Council urged to scrap Westerton Primary rebuild on the village green

East Dunbartonshire Council is promising to consult with the community before any decisions are taken

Author: Alice FaulknerPublished 16th May 2023

Plans to rebuild Westerton Primary School in East Dunbartonshire are being opposed by residents in the area.

The proposal would see the school built on the village green.

However, the Save Westerton Two group says wants the community to keep its green space for children.

Campaigners have covered the area in posters

Karen Bishop, who's with the campaign, is worried about the impact on the area.

"It's a garden suburb, which is the only true garden suburb in Scotland," Karen told Clyde News.

"The green area was designed as part of that garden suburb, and we feel if we lost that, we'd be losing a big part of our history and a big piece of our community."

She added: "To take away this space now would be really detrimental to all of our community.

"Dog walkers use that space, exercise groups use it, the brownies use that space.... everyone uses it.

"That's what it was designed for and it's very well used for that."

There are also concerns about the local wildlife

Flooding concerns

Karen explains concerns are not just about the leisure use of the space: "There are also some residents who hear that it might increase the level of flooding in the area.

"There has been a problem with flooding in a couple of streets that adjacent to the site which is proposed to be used for the school.

"Having greenspace there helps, and if you build on it, you could exacerbate the problem."

East Dunbartonshire Council says it will engage with the school and the community before making any final decisions

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