Why is Glasgow still building deserts wi' windaes?

Development, especially of homes in a housing crisis, is welcome. But have we learned nothing about the social consequence of building gobs of houses in an area without ensuring the necessary infrastructure or community services are in place? Are we really still putting up deserts wi' windaes? Residents of Robroyston have been sounding the alarm about this for years and it’s a testament to their willpower that the fight is still going.

The Robroyston development dilemma is a microcosm of an issue repeated across Scotland. Local authorities can't keep pace with the needs of communities when developers throw up hundreds of houses in a zone that used to be sparsely populated.

A lot of people that I have met reporting on the area grew up in Robroyston. At the time, the local authority was Strathclyde Regional Council and residents attended the school that was closest to where they lived. But the area was chopped up by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 into three parts. Now those same families can’t send their children to the school they attended because it’s no longer within the same local authority. Residents of the forthcoming Lumloch View development will be able to peer longingly over the fence at East Dunbartonshire as they prepare to shuttle their children off to a secondary school that’s nearly three miles away.

There is no denying that the goal of these new housing developments is to bring families into the area. They are all three- or four-bedroom houses. Unless there is a surge in multiple couples shacking up or adult children refusing the flee the nest, it would stand to reason that an influx of school aged children will be moving into these abodes. But where are they going to go to school? The non-denominational schools, Wallacewell Primary and Smithycroft Secondary, are bursting at the seams. Parents of pupils at Wallacewell said their children had to take staggered break times because there were too many to fit in the dinner hall. Councillors have said they have constituents move in and then move out of the ward because of the state of schools.

When it’s time for youngsters to attend Smithycroft Secondary School, getting there is a nightmare. Transport links are laughable. There is one number 8 bus in the morning to shuttle all the students to class on time. Parents continue to say it’s “unreliable”. I joined them on an hour-long walk from Asda Robroyston to Smithycroft last October and even I was a little scared crossing motorway bridges and walking through Riddrie Park Cemetery. I certainly would not want my future child walking that route home after school if they missed the bus.

The thing about the area is it feels like Glasgow City Council’s dirty secret. A paradise for car owners who can argue they drive everywhere because they have to. Up there, they do. But the roads are getting clogged up with all the cars and more added to the mix will make that a nightmare as well. The residents have started calling it the “council cash cow” because they have some of the highest council tax bands and don’t feel like they get the services to show for it. The Section 75 money from developers that are meant to enhance the area all went into Robroyston Train Station which is a mile and a half away from where many people live.

So, what happens when you bring 1,600 more families into an area that is already struggling to cope? Fault doesn’t really lie at the feet of the housebuilders. They fulfil their task of building, sell the homes and move on to the next project. But somebody needs to take responsibility for this community. It’s something that should have been done years ago. Hindsight is always 20/20. What the area really needs is a new school or two but saying that doesn’t seem likely to happen is a very euphemistic way of putting it. The council is currently trying to drop hundreds of teachers to plug multiple gaping budget holes. They don’t have millions to spare on a new school. The Scottish Government perhaps?

Talks between parents, local councillors and developers are ongoing but movement is slow and tempers are flaring. There is every chance that prospective buyers get wind of the lack of resources in the area and start to look elsewhere. This would be bad for everyone. Houses are better for the community than derelict brownfield sites but if you forgo all of the key ingredients that make for a community you can end up with a pricey ghost town. Poorly planned suburbs can lead to a breakdown of social cohesion. At the most extreme end of this spectrum, you end up with the Ice Cream Wars.

The worst part of the crisis in Robroyston is that it’s the children who are being let down. Whether it’s the developers or the local authority, somebody needs to take responsibility for the urban planning of the area. Or else it's home schooling and DIY dentistry in the little ticky tacky box, kids.

Marissa MacWhirter is the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. Each morning, Marissa curates the top local news stories from around the city, delivering them to your inbox at 7am daily so you can stay up to date on the best reporting without ads, clickbait or annoying digital clutter. Oh, and it’s free. Find out more. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1

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