Time running out to protect land at Dougalston

Last year, councillors unanimously agreed to accept planning officers’ recommendation that a bid by landowners British Land should NOT be included in the proposed Local Development Plan2 (LDP2) for the area.

There was also huge opposition locally to the development of housing, a holiday park and commercial units on the ground at Dougalston Golf Course.

But British Land has indicated it is not prepared to give up the battle to build on the site.

Now Councillor Jim Gibbons and local campaign group Love Dougalston want people to make their voices heard again. Councillor Gibbons said: “I am concerned that people have not sent in many representations to support the Council decision not to develop on the Dougalston golf course site.

“Any previous objections will not be valid. It is important for people to get their representations in before the 15th of January deadline to give the plan its backing.”

A spokesperson for Love Dougalston added: “This is still a very serious threat, we need to throw everything at this.

“We’re so amazed at the many messages and photos that have come through our website lovedougalston.co.uk which shows that due to the pandemic many more people are using Dougalston as a lifeline, connecting to nature and maintaining good health and well-being.

“Please back the council’s Plan and make those increasingly important representations before the deadline on January 15.”

The council is encouraging the use of a representation form – available via their website – which has been specifically created for the public consultation over the LDP2. However, representations submitted in other formats, such as e-mail and letter, will also be accepted.

Representations should be concise and limited to a maximum of approximately 2,000 words, as this will allow the council to work through the responses efficiently and help contribute towards a speedy process.

Visit www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/LDP2 for details. You can also e-mail development.plan@eastdunbarton.gov.uk

If you do not have access to a computer, you can contact the Land Planning Policy team by calling 0300 123 4510 (9am-5pm, Mon to Fri).