Published: Wednesday, 13th January, 2010 3:07pm
Council's bid to transform controversial hotel site
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EXCLUSIVE - By Ewan McInnes
PLANS: The former Barrhead hotel
A NOTORIOUS Barrhead hotspot could be demolished and developed into housing.
At the council's cabinet meeting tomorrow, a proposal to acquire the former Barrhead Hotel, which last operated as the All Body Gym, on Cross Arthurlie Street, and the former Bingo Hall next door will be discussed.
The cabinet will consider a report which proposes spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on purchasing and developing the site.
It is thought that if East Renfrewshire Council's plans are accepted they would knock down the old building in February and build quality affordable housing on it as part of the town's regeneration.
Tomorrow's meeting will be held in private and the council, who have been looking to acquire the site for several years, are said to be interested in redeveloping the infamous building because they currently have a lack of affordable housing.
A council spokesman insisted that if the council get the green light for this project they would work from the back of the site to cause minimum disruption and would not affect the currently delayed road works on Cross Arthurlie Street.
He confirmed that the proposal will be considered by the cabinet in private at tomorrow's meeting and if approved work will start in the near future.
The council spokesman was keen to emphasis the council's bid is subject to the cabinet's approval.
Residents are thought to be delighted with the news that the building which has not been used for over a year could finally be put to good use.
One resident who wished not to be named said: "After years and years of notoriety when it was the Barrhead Hotel hopefully the building can shake off its shady past.
"Most people in Barrhead have an idea of what went on in there and it looks like those days are gone forever now.
"It's been a long time coming but if the council or whoever are able to develop this into housing then it would be extremely beneficial to the town."
In the past local gangsters used the former notorious Barrhead Hotel to organise drug deals but it was closed down several years ago following a string of police raids.
The late Stewart "Speccy" Boyd, of Neilston, who died in a car crash in Spain in 2003, was a multi-millionaire gang leader and is said to have based his operations from the premises before they were forced to close.
Next door the old bingo hall, which had been lying empty for 10 years, was torched in April 2008 and 40 firefighters and eight engines were needed to tackle the blaze.
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LindaB
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Jan 14 10 18:49
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Barrhead needs a lot of things, but more houses? in a town centre, c'mon Barrhead Council Committees, have some vision!
Barrhead Centre, so named because it is and always was the "Centre" of Barrhead Town,
What about a Cinema? or other leisure establishment,
not everyone is interested in sports,
Barrhead needs life putting back into it, it does not need more housing which is in effect making it an extension of Paisley or even Glasgow,
Brought up in Barrhead, when the Hotel was the Hotel, when nights out for young people was something enjoyed by all young people from Barrhead, Neilston and other areas close by,
The Bingo hall gave many enjoyable evenings to the women of the town and before that, a cinema!
Old buildings, Barrhead's heritage and you want to replace them with yet more houses.
Where is your sense of pride? your heritage?
your vision?
think again, please.
jamesy
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Jan 16 10 00:23
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Yet another prized area mysteriously burned which will become more flats,look at the history of mystery fires on listed or awkward to obtain properties which all become housing in the end.this is mass corruption people need to wake up,you wont get anything that you want,it is decided that they will have more houses and thats money in backhand deals.its so obvious,research all the fires and stand up.
Alice
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Jan 16 10 00:52
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Come to think of it,wasnt that the fate of the gateside site and various others in recent years...mystery fires that always lead to new housing?
It is insane of us to let more housing go up as they take away more work supporting sites in the town for guess what...yes more housing,
where are all the new residents going to work after they have converted barrhead into a town of houses and no workplaces,and no fun facilities to go to?
Tons of extra people in a crowded town with next to nowhere to work and nothing to do at nights.
Overcrowding is a really bad idea,we need facilities and worksites with incentives.Dont Trash our town anymore.
Its a recipe for complete disaster,but as long as they make the big bucks they dont care
jamesy
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Jan 16 10 01:15
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Yet another prized area mysteriously burned which will become more flats,look at the history of mystery fires on listed or awkward to obtain properties which all become housing in the end.this is mass corruption people need to wake up,you wont get anything that you want,it is decided that they will have more houses and thats money in backhand deals.its so obvious,research all the fires and stand up.
mem
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Jan 16 10 01:30
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We need to get this area cleared for good. Replaced by housing whether affordable or not pulls our town into the present day. Other small towns have new build housing and no 'facilities', yet are managing perfectly well. Folk there, get off their backsides and make the most of what's on offer. There's plenty in Barrhead if you'd just get off your high horse and go do something. Don't wait for it to be handed to you on a plate.
Barrhead is hardly 'crowded'. There's even a park in the middle of town. As for facilities, most folk do have transport to hand to go to the surrounding areas whether down the coast or into Glasgow or Paisley.
LindaB
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Jan 16 10 12:17
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Mem, I disagree with you, I can see what you are saying, and that you consider some people in Barrhead lazy and you have a point, albeit small, however, Barrhead has always been a small town or burgh town and as such those who live there, have a right to expect more from it's council.
You / or me, cannot walk in any direction in Barrhead with walking into a housing area, I refer to the whole of Barrhead, the dear green places are all but gone, the Cowan Park, a square field with little or nothing in it, bar perhaps, a bandstand and a tennis area, used only in the summer months, if at all.
A "town centre" should be the "hub" of a community and Barrhead needs a "hub", it needs to provide and area of leisure, of shopping, and provide work for the non lazy element of the town.
Regardless of it's history or that of any other area, I think someone mentioned the fate of Gateside, the people of Barrhead deserve better!
Barrhead Council obviously have the funds to renew the Centre area, more housing is a bad choice in an already too many houses area,
and the only thing this choice will do is create yet another area like the Dunterlie / Bowerwalls/ upper Auchenback, which were areas which were slums / dens of inequity and where corruptio among the hoards were rife, and Barrhead Council fought for so many years to rid themselves of the stigma, of those two schemes.
Why create another?
Phill
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Jan 17 10 21:27
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Having lived abroad for work on and off the last four years its plain to see that Barrhead needs a proper police station and some real management.
Not just some hidden committees making deals to gain more tax from cheap housing,it doesent have to always be about easy money.Barrhead is not finished,far from it.
They need to work for us as they are supposed to not just enjoy the priveleges at our expense and always take the easy no brainer money route and to heck with the consequences approach.
There is only a dillusional little group making all the decisions that suit themselves for the most part.Making token patronising noises in public,only to do the opposite or whatever they prefer at the decision making point,I have noticed this too.
Other successful places create buildings to give budding new companies the chance to exist and contribute to their community,in turn the tension in areas is lower and more family friendly.
You can get this info researching statistics and travelling around.
The comment about most people driving out to oher areas for things to do just goes to support the fact that Barrhead is locked in a downward financial spiral.
It can be turned permanently around though.Its never too late or too much,the will is there.
The Barrhead people only want what they are entitled to.
A constant effort for a safe happy and prosperous environment.That lazy comment is mean and unjust,the people here are for the most part are good and decent and would love a better place to live and local jobs.This is not the soviet union guy.We have choice.
There has to be an effort to bring local jobs,even places like a kfc,mcdonalds and stuff,or whatever...affordable rentable shops,that if council owned can be fairly priced and not a private monthly mugging like most shops are to rent this stops most companies right at the start.
The town needs to be more independant,only local jobs can cause this self sustaned localised effect,pubs and girocashing with almost all houses wont amount to anything more than a future 21st century mega ghetto in the end.
The population is too vast not to need local jobs and facilities of its own,nevermind other regions making a fortune from our locals because barrhead was failed locally through selfish repetitive greedy decisions made by the very ones elected to represent us.
Do you even have an idea how many young ones below driving age are stuck in this town,no they dont need to get a bus to elsewhere,they need local places too first,
then the freedom of choice to go outward elsewhere for things to do.
almost anything is better than more housing at the centre.
There is a great opportunity to help new business come and create facilitie s that arent just sport related.
Barrhead a great place to live and work or barrhead the overcrowded gangland hamstercage...
There are enough people to make this town a national showpiece eventually that leads by example,rather than just a badly designed shack town.
Phill
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Jan 17 10 22:37
Our Ref: 7865
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Having lived abroad for work on and off the last four years its plain to see that Barrhead needs a proper police station and some real management.
Not just some hidden committees making deals to gain more tax from cheap housing,it doesent have to always be about easy money.Barrhead is not finished,far from it.
They need to work for us as they are supposed to not just enjoy the priveleges at our expense and always take the easy no brainer money route and to heck with the consequences approach.
There is only a dillusional little group making all the decisions that suit themselves for the most part.Making token patronising noises in public,only to do the opposite or whatever they prefer at the decision making point,I have noticed this too.
Other successful places create buildings to give budding new companies the chance to exist and contribute to their community,in turn the tension in areas is lower and more family friendly.
You can get this info researching statistics and travelling around.
The comment about most people driving out to oher areas for things to do just goes to support the fact that Barrhead is locked in a downward financial spiral.
It can be turned permanently around though.Its never too late or too much,the will is there.
The Barrhead people only want what they are entitled to.
A constant effort for a safe happy and prosperous environment.That lazy comment is mean and unjust,the people here are for the most part are good and decent and would love a better place to live and local jobs.This is not the soviet union guy.We have choice.
There has to be an effort to bring local jobs,even places like a kfc,mcdonalds and stuff,or whatever...affordable rentable shops,that if council owned can be fairly priced and not a private monthly mugging like most shops are to rent this stops most companies right at the start.
The town needs to be more independant,only local jobs can cause this self sustaned localised effect,pubs and girocashing with almost all houses wont amount to anything more than a future 21st century mega ghetto in the end.
The population is too vast not to need local jobs and facilities of its own,nevermind other regions making a fortune from our locals because barrhead was failed locally through selfish repetitive greedy decisions made by the very ones elected to represent us.
Do you even have an idea how many young ones below driving age are stuck in this town,no they dont need to get a bus to elsewhere,they need local places too first,
then the freedom of choice to go outward elsewhere for things to do.
almost anything is better than more housing at the centre.
There is a great opportunity to help new business come and create facilitie s that arent just sport related.
Barrhead a great place to live and work or barrhead the overcrowded gangland hamstercage...
There are enough people to make this town a national showpiece eventually that leads by example,rather than just a badly designed shack town.
Phill
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Jan 17 10 22:39
Our Ref: 7866
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My seven year old has far better ideas than these talentless money grabbing clown councillors
Thats disturbing.
Paula
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Jan 17 10 22:55
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I was at barrhead in canada for the summer.\nin a nearby city they have a company that buys your cans,botttles and milk cartons etc.10 cents a can 25 cents a plastic 2 litre bottle etc.\nI saw peopéle regularly walk out with 2 to 300 dollars cash from the place when i visited it for collecting about 5 bin bags of cans and bottles.\nInstead of wasting land on housing they could build a facility somewhere in the town that is council owned doing exactly this type of company.\nThe revenue is vast and constant.\nhere is the company link,please check this out councillors,it is well worth a look.\nThe recycled material is shipped out to buyers and doesent need to be done locally,only collected and compressed then the buyers have it collected or delivered to them.\nIt is great for the locals there and even the schools benefit too.\nEveryone wins,even the environment.\nTheres not a discarded bottle or can to be found lying outside in that city.
Paula
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Jan 17 10 22:57
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the company is recycleplus.com
scrapmetaman
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Jan 22 10 01:55
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MEM where are the wonderfull places you speak of.I want to live there.
How about the facts that they have tried to claim the centre park site for more housing,and that they already took a huge part of it from us and sold it off to let the housing association build shabby tailed houses on it,remember that,look how wonderful that has turned out with all the crime and violence that happens there.What about when they nearly closed the old folks place in main st...really clever
Also the mould that can kill you in some of these association houses.Cmon get real,is your real name jim by any chance?
Backhand deals,owen roland and others...
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