Leave archived first application website »

March 18th: THE APPEAL IS DISMISSED

February 14th: AFTER THE HEARING AND INQUIRY 2011

The following can be downloaded as .pdf files

December 16th: APPEAL STATEMENTS (Joint)

from We Like Milngavie and Milngavie Community Council

The following can be downloaded as .pdf files

December: APPEAL FOR FURTHER FUNDS

Several local people with professional expertise will be giving their time freely to take part in the hearing and inquiry sessions. We also aim to engage the services of an expert to speak on the design and visual aspects: Martin Tabor of the highly regarded Land Use Consultants (LUC)»

Tesco, with their unlimited resources, will be engaging consultants and a QC. The cost of having Martin appear will be in the region of £3,000. We now appeal for your help to raise this. Shared amongst the many hundreds who have taken the trouble to object to the proposal, this should be achievable. We need this urgently, so that LUC can be retained to represent the community on the vital issues of design, scale and the visual impact on our town. If you are able to make a contribution, however small, please email admin@welikemilngavie.org

November 28th: TESCO'S PLANS AT LIBRARY

Milngavie Library now holds copies of all the drawings, reports and etc. associated with Tesco's Milngavie application and all the documents associated with the appeal.

Opening times: Monday - Thursday 10am-8pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-5pm

November 10th: OUTCOME OF PRE-EXAMINATION MEETING

The Appeal will be held over the period Tuesday 1st February to Thursday 10th February 2011, excluding Monday 7th.

There will be 3 broad sessions in the following order:

  • Design and Conservation. This session will be in the format of a Public Hearing, which is less formal than Public Inquiry. It will cover the broadest view of design including scale, landscape and townscape issues, as well as specifically building design, and also the relationship of the proposed building to the Conservation Area and the listed buildings. It will preclude wildlife issues as there is sufficient information available on these matters.
  • Economic Impact (principally retail impact). This will be held as Public Inquiry.
  • Traffic. This will also be held as Public Inquiry.

    • October: PRE-EXAMINATION MEETING

    The Reporter for the appeal is Mr Trevor A. Croft. He will hold a pre-examination meeting on Thursday 28th October at 2.00 pm in Kessington Hall, Bearsden.   After hearing the views of parties, he will decide which topics should be considered and whether each should be the subject of a public inquiry or of a (less formal) "hearing" session.

    September: APPEAL DOCUMENTS

    The following can be downloaded as .pdf files

    August: Financial

    On the basis of the total pledged to date, the group commissioned a report on visual impact from Land Use Consultants (see below). Over 100 have pledged sums, ranging from 10 pounds to over 200. However, since there is still an appreciable shortfall in the total, if you wish to help WLM, please email your pledge to info@welikemilngavie.org

    We will reply with an update and details of where to send your cheque

    Land Use Consultants

    We believe that the Council's refusal is based on very strong planning grounds: the effects the giant store would have on 1) existing shops and jobs in Milngavie and Bearsden, 2) the resulting traffic congestion and 3) the visual effect on the character and appearance of Milngavie's Town Centre and its most significant historic buildings.

    Given that the Council has engaged expert consultants in retail and traffic to support their refusal, "We like Milngavie" took the view that independent professional experts should also be asked to assess the visual effects of such a large scale building.

    The highly regarded Land Use Consultants (LUC) who advise local authorities and government bodies throughout the UK, offered to undertake a preliminary visual impact appraisal at a cost of just over £4,000. "We Like Milngavie" obtained a large proportion of the cost from an appeal to the public, and with assistance from Milngavie Community Council commissioned such a study.

    Tesco Maryhill - be warned!

    Imagine a building of this scale in Milngavie!
    A drive-past brings home the impact even more vividly than these images can.

    Council's refusal - May 2010

    Residents and traders in Milngavie, Bearsden and the surrounding area were delighted and greatly relieved that Tesco's inappropriate and insulting proposals were refused planning permission on 13th April. Herald 14/04/10 » So sure were our Councillors that the plans were completely wrong for our area that they rejected them without even a site visit. This is very unusual where the planning officials have recommended grant. See the councillors' reasons for refusal »

    Meanwhile

    Whilst waiting for Tesco's next move, the group joined forces with "Milngavie in Bloom" and BTCV (the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) on May 14th to clear litter which was polluting the Allander Water for several kilometres downstream from Tesco.
    Click here for more images »

    Thanks!

    "We Like Milngavie" would like to thank our MP, Jo Swinson (Lib Dem) and our MSPs, Gil Paterson (SNP) and Des McNulty (Labour), for such splendid support. Opposition to Tesco's proposals was truly cross-party, with the refusal being proposed by a Conservative Councillor, and supported by Councillors from all the main parties. Since that time we have also received a message from the chair of the Dunbartonshire Green Party. The Greens are only too aware of how very un-green Tesco's proposals actually were!

    Also of course we want to thank the 730 who wrote letters of objection to the plans, including the following organisations and community groups:

    Milngavie Community Council
    Bearsden North Community Council
    Bearsden West Community Council
    Mains Estate Residents Association
    Burnbrae Residents Association
    Baljafray Residents Association

    Milngavie and Bearsden Historical Society
    Milngavie Civic Trust
    Scottish Civic Trust
    Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce
    River Kelvin Angling Association