Stef Meens, a journalism student at Glasgow Caledonian University has written this article about the community’s concerns over the traffic issues with the new school

With the new Hillhead primary school set to open in August, residents, parents, councillors and teaching staff are concerned about the children’s safety and the area’s traffic flow.

Hillhead community council member Eric Kay said: “the new school will have more than 600 children; the traffic this generates can easily congest the busy area around Gibson Street and Westbank Quadrant.”

David McEwen, site manager for City Building said: “The main school entrance will be on Kelvin Way so most school traffic won’t pass Gibson Street area. However, the entrance of the community centre, which is part of the school, will be located on the Westbank.”

Local councillor for the SNP, George Roberts, said parents fear the drop off zone on Kelvin Way this will cause a tremendous bottleneck.

Mr Roberts said City council’s education department has emphasized the use of walking routes to reduce the amount of parent traffic both at the drop off zone on Kelvin Way as well as school traffic in the Gibson and Otago Street area.

“In many ways this line of thought has to be praised and encouraged, also from an environmental point of view. However the parents, teachers, residents and retailers, all realise that it’s a very short-sighted view of modern life. The car is far too much something people here depend on“, said Mr Kay, a founding member of the Gibson Street, Otago Street and Westbank Quadrant Triangle community (GOW).

Mr Roberts said the parents’ objection to the walking routes is that they are not deemed safe enough. “Especially in winter time, walkway through the park is not lit enough. Also, the walking routes will involve crossing busy roads.”

He added: “Children have to travel a distance along busy roads. When parents escort them it won’t be that much of a problem but when they get slightly older and travel alone the busy roads can prove very dangerous.”

Jean Charsley, Chair of the Hillhead community council, said: “Parents ideally want to use the main entrance on the Westbank, reserved for teachers and staff.”

However, residents and retailers are concerned that the drop off point at Kelvin Way will not be used and most of the school traffic will congest Gibson Street and Otago Street.

Sandra Graham, member of GOW, said: “People are not used to driving down such a narrow road in the city and …especially with children about ….the potential for an accident is very high if the one way system round Westbank Quadrant is reinstated”.

Mrs Graham, who lives on Westbank Quadrant, added: “My main worry is the vulnerable edge of the infilled land…along Westbank Quadrant. The road was built for horses and carts and constant traffic including heavy vehicles could destabilise the buildings once again.”

To prevent damage to Westbank Quadrant City Building opted for a temporary traffic order to take the strain off the area while the school was being built.

“At the moment there is a temporary two way system for easier access to the school’s building site. This resulted in a faster traffic flow, which is a must with over 700 children attending the school”, Mr Kay said.

Martha Wardop, local councillor and member of the Scottish Green Party, said: “The access route via Westbank Quadrant cannot take the strain from traffic. Residents worry about damage to the riverbank wall or railing. The two way system should therefore be made permanent.”

However, with the school being nearly finished, City council wants to impose the original one-way system.

Mrs Charsley said: “Although a two way system benefits the flow, parking spaces will be lost. Shop owners are worried they will lose customers, especially as community centre visitors will need parking space.”

Mr Kay said the danger of all the conflicting interests is that one group could be set up against another. “Change is never easy for an area, but we are in this together and we need to strive for a good compromise because a solution that makes everybody happy is doubtful at this stage.

The difficulty all along has been the official bodies have never really tried to bring people together. Numerous meetings between parents council, residents have been organised but the roads department have never been present at any consultation.”

Mr Roberts said the road engineers have indeed been conservative in their approach, mainly due to financial pressure.

He added: “I suppose it is never too late to change things, there are still a few months till the opening of the school and a meeting with Jean McFadden, the executive member for education, with local councillors is on the cards.”

Mr Kay said: “Even if we can’t change things over the summer it will be vital to liaise and monitor the situation on a day to day basis so we can identify the problems and find solutions and maintain and improve the community’s harmony.”

You can read more on the School in the Park website.

Anyone wanting to be part of the second GOW visit to the new Hillhead Primary School on Monday evening 7th March, please let Eric Kay know by e-mail (eric.kay@btopenworld.com) or call 0141 339 6609. It’s a great opportunity to ask some questions like will the red brick work that’s clearly not in the lovely white & beige photo above stay?

The interior should have developed greatly since this photo was taken during our first tour back in October.

*Entry now Spring 2011

View a larger image of the photo mock-up above

The noise from late and weekend construction on the Otago/end of WB Quadrant side of GOW has had to be endured. The scale of the building is now very apparent and will take some getting used to, especially for the Otago Street residents.

The lone house on Westbank lane has so far resisted a buy-out by Glasgow City Council and recent word is that plans have been submitted to renovate the building into 3 flats. In the meantime, the construction team have no option but to build around it.
Although the mock-up suggests that the Gibson St entrance is the focal one, the main entrance to the school will be from the Kelvin Way.
Hopefully some further thought has been put into the entrance proposed on the GOW side. Objections from residents at the planning stage included fears of how the school would be ‘used’ at night, as Gibson St can see heavy traffic from pubs and unions. Entrance ramps and steps that are not closed off to the public at night can become an attractive congregating spot ; mix this with alcohol and experience has taught us that litter and late night noise follow.
Reassurances from the developers that we will not be swamped by drop-off and pick up traffic from parents, some of whom now have to travel further to deliver their children to school, may only be evaluated effectively by it’s completion.

Comments please…

What do you think of the school development ?

Do you have children who will benefit from having the school here ?

School in Park Links :

Evening Times

JM Architects

Construction Meeting Minutes
Construction Newsletter Feb 2010

Site telephone numbers:

Fax Line: 0141 287 3447
Main Office Line: 0141 287 3446

After an educational read, get off the naughty step and enjoy (a clichéd footnote and a) brilliant tune/vid:

From: City Building Glasgow LLP, Projects Division, 350 Darnick Street, Springburn, G21 4BA
Date: 15/02/10

Dear Residents,
Work on site is progressing as planned with no major deviation from the revised programme of works, other than the delays we encountered during January due to the extremely cold weather. The work undertaken over the past weeks has been fairly repetitive and most of it has been undertaken on the underside of the capping slab. There is an extremely intricate network of supports to hold up the timber formwork that the concrete gets poured into. We are pouring the remainder of the capping slab concrete even as I write this update – 180 cubic metres of concrete will be poured today! We have also been concentrating on completing the foundations and back-filling around the foundation concrete on the classroom block, in preparation for the steelwork erection. All of this work takes place below ground level and therefore it’s hard to see progress.

Our planned start for the errection of the structural steelwork will be week commencing 22nd February for the classroom block and 1st March for the Community block, and it’s at that point that you will be able to see major leaps forward in terms of progress on site. One area where we would be grateful of your co-operation will be during the delivery of the structural steelwork. Due to the dimensions of the steel, the deliveries will be carried out using articulated lorries and 40ft trailers. As access to the site entrance is somewhat restricted, we would greatly appreciate your patience in allowing our lorries to access and egress from site. Once we have confirmed the actual delivery dates, we will contact you again and make you aware of these dates.

Whilst the errection of the structural steelwork is ongoing, we will be working on other parts of the site, bringing the surfaces up to formation levels, importing crushed stone, forming the various site levels and progressing drainage works.

Future Site Activity

The following is a broadbrush and basic summary of site activity over the next 4 weeks:

Week Commencing 15th February – Pouring of concrete capping slab, de-mobilisation of formwork. Commencement of foundations for ground beams at the community block. Drainage works to both buildings, preparation for steelwork.

Week Commencing 22nd February – As per previous week and also commencement of structural steel work to classroom block

Week Commencing 1st March – As per Week Commencing 22nd Feb (commencement of steelwork to community block

Week Commencing 8th March – As per previous week

Project Team

The project is still in its early stages and therefore the project team remains as per our previous newsletter:

Construction Manager: David McEwan (david.mcewan@citybuildingglasgow.co.uk)
Project Manager: Alan Mason (alan.mason@citybuildingglasgow.co.uk)

All of the site telecommunications are now up and running and we can now inform you of the site telephone numbers:

Fax Line: 0141 287 3447 Main Office Line: 0141 287 3446

The project team would like to express its thanks to the local residents for their patience and co-operation thus far and would like to remind you that if you wish to discuss any matter relating to the project then please do not hesitate to do so, the project team will be happy to provide any further information or assist with any other questions you have regarding the project. Our next newsletter will be issued in early March.

Kind Regards,
Hillhead Primary School Project Team

Present: David McEwan (Construction Manager for Project- City Buildings)

Local Residents: Catherine, Craig, Ellie, Sandra, Emma, Paul, David, Eric, Maggie, Andrew, Ross, May.

Discussion and Issues Raised:

• Start/Completion Dates
  The construction work will take 80 weeks to completion of the school. It will open in 2011. There are different phases and the start phase, the steel erection and concrete flooring are usually the noisiest.
• Considerate Construction
  Scheme will ensure that the site is well managed and maintained and that residents will receive consideration during the period of construction.
• Communication
  David will produce a newsletter for the site and is happy to attend GOW meetings to give us regular updates and provide information for the website. Contact at any time can be via the site phone number but till that is installed residents can call the free phone number: 0800 595595
• Kelvin Way
  Will be the main access point to the site and barriers have already been erected to protect pedestrians. A zebra crossing may also be introduced. There is a problem (with the existing cycle lane) which is still under discussion. Pedestrian Access to the site will be secure and via a turn-style, whilst vehicular access will be via a motorised rising arm barrier – linked to the site office. A banksman will be available for traffic marshalling that cannot be carried out safely using the automated system. The site will have 24 hour security.
• Building site
  Herres fencing is not ideal and will be replaced where practical by more permanent fencing. Discussion to be continued with Roads to see if this can be placed over the pavement on Otago Street. The construction process will be in phases and this first phase will be very active and with some noise.
• Trees
  Some large and mature have been felled as they would restrict construction. David said that trees are saved wherever possible and wood from those felled will be utilised as outdoor furniture when the school is completed. A re-planting scheme will also be undertaken when landscaping.
• Road system
  A Road Traffic Order has been introduced and this will make Otago Street (by the site) 2 way. Primarily this is to enable access by vehicles to the corner of the site as most traffic will come directly in from Gibson Street but it will also allow necessary equipment to be brought in as the construction work progresses when this is required. The same number of residents bays will be retained though it will mean fewer pay-and-display bays for visitors. Double yellow lines will be painted at the fencing when the scheme begins so that there is space for two way traffic.
• Piling
  The construction plan is intended to minimise disruption to local residents. David explained that piling methods used will not cause major force but will use drilling and thus will not be destabilising. (Rotary Percussion Piling a 4 stage process)
• Surveys
  Residents asked about the dilapidation surveys which are being carried out on some buildings. Residents whose properties are not being surveyed expressed concern. ACTION David agreed to make further enquiries about this and advise. Residents who have had their property surveyed will be able to have a copy of that report eventually
• The house in Westbank Lane
  Has been the subject of recent publicity. Views were expressed about this building which spoils the school site. The future of this building remains uncertain. Work to ensure water, BT and power supplies will not cross the school site is now underway.
• Design
  There is no alteration to the site of the bin area which will be on Otago Street. Residents asked that their views be noted by City Council and Architects. This location is without consideration of the effect on the existing community and unsatisfactory for residents as is changes to streetscape and makes it equivalent to a service lane. The consultation exercise was thought be residents to be devalued by this thoughtless aspect of the design.
• Westbank Lane
  The construction plan will now mean that this Lane will not be closed off for use by refuse collection.
• Students
  Are returning to this area at present and the security of the fencing and of signs or equipment which may be seen as trophies will receive attention on site.
• Dust
  Is a problem this week due to the dry weather but this stage will be short lived and is far less problematic in wet weather. The piling contractor will not deliberately introduce water to the drilling operation because this will cause the drilled waste to form a slag, which is difficult to extricate from the hole.

Residents thanked David for giving time to explain the Construction Plans and look forward to continued co-operation as building work continues.

Hilhead Community Couuncil – Eric attended 7.00pm
Belgrave Lane Action Group (Blag) meeting. Sandra attended for GOW, 7.30pm