At the end of April a "car park" appeared at Eglinton Toll in Glasgow, on the route of the M74 Extension. Now the building it was supposed to serve is being (partly?) demolished and the "car park" signs have been carefully altered. What's going on?
Demolition at DWP building, Pollokshaws Road
Before the demolition work
And after demolition and sign alteration
Detail of a neatly altered sign
Nobody I spoke to locally believes that the cleared ground at Eglinton Toll was intended for a car park. It's split into two sections, built with chainlink fencing and looks like a compound at a builders' yard. It's also sited directly underneath the proposed six-lane urban motorway and claimed to serve a building (the Job Centre) that already had more car park than it needed.
Last week part of that same building on Pollokshaws Road started being demolished, while its business as usual at the other end. (The demolished wing's been empty at least a year, if I recall correctly.) So what's going on? Presumably, this building is one which the roadbuilder lobby already owns and can clear in advance (ditto the "car park") without raising more embarrassing questions about Compulsory Purchase Orders being placed despite the road's rejection by the Public Inquiry.
So far, so aggravating. But what's the story with the two shiny new signs that used to read "Private Car Park DWP"? The bottom line has gone from both signs and it doesn't look like random vandalism (see photo). The letters have been carefully peeled off leaving hardly a trace. So the area that was once claimed by the DWP now doesn't belong to anyone.
Assuming we don't just have careful and discreet vandals here, it might be significant that, of the (at least) £45M of Council money earmarked for the road, most of it will be spent by the Corporate Communications department, in charge of the PR.
Does it all add up to a deliberate attempt to deceive residents as to the reasons for the work? Or are they just going about their work quietly so the press don't notice and councillors don't have to answer questions about why they're promoting a scheme that will have "serious adverse impacts" on their constituents?
Just asking.
If you want to find out more about exactly how stupid the M74 Extension scheme is, come to one of the imminent screenings of "M74: Heading in the Wrong Direction". This Friday after Critical Mass, 7.30pm at George X Chalkboard and Saturday 5th August, 12noon at the GFT (both Glasgow).
Last week part of that same building on Pollokshaws Road started being demolished, while its business as usual at the other end. (The demolished wing's been empty at least a year, if I recall correctly.) So what's going on? Presumably, this building is one which the roadbuilder lobby already owns and can clear in advance (ditto the "car park") without raising more embarrassing questions about Compulsory Purchase Orders being placed despite the road's rejection by the Public Inquiry.
So far, so aggravating. But what's the story with the two shiny new signs that used to read "Private Car Park DWP"? The bottom line has gone from both signs and it doesn't look like random vandalism (see photo). The letters have been carefully peeled off leaving hardly a trace. So the area that was once claimed by the DWP now doesn't belong to anyone.
Assuming we don't just have careful and discreet vandals here, it might be significant that, of the (at least) £45M of Council money earmarked for the road, most of it will be spent by the Corporate Communications department, in charge of the PR.
Does it all add up to a deliberate attempt to deceive residents as to the reasons for the work? Or are they just going about their work quietly so the press don't notice and councillors don't have to answer questions about why they're promoting a scheme that will have "serious adverse impacts" on their constituents?
Just asking.
If you want to find out more about exactly how stupid the M74 Extension scheme is, come to one of the imminent screenings of "M74: Heading in the Wrong Direction". This Friday after Critical Mass, 7.30pm at George X Chalkboard and Saturday 5th August, 12noon at the GFT (both Glasgow).
