New City Vision will be holding a public exhibition as part of their "consultation" on their plans for Govan Graving Docks on Sat 4th March at the Riverside Hall, Clydebrae Street in Govan. If you live in Govan and surrounding districts we would encourage you to attend this session to express your views. Go in and see what they're saying or stand outside with a placard, it's up to you. Please do keep it civilised though. More info about this is available on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gravingdocks2017 (Notice how many of our proposals around the heritage they are copying and pasting) We’ve also learned New City Vision are using the same planning consultants firm who ran their consultation for their North Kelvin Meadow plans that were blocked by the Scottish Government. North Kelvin Meadow campaigners tell us they were told their wishes for the meadow site would be incorporated in some way into the development but in the final planning application we understand it was only a private garden for residents and a landscaped roundabout. The developers also went through the same process of appearing to listen and involve the community in shaping their plans for the meadow, using the campaigners own language in their literature, etc – exactly as they are doing here. So we should take their platitudes about the heritage of Govan Graving Docks with a very large grain of salt. These could very easily be brushed aside or phased-out of the detailed plans (possibly with claims of being too expensive) as they unfold later if New City Vision get planning consent. The developers’ consultation contains more doublespeak than a George Orwell novel. However the people of Govan are smart enough to see through this and send their plans to Room 101! We should judge New City Vision not by what they say they will do or by what their planning consultants say but by their track record, by what they’ve done in the past. Also interesting to note; New City Vision abandoned this proposed development in Edinburgh due to "considerable local opposition": https://stv.tv/news/east-central/258017-controversial-lans-to-build-on-edinburgh-park-abandoned/ So come on Govan! Let's show them what "considerable local opposition" REALLY is!! (We do things better than Edinburgh don't we?) The Edinburgh park campaigners succeeded. So did the North Kelvin Meadow campaigners. Look at Gartloch Hospital, North Kelvin Meadow, Cairntows Park, the condition of Govan Graving Docks after almost two decades in their ownership. Then ask yourself if you trust New City Vision to develop the graving docks in a way that respects the historic significance of the site. Let's awaken the spirit of Mary Barbour and the rent strikes, of Jimmy Reid and the shipyard work-ins! This upcoming attempt at getting planning consent may well be the developers' last throw of the dice for the graving docks - evident from how hastily they are accelerating their plans under the pressure we've created. If they don't get planning consent at this attempt there's a good chance they will be forced to dispose of the site. This is our chance to deliver the final coup de grace for flats on the graving docks. The only way to permanently guarantee a safe and secure future for Govan Graving Docks is for the site to be acquired by the Govan Docks Maritime Park SCIO charity before any planning consents are granted and before any work is undertaken. That way the site would be restored with grants, heritage funding and other charitable funds. Which means the work to restore the site would be properly put out to tender, with a transparent process that complies with procurement regulations and awarded to the strongest bid – not decided over a business lunch. Any profits from operating a maritime park would be reinvested in the long-term preservation and maintenance of the A-listed docks. If private housing plans go ahead then the profits would be distributed to the developers’ shareholders and creditors. Come on Govan!