Glasgow residents have less than two weeks to protest against plans to replace the site with 90 luxury homes. Comunity gardens and woodlands have been established, and the area is also home to a colony of bats and rare Dactylorhiza and Epipactis helleborine orchids.

Organisers of the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign have protested consistently, stating that this move is in breach of council policies on using 'stalled land' and would destroy important and well-used green space.

The council deadline for comments to the planning application is January 1 for general reaction and January 5 for local residents. Not an ideal time at the end of the festive holiday period.

'Douglas Peacock, the head of the campaign opposing the development plans, claimed that Glasgow City Council had ignored local opinion in its enthusiasm to sell the land to developers.

The campaign to save North Kelvin Meadow has reached a critical moment:

We've done two surveys, and the locals overwhelmingly do not want to see the place sold.

This is the last bit of green space in the west end that isn't a formal park or a private garden, so we're hoping the council will change their mind.

It doesn't look like they will, though, and if the planning application goes through then the land will be sold.

He accused the council of holding a community consultation on the plans at a time calculated to minimise negative responses. The North Kelvin Meadow campaign has reacted by launching a new campaign urging locals to oppose the luxury homes planning application.

We've been waiting for years for them to put the planning application in, and now they've done it right before Christmas.'

People have only a brief period in which to oppose the planning application

Further details - The Guardian - The Scotland Blog

Photographs North Kelvin Meadow from flickr

Fellow residents, friends and family of Miss Elsie Black gathered recently to celebrate her 100th birthday, in the very sheltered Abbeyfield house where she has lived for 8 years very close to Victoria Park in the West End of Glasgow.

Although born in East Kilbride ? long before it became the modern town we know today - Miss Black has lived the greater part of her life in Glasgow, working for J&P Coats for over 40 years, and enjoying a long and active retirement. She has travelled extensively, enjoyed watching the ballet and going hillwalking, and has a life-long commitment to her local church.

The party was kicked off in style by the daughter of Elsie's god-daughter, who together with her husband entertained the gathering with a song from each of the 10 decades of her life, starting with Rhianna and working back via the Beatles and Elvis to 'I'm forever blowing bubbles'.