For me it raises the following question about the 1 million offer,

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Gloria wrote:


Gloria, as I've already said, my expectation is they will initially try to hide behind 'it's a done deal' despite their decision being made without knowledge of the full facts or claim commercial confidentiality.
There are precedents with regard to the latter which blow 'commercial confidentiality' clean out of the water. When the council were told of the negotiations to buy the nestle site in Barrhead, the public gallery was cleared by Cllrs. were given the full information to enable to reach an informed decisions. That is the accepted norm.

I was surprised when Cllr. Miller raised this at the council budget meeting on Thursday and it appeared clear to me, judging by the reactions, only one person in the chamber realised the significance of his seemingly benign question. That person was the near top of the tree officer, and whose signature is on the rejection, who immediately looked up somewhat alarmed. His Director who sat next to him didn't show any reaction to the question. This officer has a reputation as a maverick dictator and there has been allegedly, at least one resignation from his department as a result.

There is more to come, but for the moment I'm content to allow the administration to do the right thing. Otherwise some very serious and pertinent questions will be asked.

West Scotland MSP Jackson Carlaw has blasted East Renfrewshire Council for
allowing a planning officer to reject a £2million offer by a major supermarket for land earmarked for the Eastwood health centre.

Opposition councillors had no opportunity to discuss the proposals.

The health centre was a defining issue in the 2012 East Renfrewshire council
elections. The revelation of an offer just prior has raised serious questions
over the democratic accountability of East Renfrewshire Council.

Jackson said:
“I want to say I’m surprised but I’m not. The twin policies of this Labour cabal have been hypocrisy and incompetence.

2 million pounds is not, in the wake of a rather austere budget from East
Renfrewshire Council, a sum to be cast aside by an unelected bureaucrat.

“That an MSP, MP and 8 councillors from the same party can’t rigorously scrutinise a health centre project is absurd.

“Jim Murphy and Ken McIntosh should stop the half-truth clichés about Tory cuts and manage their own councillors.

“What I think everyone now wants to know is who exactly is in charge of East
Renfrewshire Council?”

What a surprise not one mention of any of this in the local pravda, but the journo still shows the usual degree of eye for detail "A council spokesman said: “The funding is only available for a single amalgamated facility and is conditional on the building being up and running in 2012"


www.glasgowsouthandeastwoodextra.co.uk/n...ood-health-1-2791051

Glasgow-based Gareth Hoskins Architects has been appointed to design the new £15.5m Eastwood Health and Care Centre in Clarkston.
And in a Scottish first, the Scottish Futures Trust, in conjunction with the Scottish Government, has selected the Eastwood Health and Care Centre to be a design reference project for all future primary healthcare centres in Scotland.
This means the building will be designed to demonstrate that excellent, sustainable and good value design is achievable which also meets national design guidance. The designs will go on to be used as a reference project for the development of future primary care facilities.

The designs, which will be in keeping with the local environment, are being developed through a series of workshops with GP practices, the PPF (public partnership forum) which represents patients and customers) and CHCP staff who will work in the building.

The proposed building will mark a change in the way health and social care is delivered to locals. It will be one of the first in the country to embrace the modernisation of healthcare and will be built to maximise flexibility with future needs in mind.

It will replace a number of local current health and care buildings which are no longer able to provide modern health and care facilities to a high standard. And buildings whose layout, design, size and location do not lend themselves to development or expansion.

In Eastwood the population aged over 65 has increased by 14 per cent, from 12380 to 14160 in 2010. During the same period, the population of people over 85 has increased by 18 per cent from 1270 to 1500. Statistically older people are high users of primary care and community services.

East Renfrewshire Council has pledged £6.5 million from its general capital funds, and the Scottish Government’s Health Directorate has approved a further £9 million funding through the hub programme.

The funding for this project is only available for a single amalgamated facility and is conditional on the building being up and running in 2015. The CHCP worked closely with the PPF and East Renfrewshire Council’s property and technical services to source suitable, affordable and accessible sites, and chose the Drumby Road location in Clarkston.

It was chosen because it ‘fitted the bill’ the most in terms of accessibility, patient accessibility, timescale, location and it is close to the majority of the patient population.

The new building will provide a number of health and social care services under one roof, so patients will no longer need to travel between sites for healthcare provision. It is planned that GPs, physiotherapy and podiatry, rehabilitation and enablement services, district nurses and health visitors are among a range of services to be housed in the new centre.

Good transport and access arrangements to the building are amongst the CHCP’s priorities to enable elderly and infirm residents to access the centre with ease.

The CHCP is already working with SPT (Strathclyde Passenger Transport), community transport, and RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme) to ensure there will be good transport links to the new centre.

Councillor Lafferty, chair of the CHCP committee, said: “We are delighted that Gareth Hoskins Architects has been appointed for the new Eastwood Health and Care Centre.

“The development offers an excellent opportunity to develop a first class integrated health and care facility in Eastwood that will provide a range of health and social care services to locals.”

Gareth Hoskins, director of Gareth Hoskins Architects, said: “The new Community Health and Care Centre at Eastwood brings together a number of primary and community care services into a single purpose building. Many of the services are currently operated from premises which are not fit for purpose in terms of accessibility and space standards, and the new building will offer an integrated approach to community healthcare in a modern, purpose-built facility. Gareth Hoskins Architects are delighted to be appointed to design the building and will be working closely with East Renfrewshire Council and Greater Glasgow NHS as the project moves forward.”

Ernhw Ltd wrote:

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So in view of the paragraph in red why would anyone who understood this need design a three storey building with all GP practices on the first rather than the ground floor? Are lifts, expensive though they might be, the full answer? What happens if a woman in labour gets stuck in a lift because of a power cut. Of course women never go into labour whilst visiting their doctor, nor does anyone have a stroke/heart attack/ collapse attending a GP's surgery, do they?

If transport as quoted in the last paragraph is truly a priority surely a sensible person might reasonably conclude Drumby Crescent is totally unsuitable especially as some of the alternative sites have existing perfectly satisfactory public transport services which have been operating well for many years?

Just two small questions which highlight the unsuitability of the intended site. The whole concept in my opinion is totally flawed yet it is to be foisted upon us and we are to be grateful, certainly for well beyond my lifetime.
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The question I must ask is whether anyone out there actually cares and if you do what are YOU going to do about it? You certainly should not rely on everyone else (including me) to look after your interests. If you can but wont help yourself then you deserve all you get.