Katy Gordon

Katy participated in a lively public meeting of well over 100 concerned local residents today at Partick Burgh Halls, as part of the STOP campaign against the proposal to build a huge Tesco on the Beith Street site on the banks of the River Kelvin in Partick. In a cross party show of support, representatives from all the main political parties were there to voice their opposition to the proposals and hear progress on the campaign.

Lib Dem council candidates for Hillhead, Abdul Khan and Kenneth Elder, also took part. Katy has highlighted the issue in a recent local Focus newsletter to Hillhead residents, when workers employed by Tesco demolished the old Partick station in a pre-emptive strike before they have even received planning permission for the development.

Katy said:

“I fully back this local campaign. The proposed development is totally out of scale with the needs of the area. There are already 2 supermarkets nearby, the local shops would certainly suffer by being unable to compete with a multinational company and the whole area would lose out if the small, independent local shops which make Dumbarton Road, Byres Road and Partick a distinctive place to shop were forced out of business. What’s more, there are already traffic problems in the area, particularly where Byres Road meets Dunbarton Road. These are only going to get worse if this development is approved. For the council to say that changing the sequencing of traffic lights is all it would take to resolve even existing traffic problems shows they have no appreciation of the issues. This development should be refused, for the sake of the people of Partick who don’t want to see their choice of shops reduced, their roads clogged with Tesco traffic and their health affected by the noise pollution and traffic fumes”

Katy has already signed the e petition at the Scottish Parliament and has now written to the council to add her voice to the ever growing band of objectors. She urges you all to do the same if you care about your local environment and want to stop the Tesco-ification of Glasgow.