Recently New City Vision had indicated they would be submitting an application for planning consent for their proposed redevelopment of Govan Graving Docks in mid July. We are now into August and (after repeated delays) there is still no sign of the planning application. We have also learned from the minutes of Govan Community Council meeting of 5th June 2017 that the Community Council will oppose a development of Govan Graving Docks that does not include social housing. The community council have suggested that Glasgow City Council could find funding for social housing to be included at the graving docks. However this would raise serious issues given the cost and complexity of the infrastructure and decontamination needed for housing at the docks (the extra cost of which is estimated at £27,000 per home). There are other disused sites locally where social housing could be expected to be developed at significantly lower cost – including a large area of empty ground on the East side of Broomloan Road in Ibrox. A financial contribution to a private development of the graving docks from public funds would be extremely controversial, raise questions of probity and potentially trigger an Audit Scotland investigation. This could prove deeply embarrassing for a new SNP council administration that does not have a majority and that (we would expect at least) to be intent on distancing itself from the strongly pro-developer approach to planning decisions widely perceived to have been taken by the previous administration - that showed little regard for public opinion or community views. Particularly in what could be the first major high-profile planning decision for the new council administration. A public subsidy for housing at Govan Graving Docks would be utterly untenable. Affordable housing may potentially be a condition of planning consent but may also be too financially problematic to include. This could be the reason any plans for housing on the graving docks may now be virtually dead in the water. New City Vision and their predecessor companies have been trying to find a way to develop housing on Govan graving docks since around 2002, while it appears no work has been carried out to prevent deterioration of particularly the A-listed pump house building. There are also title deed conditions imposing a duty to maintain the quay walls. Eventually their investors as well as Glasgow City Council could be likely to lose patience. We have learned that a New City Vision predecessor company, City Canal Ltd, acquired the docks around 1999 for less than £250k. If they succeed in getting planning consent then they would potentially be able to sell the site for millions - with a little help from Glasgow City Council of course. What benefit would that bring to Govan? The company that holds title to the graving docks – NCV subsidiary Bishop Loch Developments (Scotland) Ltd – shows a balance sheet deficit of over £4 million in their accounts to January 2016. According to Companies House records the graving docks appear to have been mortgaged several times over the years but we don’t know how much for. How much longer will it take for Glasgow City Council to deliver an ultimatum and put an end to this never-ending limbo that the graving docks are in? Glasgow City Council has the power to facilitate a compulsory purchase of the graving docks by serving a repairs notice and very strong grounds to do so under sections 42-45 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act. The question now is if and when they will use that power.