Labour and independent councillors have slammed the decision this week after an anticlimactic end to a decades long campaign for two of them.

Councillors say the long term benefits for the people of Barrhead and the park itself outweigh any concerns over the use of parkland, and once again highlighted the council’s plan to return the current school land to the park.

Independent man Danny Devlin went straight for the jugular of campaigners who have opposed the building of the school in the park.

He said: “The land does belong to the council and furthermore the words “common good” are not mentioned in the title deeds for the land.

“Everything that has been said is spurious nonsense from these people who have opposed and it is nothing but scare mongering that seems to have come from local SNP activists.

“The school being built would have resulted in more land for the park, improvements to what is in the park and a top class school for the whole town to enjoy.

“The minority have ruined it for the rest of us.” Labour Councillor Betty Cunningham, who has listed a new school on her agenda since the 90s, said: “The Cowan Park at the moment, in particular that bit of land is nothing but a marsh and a dog toilet.

“It’s anger, anger at the fact that the children have to suffer again for a long time, the school here is falling to bits and every year it is propped up more and more.

“We need a new school, the children deserve a new school and it has been ripped from them.

“But we are determined to get this school, and we are determined to deliver.

“However the management team and the education department who have worked on this for all these years have to be thanked for the hard work they have put in.” Fellow Labour Councillor Kenny Hay echoed Cllr Cunningham’s sentiments, saying: “I am extremely disappointed with the court ruling over the building of the school within the Cowan Park. This ruling is a big loss to the continued regeneration of Barrhead. The new school would have been focal point within the Cowan Park and would have been used by the whole community.

“I know that the overwhelming majority of the people in the town were in support of the school being within the park. There are no winners in this, although a few local groups on social media appear to think it is a victory, with the biggest losers in this being the pupils and teaching staff of Barrhead High School.” Barrhead’s SNP Councillor Tommy Reilly responded to claims of SNP scare mongering an called on the council to “take stock” of its position.

He said: “Undoubtedly this is a great disappointment for the people of Barrhead.

“I have always been a supporter of building a new school and I was behind the decision to build in the park.

“However the decision to brand SNP scaremongering as the root of the problem is nothing but a cheap shot by people looking to politicise the situation and is total nonsense.

“It has to be remembered that no-one raised a case against the council it took itself to court to clarify it’s rights over the land.

“There are various other options which could be looked at, but this is an occasion to take stock and look forward, not politicising.

“I do not believe this is the end of the road.”