Glasgow Water Vole Sanctuary Planned Pending Land Swap Agreement
A new water vole sanctuary in Easterhouse awaits approval for a land swap deal
Glasgow, Scotland, Water Voles, Wheatley Homes, Social Housing
Glasgow: A new sanctuary for water voles is on the horizon in Easterhouse. This will happen if the city council and a housing association can agree on a land swap.
Wheatley Homes has a 3.75-acre plot along Baldragon Road. The council wants to turn this area into a sanctuary for these cute little critters.
In return, Wheatley Homes is looking to take over two council-owned sites. One of these is the old Bishoploch Primary School land, which they plan to use for new social housing.
Councillors are set to discuss this deal in a meeting tomorrow. It’s not just a simple swap; they’ll assess the value of both sites to make sure it’s fair.
If the land Wheatley Homes is giving up is worth more, Glasgow City Council could see some cash from the deal. But so far, they don’t expect to have to pay anything extra.
Water voles are a protected species and sadly, they’re one of the fastest declining mammals in the UK. Luckily, there are still good numbers in the east end of Glasgow, thriving in parks and overgrown areas.
There’s also a conservation plan in place to help these little guys and support local regeneration projects. The land swap would let Wheatley Homes build 45 new social housing units.
The old Bishoploch Primary has been torn down, leaving a big empty space of about 5.8 acres. The second site they want is smaller, just under an acre, and is pretty overgrown.
This overgrown land will be used as green space to support the new homes since it’s not suitable for building due to its steep slopes and a public path running through it.
The site the council is looking to acquire has a substation on it, which adds another layer to the deal.