Council clears way for new Scottish Water treatment centre, 45 homes and a water vole sanctuary
Land deals approved at Daldowie, Easterhouse and Ruchill could bring a new Bioresource Treatment Centre serving 40% of Scotland's population.
The River Clyde at Daldowie, where Scottish Water plans a new Bioresource Treatment Centre. · Photograph: Punkarama (CC BY-SA 2.0)
A Glasgow City Council committee has approved land deals that could bring a new Scottish Water treatment centre to the city, along with 45 new homes and a water vole sanctuary.
The decisions, made on November 5, cover sites in Daldowie, Easterhouse and Ruchill.
New Bioresource Treatment Centre at Daldowie
The committee gave the go-ahead to begin negotiations with Scottish Water on the sale of land and buildings on an 11-hectare site at Daldowie, on the city's eastern edge. Scottish Water has identified the site as its preferred location for a new multi-million-pound Bioresource Treatment Centre.
The facility would be a major upgrade to existing treatment facilities, bringing environmental benefits, better efficiency and lower running costs. It would become a critical part of Scottish Water's national infrastructure, serving 40% of Scotland's population.
The new centre would treat waste to a higher standard than before, allowing the processed material to be used as organic fertiliser under licence, in line with environmental best practice supported by SEPA. Biogas produced in the process would be used to generate heat.
The council-owned site currently has a training centre and two semi-detached homes. The training centre will be vacated before any sale, and the tenants of the homes have been relocated.
45 homes and a water vole sanctuary in Easterhouse
The council also approved an exchange of three plots of land at Lochend Road and Baldragon Road in Easterhouse with Wheatley Homes. The plots total 4.25 hectares.
Wheatley Homes will acquire two of the plots to build 45 homes for social rent, while the council will acquire the third to create a water vole sanctuary. The exchange will bring in £45,000 for the council.
Ruchill
In Ruchill, the committee approved the disposal of a small piece of amenity ground at Gorget Quadrant to Wheatley Homes, and negotiations on terms will now begin.
"A range of economic, environmental and social benefits"
Councillor Ruairi Kelly said the approvals meant the Bioresource Treatment Centre, which "offers Glasgow a range of economic, environmental and social benefits", had moved a step closer.
He said the 45 new homes in Easterhouse were "very welcome news for the area, as will be the creation of the water vole sanctuary, which will be yet another addition to the natural environment in this part of the city".
Glasgow's east end is home to one of the UK's most notable urban populations of water voles, which in the city often live in grassland rather than beside water.