GREEN protesters, camped in the path of the M77 motorway development,
yesterday prepared for a showdown with Wimpey Construction that never
came.
The direct action group Earth First! had rallied about 150 people at
its Pollok Estate encampment to mount a day of action against the firm
which is contracted to build the #53.6m link between the M77 at Haggs
Castle roundabout and the A77 at Malletsheugh.
Yesterday was the first day of the contract, and campaigners had
expected Wimpey surveyors to attempt to enter the site.
Elaborate preparations were taken to block access to the site, with
look-outs posted along the road's proposed route to alert the mass of
protesters assembled in the camp to any attempted incursion into what
they have claimed is their own independent ''Pollok Free State''.
All of the preparations were in vain, as Wimpey officials announced
none of their staff would go near the site.
That left campaigners claiming first blood in their battle to stop the
project.
A spokeswoman said: ''The company told us they were starting work
today. We got ready, they've backed down, so we're calling this a day of
celebration instead.''
Veterans of English road protests at Twyford Down and East Wanstead
had travelled north for yesterday's expected confrontation, and found
themselves dancing to rave music rather than stopping surveyors.
Scottish Militant Labour councillor, Mr Nicky Bennett, admitted that
the non-appearance of Wimpey personnel had engendered a general sense of
anti-climax.
Mr Bennett, who represents the South Nitshill ward on Glasgow District
Council, said the delay had given campaigners, drenched after a day's
rain, additional time to construct defences around their Pollok Estate
camp.
These new defences involved the building of a log and tyre barrier
blocking access to the site and the construction of two giant tripods
out of dead wood, as well as the further use of the controversial tactic
of tree-spiking.
The tripods, which were first used in North American protests against
logging firms, are intended to delay heavy plant equipment getting on to
the site, said camp member Colin MacLeod.
''The tripods have a cage at the top in which somebody sits, and
basically the company can't move them without risking that person's
safety,'' he added.
A Wimpey Construction spokesman said the firm had no plans to visit
the site yet.
''There's no need for any of our staff to be present at this early
stage of the contract,'' he said.
''We are still finalising the design of the extension and it will be
several weeks before we need to move any heavy equipment into
position.''
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article