Renfrew residents form action group to save Clydeview Park

The Friends of Clydeview Park group was created by infuriated locals after a change of ownership led to the Ferry Village green space becoming “neglected and abandoned.”

Since we initially reported on the issue in March, the lack of improvement has prompted exasperated residents to come together and concentrate their efforts via the new action group.

Residents are unhappy with the state of the park (Image: Gordon Terris)

Local teacher Lynn Spiers - a nearby resident and one of the group’s founding members - described the current state of the park as “a disgrace.”

“It’s unbelievable what it looks like now, compared to what it was,” she said. “The grass is above your knees. All the bronze sculptures have been vandalised. The trees are all overgrown. You can’t even walk through the grass now because of glass and dog poo.

“The ponds are black with whatever’s coming into them. There’s moorhen chicks in there just now swimming about in filthy water. People are coming in at night and using the hedgerow as a toilet.

“It’s a disgrace. Honestly, it’s so bad. It’s horrible. Nobody uses the park anymore - even in the good weather there’s nobody in there now. It’s desperately sad.”

Lynn described the ponds as filthy (Image: Gordon Terris)

Lynn stressed the vital role that the park once played in the local community, where many residents have limited access to outdoor spaces.

“It’s a really invaluable space for everybody around here. There’s lots of flats here with no green space whatsoever apart from the park. It’s really the only green space we have.

“Everyone just expects that any morning now there’s going to be padlocks and chains on the gates, and a big notice saying it’s been sold.”

Residents have also complained about dog poo in the park (Image: Gordon Terris)

Another key figure in the formation of Friends of Clydeview Park is Labour councillor Jamie McGuire, who decided to create a Facebook group to focus the discontent into a single voice.

“We’re all frustrated at the lack of maintenance and the neglect that the park has suffered from in recent years,” he said. “It’s totally unacceptable. The pond is filthy, the grass is overgrown, the playground is locked. It’s not the place it used to be.

“There’s a whole host of factors involved in this who aren’t taking responsibility, who aren’t doing their jobs. And that’s what this group is about - it’s about leading from the front and making that change in our community.

“We’re stronger together than as individuals.”

The once popular play area is now locked (Image: Gordon Terris)

Attempts to improve the park’s condition have been frustrated by the ongoing lack of transparency around ownership. The land was sold in January after Braehead Park Estates went into liquidation, but councillor McGuire said the land registry has still not been updated to reveal the new owners. Attempts by us to identify the new owners also came to a dead end.

The park's condition now is a far cry from its former glory days (Image: The Geograph Project)

The councillor noted that establishing who exactly is responsible for the park is one of the group’s key priorities, as well as ensuring that Renfrewshire Council puts pressure on the new owners to maintain the land.

“The council needs to be demanding that this is the way that things need to be carried out. They can’t just let the area be neglected.

“The most important thing is that the area gets maintained regularly, that the factors take responsibility, and that people can feel pride in it again. Because people are disgusted at what’s happening. It’s absolutely appalling what’s going on.”

An old photo shows the once-clear waters (Image: Supplied)

Going forward, Lynn says the group will continue to meet on a regular basis, gather as much support as possible, and make every effort to bring the issue to wider prominence. An online petition has also been started.

“We just don’t want to be quiet anymore,” she said. “We want the park maintained, we want to know who owns it, we want to know why it’s fallen into such a state of disrepair.

“Where are we supposed to go? You can’t just be surrounded by bricks and concrete, you need some green space. The only place you can sit round here now is in a car park.”

Anybody interested in getting involved is encouraged to join the Friends of Clydeview Park Facebook group. The petition can be found at: https://chng.it/NYb9Pqpb2D.

Another old picture showing the previously tidy grass and hedges (Image: The Geograph Project)