Land for sale in the centre of an East Renfrewshire village has gone under offer after a successful bid by a community organisation.
After “many years of trying” Neilston Development Trust (NDT) have snapped up the 2.5-acre site, which lies southeast of Wellpark Lane and is adjacent to Double Hedges Road.
The space, which is described by selling agent Rettie as “miscellaneous ground with no planning permission”, was marketed at a guide price of £35,000.
It includes what is left of the railway track which once joined the village through to Uplawmoor and before that, the Ayrshire Coast.
Funding for the purchase has come from the Neilston Windfarm Legacy (NWL), a fund which seeks to advance community development within the G78 3 postcode.
Project manager Pauline Gallacher told the Barrhead News: “The sale of the land took us by surprise.
“For years NDT has been exploring the possibility of buying the land for community use, but the owners did not wish to engage with us at that time.
“With the sale advertisement, and the prospect of other offers, we had to act quickly, and the opportunity to access funds from NWL was fortunate indeed.
“Our application was considered in the normal way by the NWL board, and we were able to make an offer on Tuesday, March 1, which was accepted the next day.”
NDT said the move will open up the prospect of Wellpark becoming one phase of the proposed cycle path linking the Uplawmoor and Neilston communities, as well as “providing excellent off-road connections within Neilston itself, from the Bovis estate to schools and station”.
Development funding has come from Sustrans, the national walking and cycling charity backed by Transport Scotland. If successful in going forward, NDT says Sustrans would provide majority funding for this ambitious project.
The community organisation added: “A project team comprising NDT, Uplawmoor Development Trust, ERC, Sustrans and expert consultants has been working away over the lockdown months.
“There is much to be discussed, however, especially with the residents of Wellpark and surrounding streets
“There remains all the legal work to be done, and after that, site investigations to establish just what types of use might be possible on the land, which may have a degree of contamination due to its previous use, or perhaps the need for soil stabilisation.
“Once this information is to hand, the creative conversations can begin.
“The project team has been quite clear in its undertakings to local people, to listen carefully to what matters to them, so that what promises to be an amenity for the whole community will be equally enjoyed by those who live closest to it.“
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