Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland LocalADMINISTRATIVE Government BOUNDARY REVIEW: Boundary Commission for Scotland 3 DrumsheughANGUS COUNCIL Gardens, AREA/DUNDEE Edinburgh CITY COUNCIL EH3 AREA7QJ AT FITHIEBANK tel: 0131 538 7510 email: [email protected] fax: 0131 538 7511 Administrative Boundary Review East Dunbartonshire council area and Glasgow City council area at Princes Gate and Greenacres by Robroyston Greenacres Report to Scottish Ministers Report number: A10001 March 2010 Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY REVIEW: EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE and GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL AREAS at PRINCES GATE and GREENACRES Membership of the Commission: Chairman: Peter Mackay CB Deputy Chairman: William Magee OBE Commissioners: Brian D Clark MBE Kenneth McDonald Paula Sharp MARCH 2010 Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY REVIEW: EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE and GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL AREAS at PRINCES GATE and GREENACRES The Scottish Ministers On behalf of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, we present the Commission’s report on a review of the administrative area boundary between East Dunbartonshire council area and Glasgow City council area at Princes Gate and Greenacres by Robroyston, which has been undertaken in compliance with the Ministerial Direction of 5 March 2008 made under section 15(3) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. In accordance with the provisions of section 18(3) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, copies of the report and illustrative maps are being sent to East Dunbartonshire Council and Glasgow City Council with a request that the report should be made available for public inspection at their offices. The same set of information is being sent to locations such as libraries in the area to be made available for public inspection. Copies of the report are being sent to those to whom we sent our Provisional Proposals, and notification of our recommendations is being sent to those who made representations in respect of our Provisional Proposals. The report can also be found on the Commission’s website: www.lgbc-scotland.gov.uk . Notice is also being given in newspapers circulating in the affected area of the fact that the report has been made so that interested persons may inspect the report at the Councils’ offices. Peter Mackay Chairman Hugh Buchanan Secretary For the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland 3 Drumsheugh Gardens EDINBURGH EH3 7QJ 12 March 2010 MARCH 2010 Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY REVIEW: EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE and GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL AREAS at PRINCES GATE and GREENACRES MARCH 2010 Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY REVIEW: EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE and GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL AREAS at PRINCES GATE and GREENACRES Contents Page Introduction 1 Origin and Commencement of the Review 1 Commission's Initial Proposals 2 Publication of Provisional Proposals 3 Representations on Provisional Proposals 4 Publication of Revised Recommendations 9 Representations on Revised Recommendations 10 Conclusions 11 Final Recommendations 11 Appendix A: Map illustrating the areas recommended for transfer 13 Appendix B: Description of the areas recommended for transfer 14 Appendix C: Consequential alterations to electoral wards 16 MARCH 2010 Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY REVIEW: EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE and GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL AREAS at PRINCES GATE and GREENACRES MARCH 2010 Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY REVIEW: EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE and GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL AREAS at PRINCES GATE and GREENACRES Introduction 1. This is the report on a review conducted by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland into the local authority boundary between East Dunbartonshire council area and Glasgow City council area at Princes Gate and Greenacres, both by Robroyston. 2. Princes Gate and Greenacres are adjacent areas of housing, situated on the southern side of Auchinairn Road between Bishopbriggs and Robroyston. Greenacres lies wholly within Glasgow City council area. The smaller and more recent Princes Gate development lies mostly within East Dunbartonshire council area and is divided by the boundary considered by this review. 3. The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland was established under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and is responsible for making recommendations to Scottish Ministers for changes to local authority areas or their electoral arrangements in the interests of effective and convenient local government. 4. This review has been undertaken by the Commission through powers granted by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, as amended. Origin and Commencement of the Review 5. The existing boundary between East Dunbartonshire council area and Glasgow City council area was established by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which created the current unitary local authorities. 6. In March 2002, a property developer requested a review of the administrative area boundary at Greenacres, by Robroyston, having obtained planning consent to construct residential properties that would straddle the boundary. At its meeting of April 2002, the Commission concluded that consideration of a proposal for an administrative review on the basis of allocation of land for development was inappropriate, and that a review could not take place until the site was fully developed and the positions of buildings and other infrastructure were fixed and could be verified on the ground. Indications that planning permission had been granted and development of the site was authorised were not sufficient to enable the Commission to proceed to review. 7. At that time, a Ministerial Direction that restricted reviews to those that potentially directly affected no more than 50 electors was in force. That Direction and an identical successor continued in force until March 2008. A new Ministerial Direction was issued with effect from April 2008. This enables the Commission to conduct reviews of 1 MARCH 2010 Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY REVIEW: EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE and GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL AREAS at PRINCES GATE and GREENACRES local authority areas that potentially directly affect no more than 300 electors. 8. The Commission concluded at its meeting on 16 December 2008 that a review should be undertaken, since the buildings and roads in the area of development were, by then, sufficiently complete to give the Commission certainty about their location, access and connectivity, and because the current boundary: • runs through a supermarket and 3 houses, and the gardens of a further 13 houses; • results in an area of housing in one local authority area only having vehicular access through another local authority area; and • does not follow any distinctive ground features. Commission's Initial Proposals 9. In November 2008, the Secretariat visited the area, and held informal discussions with officials from East Dunbartonshire Council and Glasgow City Council in order to understand their views of the situation. 10. At its meeting on 16 December 2008, the Commission agreed its Initial Proposals for the area: realignment of the administrative boundary between National Grid references NS 625 694 and NS 637 701 with the centre of Auchinairn Road as a clear and robust boundary, so that the supermarket, an area of farmland and the areas of housing known as Greenacres and Princes Gate would lie wholly in Glasgow City council area. 11. The electoral register of December 2007 indicated that the Initial Proposals would move 95 electors from East Dunbartonshire council area to Glasgow City council area. 12. In accordance with the requirement of Section 18(2) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the Commission wrote to East Dunbartonshire Council and Glasgow City Council in January 2009 and asked for their views on its Initial Proposals for the area. Glasgow City Council replied in February 2009; East Dunbartonshire Council replied in early March 2009, but this was overtaken by a further response in early April 2009. 13. Glasgow City Council supported the Commission’s Initial Proposals, except for the use of the road centre line for the proposed boundary. Both councils expressed concern about the adoption of the centre of Auchinairn Road as a bounding feature, considering that it would lead to operational difficulties in regard to street cleaning, lighting and roads maintenance. Glasgow City Council did not express a MARCH 2010 2 Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY REVIEW: EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE and GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL AREAS at PRINCES GATE and GREENACRES preference for which council area Auchinairn Road itself should be located in. 14. East Dunbartonshire Council objected to the Initial Proposals because of the transfer of affordable housing land, effects on residents’ entitlement to access East Dunbartonshire education services, and Council Tax increases for those residents. It suggested 4 alternative boundaries: • one that would follow the eastwardly course of the Wallace Well Burn to the south of Greenacres; • one that would follow the northern curtilages of the supermarket and Princes Gate; • one that would follow the southern curtilage of Auchinairn Road, skirting the southern curtilage of Wester Lumloch Cottage;