The Chris Mitchell Column
People Before Profit: Carmyle Stands Firm Against the Sell-Off of Public Land
Carmyle Shows the Power of Working-Class Resistance
EXCLUSIVE by Chris Mitchell, GMB Convenor
The people of Carmyle have delivered a message that Glasgow City Council and its chosen contractors can no longer ignore: this community will not be pushed aside.
For months, developers tried to ram through a scheme that would carve up public land, concrete over our last green space, and dump hundreds of new cars into a village already squeezed between the M74 and the River Clyde.
They expected Carmyle to take it quietly.
Instead, last Thursday we forced a second adjournment on the next phase of planning permission.
The council has kicked the decision into next year. That delay wasn’t a gift — it was won by residents standing together and refusing to be treated as an afterthought.
Six Months Locked Out — Until We Knocked the Door Down
Not one council official, contractor, or property company chose to speak to residents for half a year. Only our campaign group held meetings, dropped leaflets and listened to what people were saying.
Now, even the council has been forced to admit that Carmyle was shut out of the process. They can no longer deny it.
We have set out the truth plainly: This development does nothing for Carmyle.
It strips out public land.
It hands two council-owned parks — including Orchard Park — to developers.
It brings congestion, pollution and disruption.
And it offers our community nothing in return.
A Village That Refuses to Be Bought Off
To keep this oversized project alive, the council dropped the asking price by £300,000 and threw in two public parks to sweeten the deal.
Orchard Park isn’t a bargaining chip — it’s the heart of our village. It’s where families walk, where young people cycle, where events are held, where the Route 66 path runs straight through to Loch Lomond.
Destroying it for a road is vandalism dressed up as regeneration.
Traffic is already at breaking point. Our two schools need investment, and the community centre sits shut with a leaking roof. Residents tell me: “Chris, if this goes ahead, we’ll leave Carmyle.”
That is the level of despair this project is causing
Yet the council wants to plough ahead with private housing on public ground. Residents tell me: “Chris, if this goes ahead, we’ll leave Carmyle.”
That is the level of despair this project is causing.
But Carmyle Is Awakening — And Growing Stronger
What has happened over the last month should inspire every working-class community in Scotland.
Hundreds attended our Halloween event.
Three protests — including Carmyle’s first ever in Orchard Park — drew huge crowds.
This Saturday’s Christmas light switch-on from 5.30pm will see pupils hang 300 baubles on the tree, uniting generations in the fight for their village.
Support has come from across the political spectrum. Pauline McNeill MSP visited the site last week and saw firsthand the scale of the threat.
People who have never protested before are joining arms with neighbours. Older residents, young families and long-time campaigners are standing as one.
This is not a minority campaign — it is the voice of a village.
Digging at the Clyde Means One Thing: Rats
One of the proposed sites sits directly beside the river. I’ve been outspoken about Glasgow’s rat epidemic, and we all know what happens when you dig beside water: the rats move straight into the nearest community.
The developers talk about their “Clyde Riviera” vision — penthouses and profit — while Carmyle deals with the fallout.
Well, we’re not accepting that. Even Cludgie the rat has joined the resistance.
Three Applications, One United Front
We are now facing three separate planning applications, including a contractor who pulled out in August and has suddenly reappeared. But the community is organised, determined and building momentum by the day.
We’ve secured space at the River Road bowling green for residents to lodge objections.
We’re helping elderly neighbours navigate the paperwork. And on December 4 we finally sit down with council officials and City Property about taking over the community centre. That meeting should have happened on day one — not after months of pressure.
We’ve submitted a formal participation request. Carmyle demands and deserves a seat at the table.
This Is What Trade Unionism Looks Like
The GMB is backing this campaign 100 per cent because this is what trade unions should be doing: taking the fight beyond the workplace and into the heart of our communities.
This is about cleansing.
It’s about rats.
It’s about public land.
It’s about green space.
It’s about democracy.
And above all, it’s about working-class people defending their right to a future.
Carmyle is showing Scotland what collective action can achieve. The council and contractors now know the truth:
This community will not be carved up.
This campaign will not fold.
And this fight is only just beginning.
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I have signed the petition twice and neither time did I receive an email. I’m concerned you may be missing signatures because of it. Best of luck Carmyle.