Green space has been obliterated

The developers behind a controversial housing development have been branded “environmental vandals” as hundreds of trees are felled in Paisley.

- EDEL KENEALY

Preparatory work on the 603-house Abercrombie Park has seen more than five hectares of woodland, shrubs and bushes cleared from the Grahamston Road site.

It has, campaigners say, "obliterated" what was once a peaceful green space and wildlife habitat.

The development is being built by a consortium of companies - Cala Homes, Bellway Homes and Barratt Homes as part of a £150 million investment in the area, with £6m going into local roads and education.

It will see a range of homes, from one-bedroom flats to five-bed detached houses, built around a central meadow on the former extended grounds of Dykebar Hospital.

Construction of those homes is scheduled to begin in October, almost one year after works to clear the site began.

Save Paisley's Green Space - which has vehemently fought to protect the land from development for five years - said it was "devastating" to witness the scale of the changes to the local landscape.

"It's environmental vandalism, they have obliterated the site," a spokesperson said. "It’s absolutely devastating to see; the entire landscape is almost unrecognisable.

"The community is angry, upset and bewildered how this was allowed to happen.

"Only a small area of ancient woodland, with our veteran Sycamore Tree, remains but only due to a technical issue and is set to be felled imminently even though the national planning framework says developments that threaten veteran trees will not be considered."

The campaign group has been backed by dozens of locals who have also charted the changes and potential loss of local wildlife in recent weeks.