Furious resident says Glasgow park has been 'neglected and mismanaged'

Graeme McArthur, who has lived near the Pollokshields park his entire life, says he feels "incredibly frustrated" that grass, trees and hedges in the green space have been left to overgrow, and he believes the local community have been "let down". 

The popular space is an Urban Green Connector site. This means the grass is not cut as regularly in an effort to increase biodiversity, but Graeme believes it has led to the park looking run-down.

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The 44-year-old said: "Maxwell Park has, over a number of years, been completely and utterly neglected, mismanaged and under-invested in, in comparison to all the other local parks.  

"Every park user I speak to is so annoyed, borderline furious, that this has been allowed to happen. 

"The grass isn’t cut – I know there’s biodiversity and there are bits that are not going to be cut, but in the main it just looks totally neglected with dock weeds coming up through everywhere, and if you don’t get control then it just goes wild. 

"There’s the drainage issue [on land opposite the pond] and that’s a significant safety issue for park users, especially in winter months [due to water freezing over the path].  

"Plus, we don’t know what that stagnant water is like, I think it’s probably unsafe."

He continued: "Then there’s the fountain area, which is used by people to sit, relax and enjoy the bit of sun you can get in here because it’s totally overgrown and that’s crumbling and probably unsafe."

A spokesperson for the council said the decision to cut the grass less often and allow the plants to grow is deliberate to benefit local wildlife, including small mammals, birds and insects.

Graeme, who recently joined Friends of Maxwell Park, highlights that the grass on nearby Bellahouston Park has been well maintained in comparison, and he also says the trees and hedges along the footpaths should be cut back and maintained for the safety of those walking through the park, particularly at night.  

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He says while the group plans on organising garden work parties, "the basics need sorting first" by the council.  

Graeme has fond memories of the park growing up but says "it’s not what it used to be".

He said: "I’ve got friends because of this park.  

"I used to socialise in this park when I was a teenager, I walk my dogs around here, I meet people regularly.  

"It’s a place where you’re supposed to come, relax, unwind and meet people, it’s the purpose of these green spaces, but you can’t do that here because it’s just so neglected."

Graeme’s dad Colin, who has lived in the area for 49 years, says it is "awful" for him to see the park in its current condition. 

The 77-year-old said: "It’s just so sad to see it so neglected.  

"It’s just not looked after, it looks abandoned."  

Maxwell Park also means a lot to Colin and Graeme because it was loved by Graeme’s mum and Colin’s wife Yvette. 

Yvette passed away last year at the age of 73 and they had a tree planted there in her memory.  

Colin said: "My wife used to walk around with a pram and with the other mothers in the area, that’s how we met a lot of people, all our friends.  

"She loved it here."

Graeme added: "We walked round it every day up until she couldn’t, so this was a special place."

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: "Maxwell Park is an Urban Green Connector site which is deliberately managed to benefit native flora and fauna.

"The connector sites create green corridors in and around the city creating refuges for wildlife.

"Regularly cut, closely mown grass may look neat, but we must all change our perception of beauty if we’re determined to help wildlife and the environment and tackle climate change.

"Tightly mown grass does little to benefit the environment or promote the growth of wildflowers and other native plants which provide food for pollinators like bees and butterflies.

"Mowing grass less often enables wildflowers to re-establish and in Green Connector sites we also add wildflower seeds and plug plants, as well as young trees and hedgerows to create habitat for nesting birds and cover for small mammals like hedgehogs.

"Cutting grass less often means fewer insects like grasshoppers and beetles are maimed, crushed or killed by mowers and it also reduces the release of carbon into the atmosphere which contributes to global warming.

"The ground is also able to absorb more water which helps prevent flooding and also requires the use of less polluting fuel in mowers.

"It may look a little wild, but this is outweighed by the benefits to nature."