There was another big public meeting turnout last night, with standing room only in Langside Halls.
All six councillors covering Shawlands were present, as were local SNP MSP Nicola Sturgeon, representatives of the City Council's Development and Regeneration Services, and two gentlemen from Glasgow South East Regeneration Agency (GSERA).

The council officials said they now have the authority to "begin consideration" of a town centre action plan for Shawlands. They also indicated what they consider to be a substantial obstacle to getting it underway - that nobody seems certain who currently owns the Arcade, following the wind up of AWG's, the previous owner, property interests.
Nicola Sturgeon undertook to get more information on that, and look for a way to move forward with the Arcade.
There were a number suggestions relating to the Arcade, including a member of the public calling for the Council to buy a controlling interest, and a speculative suggestion from Lib Dem clr for Langside Paul Coleshill that it may be worth investigating a community buy-out.

However, there was strength of feeling at the meeting that Shawlands is more than the Arcade. It was clear people want movement on plans for the area, with or without the Arcade's involvement.
A whole host of issues were raised. From the floor, one woman asked what could be done to clear up litter and stop fly-tipping. "We need to start with the basics," she argued, "while getting the issues with the Arcade sorted."
Another woman said she had the council's cleansing department on BT Friends and Family, she'd spent so much time trying to get answers out of them regarding bulk uplift and rubbish not collected.
And there were well-supported complaints on the lack of recycling provision for tenements in the area, one man saying that, "Having to go to the supermarket to do your recycling, in the 21st century is just not good enough."

There were concerns too, about the affect of the area's nightlife on local people. A Baker St resident said that he has to negotiate the remains of The Shed nightclub's burst sewage pipes at least twice a month, and that other problems relating to the club had "never been addressed".
Others complained that parking had not been properly considered with the expansion of Shawlands' 'night time economy', forcing residents to park streets away from their homes. There were promises from politicians to investigate solutions, although Archie Graham, Labour councillor for Langside, said that a residents parking scheme would bring its own difficulties as it doesn't guarantee space and people would have to pay to take part.
There ware also concerns about safety in the area, both at night time and because of busy roads. A woman asked for more funding for small local initiatives, such as residents associations, to look at issues such as safety in their street and build community social events.

A local independent retailer said she felt there had been a definite drop in the number of shoppers in Shawlands since the opening of Silverburn, and she wanted to see efforts, including a reduction in rates, to bring more independent shops into the area, rather than units left empty.
The representatives of GSERA announced that their organisation would be willing to assist in the creation of a Shawlands and Strathbungo business association, if there was a demand for it, and asked local business people to get in touch.

The council officials were left with a clear indication that the people assembled at the meeting want an action plan in place. They warned, though, that it "will take a number of years to deliver". However, the need for any delay was disputed by Nicola Sturgeon, amongst others.
Andrew Montgomery, of Shawlands and Strathbungo Community Council, said that despite confusion over the Arcade, local residents would not allow one company to lead to the whole community being abandoned, and would hold elected councillors to account to ensure progress.
A speaker from the floor said she had moved to Shawlands to start a family and start a business. The area has "fabulous people," she said, "but the place is in a state." But she added that, to ensure Shawlands' future, "I'm happy to do whatever it takes."