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Green space is central to the character of Milngavie, vital for our health and well-being, and essential for native flora and fauna. Greenbelt status should ensure that those green spaces designated as such are protected, but this is no longer the case, as shown by East Dunbartonshire Council's recommendation in the recent Local Development Plan, LDP, that greenbelt land at Clober Golf Course is suitable for housing. A government reporter is expected to comment this month on the LDP, and if they rule in favour of the council recommendation, Stewart Milne will follow with a planning application to build around 120 houses on Clober Golf Course. If the housing development goes ahead, a planning application will also be submitted to convert neighbouring farmland to golf course to replace the section lost to the new housing. The consequences of further urban sprawl, the impact on an already overburdened local infrastructure, the dangerous precedent that such development only marks the start of continued sprawl out to the Kilpatrick Hills are not considered here. Instead, this article focusses on the associated loss of farmland and demonstrates that this land is an important ecological niche to be cherished, that any change will be to the detriment of the regions biodiversity, character, ability to produce sustainable food, and that further drainage in the Allander River catchment may lead to greater flood risk downstream.
The area of farmland that is likely to be proposed for conversion to golf course borders the current golf course's northern boundary to its south, woodland adjacent to the River Allander to the east, Milngavie Golf Course to the north and farmland to the west, forming a quadrilateral with approximate bounding box coordinates of NS 545 756, NS 546 759, NS 540 756, and NS 542 761. Until a planning application is submitted the specific extent remains uncertain. The area concerned is indicated with the arrow on the below council map, and includes the green striped Local Nature Conservation Site - Important Wildlife Corridor riperian zone of the Craigton Burn and extends northward. The solid thick green lines indicate the green belt boundary of Milngavie. On the higher quality zoomed in map, the southern extent of the area concerned begins in the top left corner and extends off the map. Both maps also show that the proposed Clober Golf Course housing development is atop a Local Nature Conservation Site - Important Wildlife Corridor.
Craigton burn bisects the area: An essential tree-lined riparian zone dominated by alder, Alnus glutinosa, with small waterfalls and islands of Water Mint, Mentha aquatica and Water Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides). The importance of this area is recognised in that it has the status of 'Local Nature Conservation Site - Important Wildlife Corridor' as indicated on East Dunartonshire's Local Plan 2 map. In fact, it is the only designated continuous wildlife corridor in East Dunbartonshire directly connecting Mugdock Country Park with the Kilpatrick Hills. Alder is the food plant for the caterpillars of several moths, their catkins provide an early source of nectar and pollen for bees, and the seeds are eaten by siskins and goldfinches that are both found locally. Furthermore, its roots form perfect nesting spots for otters that are occasionally seen in lochs in the neighbouring Mugdock Country Park. The wet conditions around this alder woodland are ideal for a number of mosses, lichens and fungi, along with small pearl-bordered fritillary and chequered skipper butterflies, both priority species under the UK BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN (UKBAP) and the former is listed in a Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Glasgow. Both butterflies are found in SW Scotland, albeit rarely. What is needed to ensure they are not eradicated is for existing suitable habitat such as this to be maintained as well as the creation of similar and linked environments. Dippers feed in Craigton burn and can be seen flying rapidly between the overhanging alder canopy, swiftly descending to feed in the flowing water.
Sandwiched between Craigton Burn and Clober Golf Course is a wildflower meadow fringed by Lime, Hawthorn and Rowan trees to the south, ash and ancient beech to the west, and the Alder of the riperian zone to the north and dotted with patches of gorse, broom and bramble. Its a living space, where the beauty lies in the small details hidden amongst the grasses. Look to the ground and its the flora and its insect activity and the background twittering of tits that lends an almost magical quality to the triangle of land. Numerous bees of various types and hoverflies as well as Green-veined white butterflies can be observed feeding on Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis). Its rounded pincushion-like purple-blue flower heads attract a wide variety of butterflies and bees and it is the foodplant for the declining Marsh Fritillary Butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia), another Priority Species in the UKBAP. Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) is also a firm favourite - being a source of good quality nectar - of the many pollinating insects found in the area. As well as supporting our bees, hoverflies, butterflies and beetles its seeds provide food for many birds. Birds foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) is also common in this meadow. Pollinating insects find it a perfect source of nectar and it is the primary foodplant of Common Blue, Dingy Skipper, and the Green Hairstreak butterflies and the secondary foodplant of Clouded Yellow butterflies. In the under storey patches of nettle border the meadow and are a vital foodplant for the larvae of a number of local butterflies. In fact many species of butterfly - including the 20 or so that are found in the Glasgow area - have very specific larval foodplant requirements, and many of these plants are found in this meadow.
To the north of the burn the land rises to the west from marshy land almost impossible to traverse bordering the Allander riperian zone - really wetland covered in reeds with a few patches of young naturally regenerating alder sheltering deer - to more usable farmland further west. This natural wetland is a valuable sponge for rainfall and a wonderful habitat for frogs, toads and newts. Water mint and other wetland plants, and thistle and ragwort on the drier ground provide valuable nectar for insects. Pipistrelle bats ply the skies at night feeding on numerous midges, moths and other nocturnal insects, and hedgehogs search out tasty morsels on the ground. Curlew can be seen here and migrating geese use it as a resting place on their long journeys.
One of the important features of this site is that it forms an open area adjacent to mature native woodland. Immediately alongside the eastern boundary of the site is the woodland of Mugdock Country Park, the Allander riperian zone and mature native trees linking Mugdock Country Park to woodland backing on to Milngavie's Blackwood and Crawford Roads. Within this woodland area trees include Ash, Beech, Cherry, Holly, Lime, Sycamore, Willow and Yew as well as valuable scrub of Dogwood and bramble. As a general rule, woodlands which are structurally diverse and have a wide range of micro-habitats tend to have more biodiversity. In this case the structural diversity comes from the contrasting open land with its grasses, wild flowers, wetland of burn and boggy pools, scrub and small regenerating copses of alder, and the mature neighbouring woodland. It is the sum of these two neighbouring areas that is important. Take one away by converting it to a relatively sterile golf course and the biodiversity of the area plummets. Research indicates that many species prefer to live in the first ten metres from a woodland edge where there is more sunlight, in other words on this pocket of farmland. These include dormice and other small mammals, various birds, reptiles which like to bask in the shorter, warmer grassland areas but need the neighbouring scrub and woodland for shelter, and dragonflies which forage for insects along woodland edge. Butterflies, moths and bees will feed on the wild flowers and grasses but be dependent on the sheltering influence of nearby trees, which for some species also provide nesting opportunities.
In addition to considering the impact on biodiversity it is the overall character of the neighbouring woodland that will be affected. Many local residents use a path in the woods alongside the farmland. Currently, trees merge with natural wetland seamlessly leading to pastoral land. There is a sense of wilderness despite its proximity to greater Glasgow that would be destroyed by the incursion of pristine and manicured greens.
Although a lot of the farmland at risk is at best marginal farmland being divided by Craigton Burn and with areas too wet and dominated by reeds, a significant fraction to the west and north of the site is reasonable quality grazing land currently supporting sheep and cattle. With global warming an ever increasing danger any long-term plans such as East Dunbartonshire's LDP should include protection of farmland such as this site. Local food production for the local community is the sustainable way forward. Converting farmland to golf course just to make way for more houses risks loosing our capacity to feed our community.
According to the Met Office temperatures in Scotland have risen by about 0.7– 0.8ºC in the past 35 years or so. Since records began 250 years ago, there has also been a general trend to higher rainfall over the winter months and a more recent increase in the proportion of winter rainfall coming from heavy precipitation events. These are indisputable observations about climate and climatic events that have affected our region, regardless of causality. Climate predictions for the future are more uncertain and will depend on how the world addresses climate change. By the 2080s central estimates based on medium emissions levels predict temperature in our region of Scotland will be around 2-3 degrees warmer in winter and 3-4 degrees warmer in summer, and rainfall although lower in Summer is expected to be around 10% higher in Winter. Given the predicted rise in temperature and the correlation between that and heavy rain events we need to be planning ahead for more and worse weather than currently experienced. This includes active management of drainage in our catchment area. The natural wetland nature of this farmland site is an essential part of a natural buffer to downstream flood events. Changing it, such as turning it into a golf course creates a risk of greater flooding.
