Garnock Campus July 2015

First things first, choosing Longbar as the site for the new school Campus is one of the stupidest decisions ever taken by North Ayrshire Council. However that is where it is going to be so along with Jean Highgate I have been working to try and make sure that the routes to and from the school are made as safe as possible, and to force the council to make sure a dedicated bus service is in place for all the people using the Campus not just those from Dalry.

The council project team have made some plans to add safety measures to the walking routes and a meeting was help with the local councillors on 24th June to update us on the proposals, a separate meeting was held with parent councils in the evening.
 
At the meeting concern was expressed about the timing of the meeting shortly before the end of the school term and we requested that the plans, such as they were be displayed in the local libraries in Kilbirnie and Beith.

Unfortunately this has yet to happen two weeks later.
I sent the following correspondence to the project team to make clear my views on the outstanding safety issues.

"Following on from the meeting regarding works planned to limit the risks for people travelling to Longbar, a commitment was made to make copies of the maps of the planned works available in the Libraries in Kilbirnie and Beith. I understand this has not happened yet.

With regard to the routes from Kilbirnie it is my view that safety could be improved by installing a pelican crossing at Dalry Road near the garage so that people can cross and use the Loadingbank road to Glengarnock. That the Railway bridge at Loadingbank be removed as it has long  been a problem for residents with incidents of stone and bottle throwing and drug taking. That lighting be installed on its length and that crossings be installed over the B777 at the footbridge over the river.

From the town centre safety should be improved by widening the pavements on the Valefield side of Kirkland Road. The Kirkland Rd bridge could have the road layout altered slightly to widen the pavement on that side.
In my view it would be best to make the route through Caledonia Rd at this point which could easily and more cheaply improved as the Main Road pavement from Garnockside to the shop is very narrow even before cars park with two wheels on the pavement. The section between the station crossing and the proposed entrance is also too narrow as would be the entrance to the campus.

Most importantly there needs to be a dedicated bus service from Kilbirnie and Beith town centres. As the walking routes will require decent weather to be well used. The existing limited bus services would be unable to cope with the number of people needing to get to the site and all the routes are very exposed to the elements. I have heard the arguments about travelling three miles to other schools but on this occasion NAC have deliberately planned to move a school from an accessible town centre site with developed school transport, to a remote and isolated site with inadequate public transport and they need to take responsibility for safe transport provision."

Labour denounces lack of consultation on cut-down Garnock Campus

Labour councillors have expressed their anger over the consultation process for the Garnock Campus which has been scaled down by the SNP.
The Labour Councillor for the Garnock Valley, Cllr John Bell, has expressed his anger at the continued lack of consultation and voiced safety concerns over the new Garnock Campus, after a meeting was arranged at 24hrs notice to prepare Councillors for a planning application for the Campus. Commenting on the reduced sports facilities in the plan, Cllr Bell claimed that £1m would have been available for these facilities if the Campus had been built on the original site at North Lochshore. Cllr Bell also criticised the lack of time and detail allowed for local parents and Councillors to influence the Campus’ design.
Speaking after the display boards were revealed on 24^th April, Councillor Bell said;
 “This so-called consultation is totally inadequate for a complex project like the new Garnock Campus. Despite the real concerns expressed about the distance and safety of walking routes to the remote Longbar site, the consultation provides little information on how pedestrians will access the Campus never mind outline the works which must take place to improve the safety of routes from the towns.”
“The SNP Administration is not even providing the level of facilities initially promised, with only one grass football pitch and a synthetic rugby field planned. An extra £1million would have been available for these facilities had the school been built on the Town Centre Kilbirnie, a site offered for free, rather than the SNP’s remote and costly site at Longbar. Now, ironically, much of the Longbar site is to be left as marsh-land as it has been deemed too expensive to provide adequate drainage.”
The SNP shambles continues, they forced through the choice of a remote isolated site, despite overwhelming community opposition, despite the fact that a better site was available at no cost and now they have to cut back on the facilities due to the limitations of their chosen site.” 
NAC Labour Group Leader Cllr Peter McNamara commented: 
“In previous North Ayrshire school building projects the previous Labour Council allowed time for consultations with Pupils, Staff, Parent Councils and the wider community. We consulted on the design of the schools, layout, safe access for the staff and pupils and even on the detail of the colour schemes and types of furniture that would be used. The opinions of local people and groups were taken into account because Labour believes that they are important and, if they are ignored, the consultation will fail.”

Labour denounces “Almighty Shambles” of SNP’s Development Plans

The Labour Group on North Ayrshire Council has expressed dismay at the lack of strategic economic development planned for North Ayrshire in the SNP’s Local Development Plan (LDP) and National Planning Framework (NPF3), describing the lack of serious development an “almighty shambles”.
Speaking after the LDP was formally adopted, Garnock Valley Councillor John Bell said;
 “The content of both of these plans has been dictated by the SNP and both are inadequate for the needs of North Ayrshire in the 21^st Century.”
 “Planned developments in the Garnock Valley were stopped in their tracks by the SNP’s decision to remove housing allocation from the North Lochshore site, thus blocking an agreement with Scottish Enterprise to develop the site and the wider area.”
“Now, ironically, the Scottish Government has restored planning permission for houses at North Lochshore, with the result that there is the possibility of houses, which are welcome but not an essential need, while the associated economic development, which is desperately needed, has been lost.”
“It’s such an almighty shambles. You couldn't make it up. And it’s the responsibility of the SNP at Holyrood and in Irvine.”
“Following on from the disaster of the Garnock Campus, you honestly wonder what the SNP has against the Garnock Valley. 
North Coast Councillor Alex Gallagher, who has campaigned for strategic status to be retained at the Hunterston Peninsula, said; 
“The removal of Strategic Development status from Hunterston in NPF3 means that there are no planned developments of national importance in all of North Ayrshire. It is predicted that there will be power shortages in the medium term, but the SNP’s blind opposition to nuclear power means that Hunterston, which has been a site of national importance for 60 years,  has been left with no viable future.”
“It is a tragedy that, through the actions and decisions of the SNP locally and in Edinburgh, we have been left with no prospect of substantial economic development in North Ayrshire. I doubt if there has ever been a more inept administration in the history of Cunninghame North or North Ayrshire Councils.”

Labour demands answers on Campus land costs Site at North Lochshore could have been acquired free

The Labour Group is questioning the cost of purchasing the land at the Longbar for the new Garnock Campus after it was confirmed North Lochshore could have been acquired for free.
After the Scottish Government re-instated planning permission for the site at North Logshore, a site which the council could have had at no cost for the proposed Garnock Valley Campus, the Labour Group on North Ayrshire Council has demanded to know the costs of buying and preparing the land at Longbar which is the current chosen site for the Campus.
Garnock Valley Councillor and Labour’s Education spokesman Cllr John Bell said; 
“We believe that a large amount has been spent on the Longbar site before any design work has been started. It makes no sense in light of the fact that the land at North Lochshore could have been had for free.”
“Given that the Council is currently cutting vital services to our constituents, it is a scandal that the Nationalists are prepared to waste such a huge amount on a site which is not nearly as suitable nor as popular with parents and pupils of the Garnock Valley and which would have saved a large amount of much needed cash for other vital services.” 
Cllr Alex Gallagher, Vice Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, said: 
“Previous attempts to address this matter through Scrutiny were stymied by SNP manoeuvring to ensure the matter never got to the Scrutiny Committee."
“The question to the portfolio holder is yet another attempt to force the SNP to shed some light on their murky dealings in this matter."

SNP finally agree to keep a primary school in Kilbirnie

SNP finally agree to keep a primary school in Kilbirnie

North Ayrshire SNP has been pressured into allowing Moorpark Primary School to remain in Kilbirnie, following extensive public outcry from parents in Kilbirnie and Beith, The original proposal was to include Moorpark and Glengarnock Primary Schools in the new Garnock Academy Campus at North Lochshore.  But the SNP’s decision to go against local wishes and move the Campus to Longbar put the whole scheme in doubt. 

Parents had already made their views clear with a petition of over 2500 signatures opposing the site change for the new Garnock campus. When the SNP refused to listen to their views, the local community again stated their concerns over travel distances and the safety of routes to the SNP’s remote and isolated Longbar site.

The committee heard the results of the consultation with parents which made clear that any benefits of being part of the new Campus were heavily outweighed by the difficulties posed by the remote isolated Longbar site. The parents voted overwhelmingly to keep Moorpark out of the Garnock project if it was to go ahead so far from the town.

John Bell, Labour Councillor for the Garnock Valley, said:

"This is a victory for the Moorpark Primary parents and the community who have successfully forced the administration to concede that the Longbar site is too far from the community. However there are still concerns for the secondary pupils of both Kilbirnie and Beith in travelling to the remote and isolated site. Users of the Garnock pool will also find difficulty in accessing the new facility if it is at Longbar.

"This should have been a major opportunity for the Garnock valley but the project has been diminished by the poor choice of site. No matter how good the new facilities might be, they are inaccessible for the majority of the community.

“The administration believes that positioning the Camous between Kilbirnie and Beith the SNP will allow them to cut school buses from Beith while being positioned so that Kilbirnie pupils will not qualify for free transport either. It’s no more than a scam to cut costs while increasing the difficulty and the danger for our pupils.”

“Even at this late stage I call on the the administration to see sense and revert to the more central Kilbirnie site which was within safe walking distance for Kilbirnie pupils and kept free transport for Beith and Dalry pupils”.

Why are the SNP so set on Longbar for new Academy?

Speaking to local people that is the question they ask, why would anyone think that building a school campus in an isolated area, so far from the people who would use it, is a good idea.

I can't answer,  the decision defies logic, they might save some money on providing buses for Beith pupils but they will pay in terms of latecoming and sickness absence.

Garnock Flood prevention scheme still waiting for SNP Government funding.

At  a recent meeting of North Ayrshire Council I asked the administration why there had been a delay in publishing a Flood Prevention Order planned for December 2012. Previously an outline flood protection scheme had been prepared identifying the level of investment and extent of work required and the Executive instructed Council Officers to submit the document to the Scottish Government as a bid for future funding and that a Flood Prevention Order be published by December 2012.

Councillor Ferguson who now has the responsibility for the Environment in the SNP administration replied, "The business case for the Upper Garnock Valley scheme was submitted to Scottish Government in December 2011. Bids received, at that time, by Scottish Government far exceeded the funding available.” “Clearly the timescale and any potential phasing for undertaking a full scheme will be reliant upon the availability of national funding.”
As a supplementary question I asked the Portfolio Holder for an indication of the timescale for works to commence. Councillor Ferguson indicated that a public consultation exercise will be undertaken in February to March 2013, which will include a road show. A report will be prepared and submitted to the Cabinet with a scheme submitted to the Scottish Government by the summer.

The Floodwarning station at Radio City is now online and you can access it at http://www.floodview.net/UIPage.aspx?AccountId=2