The development will replace two existing five-a-side training pitches and include changing facilities, a fitness suite, cafe, function rooms, meeting rooms, therapy facilities and community spaces
The development will replace two existing five-a-side training pitches and include changing facilities, a fitness suite, cafe, function rooms, meeting rooms, therapy facilities and community spacesSouth Lanarkshire councillors have approved controversial plans for a major new community football and leisure facility in East Kilbride , despite planning officers recommending refusal.
Members of the planning committee today voted in favour of East Kilbride Community Trust’s proposal to construct a two-storey community football space building at K-Park Training Academy within Calderglen Country Park. The development will replace two existing five-a-side training pitches and include changing facilities, a fitness suite, cafe, function rooms, meeting rooms, therapy facilities and community spaces. A 67 space carpark and landscaping works also form part of the proposal.
Jaynie Kean, senior trustee for EKCT, said: “On behalf of the East Kilbride Community Trust, we are exceptionally happy to hear the news that our planning has been approved.
“Our charity was created to help improve both the physical and mental health of the community. We know what an asset our sites have been and will continue to be for the surrounding area. The work we do across East Kilbride, through the activities led at both K-Park and K-Woodlands, are all run and built by the people of the town.
”Planning officers had recommended refusal, arguing the project conflicted with local and national planning policies relating to country parks, green belt land, sustainable transport and landscape protection. Concerns were also raised about the scale of the building, parking provision and its potential impact on the wider operation of Calderglen Country Park. Councillor Graham Scott called for a rejection of planning officers’ recommendations on the basis that the development would enhance the health and wellbeing of the park.
He said: “When I looked at the agenda for today, I was obviously desperately disappointed that this application was down for refusal. As one of the local members for the area, I believe that Calderglen Country Park does need this investment.
“I also see this application as a companion project to the £1.3m set aside by the council that will bring us a pump track and equipment for the special needs playground that’s already active in that park and addresses young people. “I believe that this application is not just for the good of the park but it’s genuinely good for the broader East Kilbride community given the type of facility it’s going to be.
”Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller agreed, and said: “When I read the paper, my first thoughts were ‘Oh great, between this and the masterplan we have a great chance of increasing the footfall in this wonderful park. ’” Cllr Scott said he was disappointed when he read the refusal, adding: “I was a wee bit confused. I read it thinking ‘This is good, isn’t this what we’re looking for – encouraging more people to visit the park’.
“I feel quite privileged to have this wonderful resource right on my doorstep and I want to encourage any proposal that will increase footfall. ”The application attracted 15 objections and one letter of support during the consultation process. Objectors cited concerns including traffic congestion, insufficient parking, pedestrian safety, loss of green space, potential impacts on wildlife and biodiversity, and the suitability of locating a large building within Calderglen Country Park.
South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture had also expressed concerns that the proposal could place additional pressure on existing park facilities and parking infrastructure. Despite these concerns, councillors were persuaded that the project would deliver long-term community benefits and strengthen East Kilbride’s sporting infrastructure. The decision represents a significant milestone for East Kilbride Community Trust , which has spent several years developing plans for the site.
EKCT’s Jaynie Kean added: “This planning process has been expensive and tedious, funded by donations from local advocates and spear headed by unpaid volunteers, primarily John Clayton. Without his dedication to this community and passion for change, we would not have achieved this positive result.
“We would like to thank the councillors and MP’s who have supported this project, and for those in the community who continue to support our mission. ” Construction is expected to begin once all necessary planning conditions and technical requirements have been discharged.
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