We must fight to keep the town's visionary spirit

From: Kirsten Robb, Convenor, South Lanarkshire Green Party
Published: East Kilbride News, 5th October 2005

Colonsay field is part of Calderglen Country Park and it's not for sale. It was saved in the 90's by a campaign involving now sitting councillors.

Now, all over East Kilbride greenspaces are seen as 'redundant assets'. Time and again our councillors vote for developments that go against what's in the local plan.

These 'nice little earners' on our much loved greenspaces do little to meet the high local housing need and affect the health and well-being of us all.

A study based on a new European law said that developing Colonsay field would have a high environmental impact.

Of course we need more affordable homes, but let's stick with the visionary spirit East Kilbride started off with and plan actual communities with proper facilities.

Let's have local schools, neighbourhood centres and high quality local greenspaces, not building sites that maximise profit for developers with little for the community.

Let's look to the future and have warm homes with solar panels and household wind turbines.

When the plan is available in the middle of October, go and have a look at it in the Q & A or libraries.

Write to the head of planning and your councillors in your thousands and tell them what you think.

Go to your councillor's surgery, speak to your community council.

South Lanarkshire Council, why not not book the Ballerup Hall and run an evening where people can see the plans with councillors and officers there to answer questions.

Catch your local greenspace while you can, it's disappearing fast.