Mount Florida Bowling Club on Carmunnock Road, which closed in 2019 after years of declining membership, has become the focus of a long‑running planning row escalating into a community campaign to save “one of Mount Florida’s only remaining green spaces” our sister title The Herald reports.
Mount Florida Community Trust (MFCT), formed by residents in 2019 to purchase the club, wanted the entire site to be retained.
Developer Noah Developments purchased the site and first proposed 40 flats, but that 2020 scheme drew more than 600 objections and was rejected by councillors, with an appeal to the Scottish Government also dismissed.
A planning application in 2022 for a reduced 32-flat development was submitted, with the firm agreeing to provide publicly accessible space and a refurbished clubhouse, and Glasgow City Council voted to approve it in September last year, with full written approval provided in February.
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The saga appeared to have come to a close; however, MFCT claims to have obtained legal advice which suggests that “there are credible grounds to argue that aspects of the council’s decision-making process, including the interpretation and application of relevant planning policies and consultation requirements, should be reconsidered by the court.”
MFCT is now fundraising to seek judicial review of the case and says that, after multiple legal opinions, they believe they have a “reasonable” argument.
The trust estimates that approximately £15,000 is required to cover its legal costs, together with potential liability for legal expenses arising from the case. After “significant offline pledges”, the remaining target is set at £9,700 – at the time of writing, £1,795 has been pledged to the CrowdJustice page, which you can access here.
A spokesperson for Mount Florida Community Trust spoke with The Herald and was adamant that this isn’t a “stamp our feet because we don’t like it” situation; they’re hopeful it could lead to a positive outcome for them.
They said: “Mount Florida has very little accessible green space. This site sits at the heart of the community, and the Trust believes there are strong planning and community-interest arguments for its protection.
“We know that a successful judicial review would not itself secure the site for community ownership or guarantee that development would never take place. However, it would provide an opportunity for the planning application to be reconsidered through a further decision-making process in which the community can participate.
“We passionately believe that this green space is irreplaceable and worth fighting for. Throughout the last seven years, we have focused on one step at a time, as foundations for the longer-term potential of the site. If we are not able to try this step now, there may not be another chance.”
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Any challenge must move very quickly: planning judicial reviews generally have a deadline of three months from the date permission is granted, which means MFCT needs to raise the funds by 24 May 2026 – the fundraiser closes on Sunday at 10pm.
MFCT say that they’ve been receiving “very generous” assistance from the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland.
A judicial review would be a way for residents to ask a judge to decide whether Glasgow City Council followed the law when it approved plans for the former Mount Florida Bowling Club, rather than re‑arguing the planning merits from scratch. A claim would usually be brought in the Court of Session against the council, with the developer joined as an “interested party” to defend the permission.
To succeed, campaigners would need to show something went legally wrong in the decision‑making process – for example, that key planning policies were misapplied, important issues were ignored, or the committee procedure was unfair.
If a judge agreed, the court could quash the permission and remand it to the council for a lawful reconsideration, but it would still be open to councillors to approve a revised scheme.
If sufficient funds are not raised by 24 May 2026, proceedings will not be lodged, and donations will be returned in accordance with CrowdJustice’s terms.
MFCT says that it wrote to the council in December to voice its legal considerations on the plans, but they were “dismissed”.
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson confirmed that planning consent had been granted for application 22/01774/FUL on February 27, 2026, and said that they could not comment on any potential legal action.
