Call for action as vehicles still park at former Finnieston car park

SNP Councillor Eva Bolandar has asked officers to investigate the use of the old Elliot Street car park, which currently doesn’t have planning approval from the council.

It comes after a second enforcement notice issued by the council does not seem to have made a difference.

Glasgow City Council has confirmed that the site, which is next to Port Street and Cranston Street in Finnieston, does not have planning permission and that officers are now considering the best course of action.

Work to resolve the dispute has been ongoing for a number of years.

So far two enforcement actions, which are issued when development has taken place without the correct planning permission in place, have been raised.

The first one was closed after the operator installed collapsible bollards at the site to prevent any use as a car park in 2018.

But from 2020 onwards the bollards seem to have been removed, allowing work vans to park there without permission.

Councillor Bolandar said: “I understand that there have been bollards installed earlier to stop unauthorised parking at the site after an earlier enforcement action.

“These bollards seem to have been removed, and after I’ve been alerted to this fact, I have asked officers to investigate it, open a new enforcement case and take appropriate action, if needed.

“Generally, I would like to see more greenspace and less car parks. As the use of land is determined through the planning system, I would expect people to accept the outcome of decisions within that.”

Glasgow City Council also revealed that the Elliot Street car park still does not pay non domestic rates (NDR) – often referred to as business rates to the council.

NDRs are a tax on non-domestic properties which help pay for council services including education, social care and waste management.

Glasgow City Council says it is currently working to determine an appropriate course of action and has been asked for a full comment regarding the situation.

Operators for Elliot Street car park have also been approached for comment.