educating them on the rules of the road.
  • Connelly’s bar – reiterate that issues MUST be raised via 101 or via the Police Scotland website and to Glasgow City Council, as due process must be followed
    • Ongoing engagement with the licence holder

6.2.  Questions

  • PH mentioned issues with modified e-bikes being much faster than their designed limit
  • PH – Any plans to introduce sonar detectors? 
    • Not aware of plans, but issues with noisy exhausts need to be reported via 101
  • DH – What is the Police attitude to Graffiti
    • Need to get their response
    • Councillor Millar: Constant battle to keep it clear
      • Council, Police and stakeholders discussing other approaches
    • PP expressed thanks to the Lord Provost for arranging for graffiti to be cleaned from the Herald building
  • GA – any update on the upcoming Rangers v Dortmund match?
    • Additional patrols before and on match day
  • ST – has anyone been charged re graffiti?
    • People have been charged with several offences

7.   Treasurer’s Report (Carla)

No report, as Treasurer had sent apologies.

8.   Elected Members Reports

8.1.  Cllr Angus Millar

  • Power washing of the MC streets has been requested, and added to the regular schedule
  • Missed bin collections now resolved
  • Review of key shopping streets ongoing
  • Council budget meeting
  • Parks and open spaces fund extended for a year  -  £50K for ward 10
  • Roads, pavements and street infrastructure - £1m per ward - Area Partnership to decide how its spent

8.2.  Deputy Lord Provost Christy Mearns

  • Ramshorn Cemetery
    • Budget agreed to reopen it
    • No date agreed yet
  • Candleriggs Parking
    • TRO was submitted in 2017 to amend the arrangements around Candleriggs, but not yet implemented.
      • When implemented, no through traffic will be permitted. Will only be allow construction traffic for the new development
  • Wants to meet with residents re open space funding for greening projects
  • Budget - Funding for pre-1919 tenements for repairs
  • Cars being parked on the grass between Albion and Shuttle Streets
  • Filming issues ongoing, including Missed letter drops. Seems that comms are not getting through
    • There needs to be a community benefit

8.3.  Cllr Eva Bolander

  • High St Station
    • High St Reference Group chaired by Cllr Millar, plan is still to revamp the station, although cost has gone up, so looking at different solutions.
  • Greening of High St
    • Not yet decided to use funding for parklets or planters
  • Friends of Ramshorn
    • Greenspace fund could be used to help with the Friends of Ramshorn group
  • Grafitti
    • Needs preventative work as well - getting youth engaged, e.g. similar approach to that taken re Kelvingrove Park
    • Denise Hamilton has overall responsibility for look and feel of the city centre
    • Will look at removing graffiti from private buildings as well
  • Refuse bins on Virginia Place
    • Still an ongoing issue
    • Planning application submitted for a bin store on Virginia Place
    • Not felt to be a good response
  • Area Partnership
    • Trying to make them less formal
    • Each ward in the city has been budgeted for £1million for infrastructure. 
    • Want communities to have more say on priorities for funding
    • Citizens Panels will be established in each area partnership on a trial basis
      • Intention is for them to be more diverse and representative of the city centre, as community councils are felt to be insufficiently diverse or gender balanced

8.4.  Lord Provost Philip Braat

No report, as the Lord Provost experienced connection issues.

8.5.  Questions

  • PP - Street art; could we have banners on street lights in the Merchant City in the same way as High St, or have some street art. TC will discuss separately
  • ST – Graffiti – how many staff are employed by GCC to clear graffiti. TC will take that up with Denise Hamilton
  • ST – Electric charging points. Factors telling developments that charging points can’t be installed without express permission of GCC. What’s the Council’s policy on this. EB – If it is in a public space, that is the responsibility of the council. If its within the curtilage of the building, there shouldn’t be any issue but Eva will check. TD advised that just requires a new meter and cabling.
  • NM – Citizens Panels, why is the council bringing in another body to represent the community, rather than investing in community councils. EB – complementary to community councils, extending democracy in a way that’s not been done up until now.
  • TD – re Film Office, lack of information about road closures. No notification had been received in his development in advance of Glassford St closures. TC – its an ongoing problem, which he will follow up. EB – keen to get a council alert service for residents to find out what’s going on.
  • PP – is the Ingram St development part of the council’s plan to increase the population of the city centre. EB – it’s a good example of what the council are trying to do, due to the mix of housing.
  • TC – is it the case that this is the 7th development in the MCTCC area with no social housing? EB- yes, as the council doesn’t currently have the power to force developers to include social housing, but this will be part of the new City Plan. CM – the council could have stipulated that the Ingram St site was to be used for social housing as they had owned the site, but an opportunity lost.
  • EM – any follow on about pedestrianisation of the north end of Candleriggs as per MCPHAEN plan? CM – proposal well received; following up with the relevant officers to try and speed things along.  EB – could be done as part of the wider plan to make the city centre people friendly, but need to consider access for residents, businesses and people with mobility needs
  • ST – any update on licencing for Airbnb. EB – no update from last meeting

9.   Planning (Peter Hayman)

No Planning report due to time constraints

10.   Licencing (Tam Coyle)

No Licencing report due to time constraints

11.   Merchant City Park (Eileen and Peter)

  • Timeline had been circulated showing the current status

12.   Local Issues (all)

No report due to time constraints

13.   Social Media (Niall McColl)

  • Since last meeting, we’ve published over 15 articles on our website and social media – especially in relation to graffiti, but also with the number of road restrictions due to filming.
  • Our exposure in the media has increased thanks to Scott’s sterling work as our spokesman
  • Anderston CC kindly provided information on their setup for hybrid meetings. These will be reviewed and adapted for MCTCC.

14.   AOCB

  • Leaflet drop – will take place on Friday 25th February
  • Nicole Mitchell is the new City Centre journalist for the Glasgow Times ([email protected])
  • CM – What are the next steps for MCP in relation to any planning application for the Ingram St carpark? PH – that is the implication of the graphic that MCP circulated to supporters. Key aim to get as many objections as possible. MCTCC will not pre-judge any proposal.

14.1.  Hustings

Our April meeting is planned to be a hustings event for the Council elections taking place in May. More details next month

15.   Date of next meeting

Tuesday 29th March 2022 at 7pm

16.   Action Points

Item Action by
1 Report back on meeting with Mairi Miller re Connolly’s bar, and speak to her re coffee shop on Candleriggs Christy Mearns  
2 Provide copy of Planning Enforcement Charter Eva Bolander  
3 Follow up on Candleriggs TRO re pedestrianisation south of Bell St Christy Mearns  
4 Contact David Cowan re experiences with recent filming Angus Millar  
5 Follow up on recycling collections from 103 Hutcheson St Phillip Braat  
6 Follow up on graffiti tagging on Albion St Phillip Braat  
7 Arrange for “Open daily” notice at Ramshorn to be corrected Eva Bolander  
8 Confirm arrangements re use of City Chambers, including ventilation and streaming facilities Phillip Braat  
9 Write to Anderston CC re hybrid meetings Niall McColl Completed. Report to March mid-monthly
10 (Feb) Confirm how many staff directly involved in graffiti removal with Denise Hamilton Tam Coyle  
11 (Feb)Discuss possibility of having street art on lampposts Tam Coyle and PP  

by admin

Meeting Minutes, 25 January 2022

1. Welcome

Tam Coyle welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2. Attendance and Apologies

2.1.Community Councillors

Tam Coyle (V/C), David Cowan (Secretary), Peter Hayman, Eileen Mills, Gary Atkinson, Carla Arrighi, Niall McColl and Scott Thornton.

2.2.Residents

FC, AL, PP, GW, NR, OG,TD, EM

2.3.Elected Representatives

Lord Provost Philip Braat, Deputy Lord Provost Christy Mearns, Cllr Eva Bolander, Cllr Angus Millar

2.4.Ex-officio

Constables Rob Wilson and Stephen Clark- Police Scotland,

3. Minutes of Last Meeting (30 November 2021)

3.1.Update on Action Points

  1. Report back on meeting with Mairi Miller re Connolly’s bar (Christy Mearns) - Still in progress
  2. Follow up re Ramshorn (Tam Coyle) - Still in progress
  3. Raise Connolly’s bar issues with Mairi Miller (Tam Coyle & Christy Mearns) - Still in progress
  4. Report noise issues to Council team and police (All) - Done
  5. Follow up on Annie Millers’ pub licence withdrawal (Eva Bolander) - No update
  6. Update on progress of Waterfront development (All councillors) - See update below
  7. Follow up re missing statue on John St (Christy Mearns & Carla Arrighi) - Statue reinstated

3.2.Corrections to minutes of last meeting

No changes were requested.

3.3.Approval

Proposed by: Carla Arrighi
Seconded by: David Cowan

4. Matters Arising

4.1.New Office Bearers and representatives

  • Chair (and Merchant City Festival Rep): Tam Coyle
  • Vice-Chair (and Social Media Manager): Niall McColl
  • Secretary: David Cowan
  • Treasurer: Carla Arrighi
  • Area Partnership Representative: Gary Atkinson
  • North-West Partnership and Media Spokesperson: Scott Thornton
  • Merchant City Park: Eileen Mills
  • Planning: Peter Hayman
    All will serve until our 2022 AGM

4.2.School Consultation

The proposed school has been withdrawn after conclusion of the consultation.

5. Police Report (Rob Wilson and Stephen Clark)

5.1.Report

  • Busier over Festive period, but no incidents of note.
  • Drug users in Glassford Court set fire to bin store which filled building with smoke; Police will follow up with Tam and FC
  • Avant Garde issue on 31 December – No comment from Police.

5.2.Questions raised

  • TD – Garth Street traffic and obstructive parking – Police will follow up
  • PP – Graffiti “tagging” on Herald Building – Police will liaise with Council officers; likely to be the factors that have to get it cleaned as private property
  • NR – Candleriggs Parking and driving on pavements ; Police did move on vehicles in December and will continue to do so

6. Treasurer’s Report (Carla)

Getting things sorted out but takes time

7.Elected Members Reports

7.1.Cllr Eva Bolander

  • Filming in City Centre – reaction has been generally positive. Any issues raised will be passed to Film Office
  • Planning Enforcement charter being reviewed; lays out what they can and cannot deal with. Copy will be sent to the Community Council.
  • Short-term lets legislation moving forward; Council licencing scheme to be in place by October 2022
  • Ramshorn – still trying to get friends group going (volunteers welcome) – interest from various organisations keen to see it started; will be linked with Necropolis and Southern Necropolis groups. TC met with Friends of Garnethill Green Spaces (FROGGS)
  • Cladding – ongoing discussions with Kaukab Stewart MSP; no direct feedback on what’s happening
  • Virginia Place – issue of commercial waste has been raised again; planning application for bin shed on pavement – see 8.1.3 under planning

7.2.Deputy Lord Provost Christy Mearns

  • Candleriggs – TRO published to remove pedestrianisation south of Bell St; Christy will follow up and feedback
  • Repainting of faded road markings
  • Connolly’s bar – complaints have reduced, but that may be due to recent restrictions; noise control will investigate further if they restart.
  • Ingram St car park – Proposal of Application Notice has been submitted;
  • Online Consultation from 8 February to early April
  • https://www.65-97ingramsgtreet.co.uk
    * Event in Merchant Square on 9 February, book appointment via Eventbrite

    • Citation – variation of licence to serve alcohol outdoors
      • NM reported noise problems over festive period, which were raised with noise control team
      • Application for outdoor seating was withdrawn last year

7.3.Lord Provost Philip Braat

  • Sewer work on Ingram St – has written to Scottish Water to ensure road surface reinstated properly
  • Refuse collection – should be largely back to normal
  • Recycling bins at 103 Hutcheson St not emptied since installation in October; PB will investigate

7.4.Cllr Angus Millar

  • Filming – Glasgow seen as a good location
    • £42 million benefit to the local economy since 2021, but not much seems to be coming to the impacted areas
    • Will reach out to DC to discuss experiences with filming
  • Waterfront – work carried out late November and December was technical groundwork investigation
  • Old Wynd and surrounding streets – has requested that the very poor lighting be upgraded

7.5.Questions

  • ST > Any update on Borderland; DC – not as yet
  • DC – roads were cleaned after filming, but not the pavements; Eva will follow up
  • EM – Adjustment to “Open Daily” notice at Ramshorn – Eva will follow up
  • TC – when will we be able to access City Chambers again?
    • PB has call with business team on 26/1, will update at future meeting
    • EM – how are the meeting rooms configured for ventilation? PB will check but thinks its opening windows
  • DC – what facilities are there for livestreaming meetings? A couple of meeting rooms have been configured to allow council meetings to be livestreamed, but probably won’t be available to MCTCC. Anderston CC are conducting hybrid meetings – NM will write to them to ask how they’re doing it
  • ST – any update on delay in mandatory introduction of interlinked smoke/fire alarms
    • Can be followed up with Kaukab
    • AM – requirement to have them fitted hasn’t changed, nor the implementation date, but initially no penalties will be applied
  • PH – recent metro announcement, will there still be a tunnel connecting Queen St and Central, and is Crossrail still part of it?
    • AM – detail still to be worked out
  • NR – Coffee shop on Candleriggs was originally 9am – 5pm, now opening till 9pm Fridays with BYOB.
    • TC will follow up with Mairi Miller
  • NR – businesses not cleaning the spaces that have been made available for them, and street furniture hasn’t been cleaned in many years
    • AM will raise with officials

8. Planning (Peter Hayman)

8.1. New Applications

8.1.1.Redevelopment of 65-97 Ingram St by Artisan

  • Proposal of Application notice lodged.
  • Online consultation from 8 February to early April
  • Online chat on afternoon of 8 February; in person sessions in Merchant Square on 9 February – prebooking required
  • Website: https://65-97ingramstreet.co.uk

8.1.2.Howard St use of retail unit as hot food takeaway (21/03868/FUL)

  • Change to building from barbershop to hot food takeaway
  • Proposal would require installation of flue on outside of building
  • This is inside the conservation zone, and in a listed building
  • Last date for comments: 11 February 2022

8.1.3.Use of pavement as bin storage area, Virginia Place (21/03656/FUL)

  • Need to see detail of this
  • Last date for comments 14 February 2022

8.1.4.Erection of rear and rooftop extensions to Former Lewis’s building (21/03594/FUL and 21/03595/LBA)

  • Lodged on 25 January
  • Last date for comments: 11 February 2022

9. Licencing (Tam Coyle)

  • Tesco in Ingram St is now Sainsbury; application to sell alcohol had to be resubmitted
  • Application from Citation -mentioned above

10.Merchant City Park (Eileen and Peter)

  • Artisan keen to speak to the community
  • Eileen has received correspondence, but MCP have declined to speak with them
  • In terms of fundraising, EM pointed out that its difficult to raise funds when you don’t own the property.

11.Local Issues (all)

11.1.Condition of streets

  • Streets are slippery and unkempt
  • Bins are being left outside Merchant Square at all hours
  • Councillors to follow up

11.2.Lack of green space

  • Other than proposed MCP, only site in our patch is Deans Well Garden
  • JR – how many green spaces have the council added in MCTCC area?
  • CM – there was funding made available for pop-up parks via Area Partnership, still live
  • EB – none that she’s aware of, but improvements made at Rottenrow and Cathedral St, plus stalled space at Greyfriars Garden

12. Social Media (Niall McColl)

  • No report due to lack of time

13.AOCB

13.1.Hustings

Our April meeting is planned to be a hustings event for the Council elections taking place in May.

14. Date of next meeting

Tuesday 22nd February 2022 at 7pm

15.Action Points

  1. Report back on meeting with Mairi Miller re Connolly’s bar, and speak to her re coffee shop on Candleriggs (Christy Mearns)
  2. Provide copy of Planning Enforcement Charter (Eva Bolander)
  3. Follow up on Candleriggs TRO re pedestrianisation south of Bell St (Christy Mearns)
  4. Contact David Cowan re experiences with recent filming (Angus Millar)
  5. Follow up on recycling collections from 103 Hutcheson St (Phillip Braat)
  6. Follow up on graffiti tagging on Albion St (Phillip Braat)
  7. Arrange for “Open daily” notice at Ramshorn to be corrected (Eva Bolander)
  8. Confirm arrangements re use of City Chambers, including ventilation and streaming facilities (Phillip Braat)
  9. Write to Anderston CC re hybrid meetings (Niall McColl)

by admin

Annual General Meeting, 26 October 2021

Attendance and Apologies

Community Councillors

Duncan MacLaren (Chair),Tam Coyle (V/C), David Cowan (Secretary),  Peter Hayman, Gerald Hirst (Treasurer), Eileen Mills, Daniel O’Malley and Scott Thornton.

Residents

Euan Martin, Andrew Lockyer, Gary Atkinson, Carla Arraghi, Olga Gordon, Tommy Davis, Michael Orue and Philippa Porteous.

Elected Representatives 

Lord Provost Philip Braat, Cllr Eva Bolander.

Apologies

Niall McColl, Robin Jones, Bailie Christie-Mearns and Sgt. Philip Showell, Police Scotland.

Minutes of the AGM held on 29th October 2019

The 29th October 2019 AGM Minutes from 2 years past, as there was no AGM held in 2020 due to the covid pandemic, were presented to the meeting for approval.

Proposed by Gerald Hirst,

Seconded by Tam Coyle.

Approved.

Chairman's Report - Duncan MacLaren

Since March 2020, we have all been confronted with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. When it became obvious that we could not meet physically as a Community Council in the City Chambers as usual, we moved quickly to meeting online on Zoom and, at time of writing in October 2021, we still do. We are grateful to our IT expert, Niall McColl, for hosting us and for dealing with any problems which have arisen. Unfortunately, for some residents, going online meant that they either did not have the equipment or the skills to be part of our virtual community. As soon as the City Chambers opens to us and it is safe to meet face-to-face, then we hope to welcome those residents who were excluded as well as welcome new residents who have known us so far over the internet.

Community Councillors

The current community councillors are:- Duncan MacLaren (Chair), Tam Coyle (Vice-Chair), Gerald Hirst (Treasurer), David Cowan (Secretary), Niall McColl (Social Media Manager), Peter Hayman, Robin Jones, Eileen Mills, Daniel O’Malley, Scott Thornton. 

One community councillor, Chris Murphy, left and we thank him for his work over the years. Three new ones joined – David Cowan, Daniel O’Malley and Scott Thornton. We are grateful to them for being so active given the restricted circumstances in which we must work.

We thank all the community councillors who give up so much of their time to serve the community in which they live.

Examples of Campaigns

MCTCC tries to serve the people living in the Trongate and Merchant City area by sifting through planning and licensing applications to check if they fit in with our historic part of Glasgow and serve the needs of the local community. We also have a good relationship with the police who give us reports on crime in our area. 

Merchant City Park: One ongoing campaign is to “create a Park in the Merchant City district of Glasgow by converting what is currently a Car Park with twenty mature trees and a world-famous mural into a green space for the benefit of the Community and visitors alike”. It is being taken forward by the steering group of the Merchant City Park which is now a registered charity. The site has been sold but the Campaign continues. See website: https://merchantcitypark.org/. 

Jocelyn Square: This is an attempt to make a vacant lot in one of the most historic parts of Glasgow near the river into student accommodation rather than make it a health centre or a primary school or a green space for the local and wider community. It will have a roof terrace and will overlook the bedrooms and living rooms of the residents of St Margaret Place. MCTCC objected to the plan as did the police (it is close to the High Court), residents and many others. Its future is uncertain at time of writing.

Ramshorn Graveyard: The Community Council will try to establish a Friends of the Ramshorn Group with assistance from local residents. For most of the period of the pandemic, the graveyard which contains many trees, seats and recycling bins was locked up. It has been opened for COP26 and we are working to ensure it will remain open as one of the few green spaces in the City Centre and we aim to encourage development of the site as a tourist venue and as part of the heritage trail. Anyone who is interested in taking this project forward, can get in touch with us via [email protected]. 

Media and Publicity

Our thanks go once again to community councillor, Niall McColl, who has set up a new website (mctcc.scot), an email address for residents ([email protected]) as well as made us visible on Twitter and Facebook (mctcc_scot and mctcc.scot respectively). Niall also designed the striking posters which now advertise our meetings and give information about us to the public. They can be viewed on our notice boards on the corner of Wilson and Brunswick Streets in the Merchant City and in Trongate near the Tron Theatre.

We have also increased our media voice in the Glasgow Times, The Herald and other sites, highlighting our campaign against drugs, the Merchant City Park and the opening of the Ramshorn Graveyard, to name but a few issues.

We would like to thank…….

Our elected councillors (Lord Provost Philip Braat, Depute Lord Provost Christy Mearns, Cllr Eva Bolander and Cllr Angus Millar), our past MSP, Sandra White, and the current one, Kaukab Stewart MSP, our MP, Alison Thewliss, the police especially our community police and Sgt Philip Showell, and the staff of Glasgow City Council such as Steven Dowling, Denise Hamilton and Ian Elder for their willingness to assist us in our work to make the voice of the people in our patch heard. 

Financial Report

Treasurer, Gerald Hirst reported. He distributed the Income and Expenditure Account for the period 1stSeptember to 31st August 2021.  He explained the need to switch to online meetings incurred substantial expense in order for MCTCC to continue monthly meetings.  As such, the additional £250 to meet these costs, including the annual allowance of £429, was gratefully received.   A provision of £270 has been included to pay for someone to transcribe the minutes in the following financial year.

Proposed by Daniel O’Malley

Seconded by David Cowan.

Approved.

The interim MCTCC annual accounts will now be passed over to an independent auditor.

Appointment of Auditor

Gerald Hirst proposed Clifford Most, of Montrose Street, to continue as Auditor for MCTCC annual financial accounts.

Proposed by Gerald Hirst,

Seconded by Tam Coyle.

Approved.

Appointment of Community Councillors

All Glasgow community councils have received emailed instructions from GCC Community Empowerment Services, by Steven Dowling (Community Officer) that Office Bearers will be elected at AGMs held in 2023.

This being the case, the following people agree to continue to as MCTCC Community Councillors:-

Duncan MacLaren, Tam Coyle, Gerald Hirst, Peter Hayman, Eileen Mills, Niall McColl, David Cowan, Daniel O’Malley and Scott Thornton. 

NEW MEMBERS 

New members: Gary Atkinson and Carla Arrighi agreed to join as community councillors, there being no objections, they will be forwarded the necessary paperwork. The Chair welcomed them, in advance, to MCTCC.

Next Annual General Meeting

Interim 7pm on Tuesday 25th October 2022

Full AGM 7pm Tuesday 25th October 2023

There being no further business the meeting closed at 7.25pm.

Actions Agreed

  1. The 2021 AGM minutes will be approved at the 25th October 2022 meeting of MCTCC.
  2. The appointment of an independent auditor will be agreed at the 25th October 2022 meeting of MCTCC and the accounts be passed over to the company/individual.

by admin

Meeting Minutes, 27 April 2021

Approved at our meeting on 25 May 2021

Online Conference through MS Teams
Tuesday 27th April, at 7pm

Community Councillors:
Dr Duncan MacLaren (Chair), Tam Coyle (V/C), David Cowan (Secretary), Peter Hayman, Niall McColl (Social Media Manager), Gerald Hirst (Treasurer) Eileen Mills, Daniel O’Malley and Chris Murphy.

Residents: TD, ST, GS, DW, PP, GR

Ex-Officio: Denise Hamilton (GCC City Centre Services Team), PC Stevie Scott (Police Scotland)

Elected Representatives: Sandra While MSP, Provost Philip Braat, Councillor Eva Bolander and Councillor Angus Millar.

1. Welcome by the Chair

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and was pleased to see some new residents in attendance.

2. Apologies

Received from: Sgt. Phil Showell (Police Scotland) though PC Stevie Scott attends in his place, and Veronica Low of Greyfriars Gardens.

3. Minutes of the last meeting (23rd February 2021)

The Chair noted some typos which he will follow on to the Minute Secretary after the meeting. The March minutes were approved as a correct record of proceedings. These were proposed by Daniel O’Malley and seconded by Peter Hayman.

Action Points will be dealt with during the meeting.

4. Presentation by Denise Hamilton (GCC City Centre Management Team)

Denise Hamilton met with Duncan and Tam previously and she reassured them that her Team are listening to the concerns of our community. Her office is within Neighbourhood Regeneration and Sustainability, formally known as LES and Planning and Building Standards departments.

Local areas have benefitted during lockdown due to the travel restrictions. Conversely, Glasgow City Centre has had to tackle anti-social behaviour, graffiti and businesses closing down. They liaise with Police Scotland and the NHS to work towards control and reduce drug misuse.

Spaces For People

To prepare for the ending of the first lockdown a City Centre Taskforce initiative was formed earlier this year to improve the design of streets to encourage social distancing under the Spaces for People project; and to revive the City Centre. It has streamlined making contact with the relevant GCC Officers.

During the first lockdown, red and white barriers were installed at the roadside at the edge of pavements; however, they were only partially effective and so have either been taken away or replaced by planters, the higher quality type have been setup in the Merchant City.

However, in some cases, this caused inconvenience to pedestrians due to vehicles parking on the pavement as the original parking bays are now taken-up by the planters. The occurrence of such illegal parking has eased through enforcement.

The surrounding of George Square has had a new road surface laid. In addition, the east and west carriageways have been closed. The installation of planters, and the road closures, are planned to be temporary measures, it is believed.

The Counting House (Wetherspoons) and Elia restaurant have been given use of the part of the closed-off road. An outdoor license was granted last year, however the second lockdown stopped it’s use. GCC are not charging for additional space, however it is refunded from the Scottish Government and it is believed it could be extended into this year. It has been reported that visitors have thought this was public seating as it so very close to seating nearby.

George Square Refurbishment

A design contractor for the full refurbishment of the George Square has been allocated and work is expected to start in early 2024 (as has been published in the press). A six week survey of the project has recently began:

https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=27012

Vacant Buildings

Sandra White MSP enquired if GCC were considering change of use of buildings, e.g. the old Debenhams building on Argyle Street. It is understood that the City Centre Taskforce will consider how best to use the vacant buildings and are to carry-out a survey. Funding is being sought from the Scottish Government to make the real estate attractive to new business ventures.

City Centre Taskforce

A ‘deep-clean’ of the City Centre, which includes the Merchant City, has started. Resources are being diverted towards graffiti removal, however in some areas this reappears soon after cleaning. The City Centre Taskforce aim is to aid business revival by increasing the pedestrian footfall. One key way to promote this is to return to Glasgow hosting events safely.

The Night Zone, where taxi ranks are monitored, has been restarted in the Merchant City. Sandra White approved of this due to the expected increase in custom to our area.

COP26

ST enquired if, for COP26 event, where the travel hubs will be. This will outlined in the Transport Plan which is yet to be published, the main campus will be the SEC. The event will be one the of largest events that has come to Glasgow.

The Chair has been contacted by the ‘Get Ready Glasgow’ campaign who are informing all community councils about the event, and so will soon be giving MCTCC a presentation.

Other issues

Daniel O’Malley raised the issue of more recycling facilities for the Herald Building as raised at the building’s AGM. Denise Hamilton will arrange for an officer from the Recycling Team to visit. Daniel commended the police for stopping a party in the building being held in flat that had been given a short rental for this purpose. Cllr Millar explained GCC policy on such matters and how, if there is a shared entry to a building, then planning permission would not be granted for a short term let.

The Chair thanked Denise Hamilton for her time this evening and her presentation.

5. Report from the Treasurer

Gerald Hirst reported that the MCTCC bank balance for April is of £1,808.07.
There are I.T. commitments of £78.99 to be taken off.

6. Report on those issues forwarded to the Police

PC Stevie Scott has been away from the city centre for over a year, this is his first month back. A new Area Commander Ross Kelly is in place. Sandra White enquired about the problem of cars racing through our streets. PC Scott understood this has been a long-term issue and talk to Sgt. Philip Showell about this. It is not an easy issue to tackle and so would require a co-ordinated response to reduce ‘boy-racers’..

Peter Hayman added how the drivers deliberately produce as much noise, and fumes, by revving, surging forward and then braking sharply. PC Scott noted that noise pollution is the remit of the Council. Previously, overnight restrictions have been imposed in an attempt to stop such nuisance after complaints from residents and people staying in hotels in the west of the City.

Councillor Bolander noted they use a circuit of roads and, in the past, would congregate at Blythswood Square where cars have been confiscated due to illegal modifications. She recalled the laws relating to busking guidelines and asked the police if this could also be applied to this type of noise pollution.

It was reported the Safe Use Drug van has relocated to the rear of Old Wynd. There was an assault in Parnie Street on Saturday 24th April at 5pm, residents have appealed for the Trongate area to be monitored. PC Scott confirmed the area is part of the daily rota for police patrols.

7. Hustings Update (29th April at 7pm)

Daniel O’Malley will be hosting the MCTCC Hustings one week prior to the Scottish Elections 2021. The candidates for the Glasgow Kelvin Constituency will be asked pre-prepared questions relating to pertinent local matters. There will also be questions taken from the audience at the end. It will be held with the Zoom Webinar function,

8. Merchant City Park Update

Peter Hayman gave an update on the project and how the establishment of a park would be preferable to another tall tower. An article he has written was published in the Agenda section of The Herald newspaper. The project continues to gain support of residents and businesses. An update was sent out to the group’s membership. This site would be an ideal meeting and conference location for COP26.

Eileen Mills, and others, attended the Your Place online conference last Thursday. However, as the site has been sold, the concept can only be applied to other undeveloped areas, but as Tam noted, the same process is being repeated there. Peter McCaughey suggested that a separate session could be held to feed into an artist’s impression.

DW would be disappointed to see another building put in this prime location which is popular with visitors. He read an article about the Candleriggs development recently and, it would appear, there will be more than enough new high-rise buildings in the area in the next year or two.
Eileen Mills appealed to Provost Braat if he would take MCP’s case back to GCC to see if there could be a reconsideration of putting a park at 69-97 Ingram Street. He responded that his would be difficult, if not impossible, as the land is now sold to Artisan Properties but that he would take on the task and report back.

Sandra White gave her consent to attend the next MCP meeting.

9. Councillors’ Reports

Councillor Eva Bolander

A Fan Zone events will be held in Glasgow Green instead of the Merchant City. This is an area for fans to watch the Scotland football team play there games in the Euro Championship against the Czech Republic (14th June), England (18thJune) and Croatia (22nd June). There will also be some cultural events taking place nearby.

The Merchant City Festival (MCF) will take place this year; the proposed dates are the weekend of the 8th to the 11th of July. Both events will have to adhere to Covid restrictions. Activities and shows are being arranged in George Square for three days, and in the Barrowland Park for two days. No food trucks will be allowed this time to stop people congregating too close to one another. There is a steering group meeting planned.

Tam noted that the weekend of the MCF coincides with the final of the UEFA Euro championship game on the 11th July. As Barrowland Park is not in the Merchant City, perhaps the vacant space in Candleriggs would be a more appropriate area. However, as this is private land, other events may be planned in that location.

Lord Provost Philip Braat

He carried-out a walking survey last week, as the City came out of lockdown, and noticed the large quantity of graffiti on the walls. He is pleased to see that the City Centre Taskforce have begun the deep cleaning programme. The City must be a welcoming place for people to return to which also means cleaning up a little.

The carpark at the rear of Carrick Quay, raised by ST, does need some attention such as repainting of the double yellow lines and parking enforcement. ST has raised the issue of additional recycling facilities for buildings with Steven Eagan and asked for a survey to be carried out.

The new planters in Merchant City are pleasant aesthetically; however, he received reports of illegal parking on the pavements. For the moment this problem has settled down. It is hoped that businesses return to work and normal operations as soon as possible.

Councillor Angus Millar

Denise Hamilton had answered several of the issues that he, and Cllr Bolander, were meaning to speak about. He, and the Chair, have rescheduled a meeting with GCC Officers to develop a plan to eventually open up access to Ramshorn Churchyard.

The next Avenues programme is to be west side of Argyle Street. After this is complete it will be the turn of the east side of Argyle Street which includes Stockwell St and Trongate. Depending on operational constraints, it is planned for designs to be completed for this phase by early 2022 and an implementation plan will be drawn up. Community engagement will take place.

Other projects in progress are the Sauchiehall Precinct, and Garnethill Underline are due to be completed before this, so the start date is dependent upon these finishing on time.

The Clydeside has been deep cleaned as one of the first areas. The Council and the police will be working together with the City Centre Taskforce to keep the area clean. Cllr Millar hopes, to give a presentation in the future of all the initiatives that are taking place in this regard.

10. Planning Applications

Peter Hayman reported that the first building on the Candleriggs site has applied for a variation to the planning permission that was granted, as distributed by Niall McColl. This will incorporate a rooftop bar, restaurant and terrace alterations, more details can be found on the GCC website.

MCTCC’s objection to the demolition of the building at High St, George St, has been confirmed by David Drummond, and will be included.

A CCTV installation at 180 Ingram St as the ‘Cruise’ shop is being refurbished.

ST reported that workmen, whose work van advertised they were involved in building pontoons on rivers, have been seen in front of Carrick Quay.

11. Licensing Applications

There were no applications of note this month. Tam has forwarded all Licensing Applications of any note on to all Community Councillors whenever he receives them.

12. MCTCC Social Media

Niall McColl reported there have been 30 submissions to the Residents’ Survey. More submissions would be welcomed Survey.

An Event Calendar has been added to the www.mctcc.scot website as Scotland comes out of lockdown.

The registration process for meetings has been simplified, now coming from the website. A prior notification function has been added. Facebook and Twitter following is increasing, and we now have over 50 subscriptions to our mailing list.

13. Addressing Local Issues

Jocelyn Square

The Jocelyn Square development has completed an archaeological survey. Cllr Bolander, and others, were surprised to hear that nothing was found during the survey as it is one of the oldest areas of Glasgow.

Eileen Mills sent an email to the Chair noting that only a legal flaw could be a matter of redress now, see https://www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk/ The Chair and Cllr Bolander acknowledged that a considerable number of conditions have been applied to the development going forward by the Notice of Intention report (ref. PPA-260-2117) to Scottish Ministers from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division.

Sandra White enquired about the Environmental Assessment; the Chair confirmed this had been completed. In the first instance the land was seen as contaminated but has since been cleared after a subsequent survey was carried out.

Twinning

Steven Dowling’s office has contacted MCTCC about our area being twinned with another community in Europe. Our area would benefit if our area had more community groups for local landmarks. A decision on this will be taken at the MMM.

Get Ready Glasgow

The Chair has asked that our group is added the Get Ready Glasgow forum for updates on the build-up, and events, during COP26. The Dear Green Pledge has contacted us regarding the climate emergency and to consider how we can improve the environment in our community.

14. AOCB

The Chair noted this was the last meeting when Sandra White will be attending as an MSP. The Chair thanked her for all her work and support over the years and hoped she would still attend as she is a resident of our area.

The Chair thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting.

**Date of next meeting: Tuesday 25th May, 2021 at 7pm
A Teams link will be circulated for registration.

Action Points

  1. Chair to write to the CEO of Tesco regarding the provision of hand sanitiser (Duncan MacLaren)
  2. Response from Ian Elder regarding putting Peter Hayman in touch with Planning/City Property (Peter Hayman)
  3. DRF artist, Peter McCaughey, to interview Tam Coyle (Tam Coyle)
  4. Issues around drug-taking and dealing to be communicated to Tam for the police (all)
  5. Report bin and recycling issues to Lord Provost Braat (Lord Provost Philip Braat)
  6. Lord Provost to arrange an MCTCC visit to recycling facilities in Glasgow once it is safe to do so (Duncan MacLaren)
  7. Presentation on George Square to be given to MCTCC (Cllr Angus Millar)
  8. Contact Strathclyde University Estates Department re the opening of the Ramshorn Graveyard (Cllr Angus Millar)
  9. Arrange a meeting to discuss the Ramshorn Graveyard (Cllr Eva Bolander)
  10. Report back whether CCTV can be installed at the Carrick Quay carpark owing to drug paraphernalia being found there (Tam Coyle)
  11. Residents can receive a copy of the homelessness report mentioned in these minutes from Cllr Bolander (all to Cllr Eva Bolander)
  12. The Lord Provost will use his good offices to see if anything can be done about the Ingram Street car park site becoming a park, at this stage (Lord Provost Braat).

by admin

Annual General Meeting, 29 October 2019

THURSDAY 29th OCTOBER 2019 AT 7 PM

PRESENT

COMMUNITY COUNCILLORS

Tam Coyle (Chair), Duncan MacLaren (V/C), Gerald Hirst, Peter Hayman, Niall McColl, Eileen Mills and Chris Murphy.

RESIDENTS

DC, TM, DD, GS,DH,KF,TD,AP,AC,DM,CC

EX-OFFICIO ATTENDING

Lee Handling (GCC IRI), Bethany Cheyne and Keili Koppel (Glasgow School of Art).

ELECTED REPs:

Cllr Angus Millar.

APOLOGIES

Provost Eva Bolander, Bailie Philip Braat, RJ,. MG, MM, LM, Bailie Christie-Mearns and Police Scotland.

MINUTES OF AGM HELD ON 30th October 2018

The 2018 AGM MCTCC Minutes will be voted upon at the November Meeting.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT by Tam Coyle

Hi everybody, thank you all for your attendance this evening and indeed your attendance at all 11 meetings over the last 12 months [our December get together is just a social gathering rather than a formal meeting of the MCTCC.

I would like to start by thanking the three members of the MCTCC that have decided to step down this evening: Derek Jack who moved out the Area earlier this year and Lynne McKenzie and Michelle Morrow who have stepped down due to pressure of work. I thank them all for their service to this Community over the last 12 months.

I also welcome our new Community Councillors Eileen Mills. Niall McColl and Chris Murphy. All are well kent faces round this table; indeed Chris is rejoining after spending a year as CC in 2018. We still have vacancies for two CC`s to get us back to our full complement of 10 so please consider joining us if you have time.

I would like to thank Sandra White MSP and all four of our Councillors [EB,PB,CMM,AM] for all their support over the last year.

Further our Community Police Officers Gregg and Mark and latterly Hannah and Grant for their regular attendance and answering all our questions.

LICENSING

We have had a few concerns over licenses and rowdy boorish behaviour over the last few months and we will continue to monitor these issues.

PLANNING

Our campaign to take over the Ingram St carpark and rename it Merchant City Park continues and we have set up a separate Company to work on our behalf. With other Planning Applications such as Candleriggs, Trongate/Hutcheson Street, George St/Shuttle St and Clyde St all at various stages of the planning process. We will keep a very close eye on all these proposals and any other developers that have plans for our area.

Finally, on a personal note, a special thank you to my fellow office bearers Duncan and Gerald for their friendship and guidance over the last twelve months. Indeed, Duncan has indicated that he would like to Chair the CC and, since I am a strong supporter of democracy, I am happy to step down and look forward to supporting him in his new role.”

FINANCIAL REPORT

Treasurer, Gerald Hirst reported. Full copies of MCTCC Accounts for the financial years 2018/19, dated 31st August, 2019, were passed to those attending for inspection. MCTCC bank balance was £1,462.51.

Although we have a healthy balance, we are intending to purchase a defibrillator and arrange for this to be accessible to the public within our area.

This year will be different in terms of cash flow because we now have two monthly payments for the Minute Secretary and a Webmaster who shall ensure our website is kept updated. So the expenditure this year will not be covered by the GCC Administrative Grant and we will have to call on our existing funds.

Proposed by Niall McColl
Seconded by AP.

Approved.

The MCTCC annual accounts will now be passed over to an independent auditor.

APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR

As above, the details and fee of an independent Auditor will be agreed upon at the November meeting.

ELECTION OF COMMUNITY COUNCILLORS

Duncan MacLaren, Tam Coyle, Gerald Hirst, Robin Jones, Peter Hayman, Eileen Mills, Niall McColl and Chris Murphy. David Cowan is an Associate Member. There are two vacancies.

ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS

Tam Coyle then declared all office-bearers’ positions as vacant and vacated the Chair in favour of Lee Handling (GCC) who asked for nominations for the Office of Chairman.

For the Office of Chair: Duncan MacLaren
Proposed by Tam Coyle
Seconded by Gerald Hirst

There being no further nominations, Duncan MacLaren was duly elected to the Office of Chair and resumed the Chair. He then asked for nominations for the Office of Vice- Chairman.

For the Office ofVice-Chair:Tam Coyle
Proposed by Duncan MacLaren
Seconded by Gerald Hirst
There being no further nominations Tam Coyle was duly elected to the Office of Vice- Chair.

For the Post of Minute Secretary:David Cowan
Proposed by Duncan MacLaren
Seconded by Eileen Mills
There being no further nominations, David Cowan was duly elected to the Office of Minute Secretary. Duncan then asked for nominations for the Office of Secretary.

For the Office ofSecretary:
This Office remains vacant and will be decided upon at the November meeting.

For the Office of Treasurer:Gerald Hirst
Proposed by Peter Hayman
Seconded by Eileen Mills
There being no further nominations, Gerald Hirst was duly elected to the Office of Treasurer.

The contact person for Planning Officer and Licencing Applications:
These are overseen by Tam Coyle, Duncan MacLaren, Peter Hayman and Eileen Mills.
This was left unchanged.

For theRepresentative to GCC Area Partnership; Duncan MacLaren and Gerald Hirst
Proposed by Tam Coyle
Seconded by Chris Murphy

There being no further nominations, Duncan MacLaren and Gerald Hirst were both duly elected as Representatives to the Area Partnership.

The Chair Lee Handling then declared the election closed and thanked the above members on their willingness to take on these duties. He is looking forward to working with them during the ensuing year.

TIME AND DATE OF AGM IN 2020

7pm on Tuesday 27th October 2020

There being no further business the meeting closed at 7.25pm.

Actions Agreed

  1. The 2018 AGM minutes will be approved at the 27th November 2019 meeting of MCTCC.
  2. The appointment of an independent auditor will be agreed at the 27th November 2019 meeting of MCTCC and the accounts be passed over to the company/individual.
  3. The position of Secretary will be discussed and decided at the next mid-monthly meeting of the community councillors and put to the 27th November 2019 meeting.

by admin