BARLANARK COMMUNITY CENTRE NEEDS IMPROVEMENTS

I very much enjoyed attending the Gala Day held in Barlanark Community Centre. One of the most popular amongst the kids, and a few adults, was the laser quest! I also very much enjoyed the cafe where I had tea and biscuits with Barlanark residents.

Myself and residents discussed many things from how fantastic the gala day was, the sense of community that the East End has and what improvements they would like to see in the local area. One of the topics was the community centre itself.

Barlanark Community Centre is one of the busiest community centres in the city. It has a local Health Shop and Social Work also have a base within the centre. It is also a very big community centre which local residents and the local primary school, Sandaig Primary, use. It is very handy for the school as the community centre and the school are attached.

Recently the building has had dampness. I am pleased that the council are addressing this issue over the summer which will make the building wind and watertight again. I did however notice that the inside of the building is in serious need of TLC!. The building has never had a refurbishment since it was first opened - apart from the odd paint job - however, when the Health Shop moved in the rooms that they use were refurbished. After speaking with Glasgow Life staff in the centre they said that they would like to see the same renovation that the Health Shop rooms have had replicated throughout the centre.

I believe that with a refurbishment with new facilities we can increase the number of people using the centre even more which would be good value for money for the council and Glasgow Life. The idea, raised by residents, of a community cafe I think is a fantastic idea. It can be a struggle to find an area to sit down with friends and chat over a cup of tea and a toastie in the area. I and local residents think it would work well as well as offering affordable food and drink.

I will be raising the issue of the car park with the council. It is in serious need of new tarmac, road markings for parking spaces and clear markings to show directions. The car park has seen a number of accidents which I am keen to put a stop to as soon as possible for the safety of local residents and school children in Sandaig Primary. I will update this blog once I have taken these issues forward.

Thanks for reading,

Austin

p.s

If you are involved in or know a community group you would like me to visit please get in touch and I will be more than happy to arrange something.

Contact details can be found here: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/member.asp?id=1327&t=Councillor+Austin+Sheridan