FURIOUS villagers living in Scotland’s only garden suburb have slated a council over plans to rebuild a primary school on a treasured green space.
The village of Westerton on the outskirts of Glasgow is steeped in architectural and civic history.
In the early 1900s, it was selected as a location for Scotland’s first garden suburb, a cooperative housing model which would offer good quality, affordable homes intended to improve the mental and physical health of residents - who were largely industrial workers – outside of the crowded city.
When it was first established, each tenant purchased five shares at a value of £10 each for which they would receive a small dividend, held by the Glasgow Garden Suburb Tenants Ltd on their behalf. They additionally paid a small rent, with that and the dividends being used to pay for repairs.
What makes the suburb even more unique is that its development was interrupted by the First World War and so it remains just two-thirds of its intended size. There were 84 Arts and Crafts style homes built, all with gardens, the like of which you will not find anywhere else in the country.
New houses were eventually built before the Second World War, but these are not officially part of the suburb. The original garden suburb – whose tenants eventually became owners of their homes – has been designated an outstanding conservation area by Historic Environment Scotland.
Many villagers have lived in the area for decades with some having lived in several of the houses, given there was once an ethos adopted by residents of trading homes depending on the size of your family.
The idea of the community looking after each other has always remained strong and recently residents have pulled together to try and save the village green at the heart of the suburb from development.
It is the only fully accessible flat green space in a very hilly village but East Dunbartonshire Council is weighing up the possibility of rebuilding Westerton Primary School there, with a decision due this coming Thursday.
When the council took over the running of the green from the garden suburb in around the 1940s, the idea was it would always remain a recreational space and villagers are now furious this is coming under threat.
Alison Stirling, who lives in one of the garden suburb houses with her partner Ilana Halperin, said: “It’s short-term thinking and that’s the worry. They [the council] are saying they will create a green space up on the hill where the current school is, but it is completely inaccessible.
“Scotland has a growing older population and it isn’t looking after them. It would leave a lot of people incredibly isolated.
“They are going to destroy this area.”
Halperin (below) said the council had failed to properly consult the community about the proposal and accused bosses of trying to pit residents against each other.
She told the Sunday National: “I think people are extremely upset. The council has been divisive and is trying to fracture what was previously a very united community.
“My neighbours are devastated at the possibility of losing the green. We’ve expressed this to our councillors but it’s been like hitting a brick wall.
“I’m very confused that Scotland is a country of innovation – with the capacity to think in the long-term being born in Scotland – and now at a time when we need to be thinking more and more long-term as we approach the climate catastrophe, our councils are thinking with short-term planning with no sense of responsibility of protecting our cultural and heritage sites for generations to come.”
Halperin is also concerned councillors will be making a call on whether to build on the green before the publication of a flooding report by Scottish Water which is not due to be released until February.
The council has insisted it has spoken to residents at in-person engagement events while stressing the option of building the school on the current site – which residents are fully behind – is still on the table.
It is not the first time residents have been forced into action after they successfully saved the green from development a decade ago, but they now feel the council have attempted to strike again post-pandemic to catch a tired community off guard.
Halperin, who is a member of the Save Westerton Green Community Action Group, said: “They’ve waited for 10 years until we’re tired, we’ve been through a pandemic, people are exhausted, and then just before the Christmas holidays, they made the announcement they were intending to build on the green again.”
Stirling added: “They are slowly disintegrating this really lovely idea of community for a building which they could do easily build on the hill. It’s divisive and sneaky.”
Mum-of-two Claire O’Donnell, who has a six-year-old son at the school, said the green is at the heart of the community where the gala day is held and is used by people of all ages.
There is a huge concern that was the school to be built on the green, amenities such as the football pitch, library and hall – all on the same site – could become inaccessible during school hours.
O’Donnell said: “I think it would be a terrible loss of amenity for everyone. There are so many people who love Westerton because we have a school, it’s away from traffic, it’s very green with beautiful views. The school probably has the best view of Glasgow.
“I think it’s crazy. Why would you build on greenfield land when there’s brownfield land where the school is that you can build on?
“The green is part of what makes it a great place to live, it’s the heart of the community.”
A council spokesperson said: “The council has been carrying out a feasibility study on the following proposals to deliver a new primary school in Westerton.
“As part of the feasibility study, Westerton residents and the school community have been invited to share their thoughts and aspirations during in-person engagement events, via the dedicated project email and on the paper forms distributed.
“Full details of the proposals have been posted on our website and fully consider adjacent built and natural heritage assets including Tree Preservation Orders, Nationally Important Garden and Designed Landscape areas and the Westerton Garden Suburb Conservation Area.
“All feedback from residents is being incorporated into the report which will be presented to the Council at their meeting on December 14, when councillors will decide on the next steps.”
