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Explora: Environment
and Resource Conservation, recreation, or both?

a more proactive role in managing the land for the future. 84 never win against a government-backed multi-million-

In 1972, Glasgow City Council explored the designation pound scheme; mitigation was probably the least bad
of Pollok as a country park, but an application was turned option available.
down by CCS on the entirely reasonable grounds that In 1998, the city council set up a lease arrangement with
Pollok was an urban open space, not a countryside one. the NTS whereby the city retains ownership of the land but
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In 1979, however, the idea was revived by CCS, who were the NTS now manages and maintains it; Pollok House is
anxious to secure new designations, partly to improve their thus now part of the NTS portfolio of properties, although
disappointing record in this respect, but also perhaps with still owned by the city council. This arrangement appears
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one eye on the Thatcher government’s intention to rein to be working well, with the park winning the Best Park in
in public spending in Scotland. The family was nervous Britain award in 2007, and the Best Park in Europe award
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about this proposal, which they thought might encourage the following year. The Restrictive Agreement remains in
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increased visiting, but Stormonth Darling was more force, so the NTS continues to have veto powers over any
concerned to secure the increased resources he associated plan to develop or sell off the land, but the M77 extension
with designation, and to strengthen the PAC by bringing project demonstrates that these powers are vulnerable to force
in CCS expertise. 88 majeure, whereas the inalienable status derived from outright
The comparative weakness of the Restrictive ownership offers a much stronger level of protection.
Agreement, as opposed to outright NTS ownership and its In the case of Pollok, the country park designation
associated inalienability, was exposed twice during the past seems to have been completely incidental to the NTS’s
th
two decades of the 20 century. The first challenge came relationship with the site. The only advantages gained
through traffic management for the Burrell, which caused from country park status were to the city council, as a
a very serious disruption of the relationship between the possible recipient of countryside funding, rather than to
NTS and the city when the latter approved the Burrell NTS directly, although the facilities enabled by this have
architect’s plan without consulting the PAC, breaching the improved a site the NTS now manages. Even then, the
Restrictive Agreement. The NTS took strong exception designation was never a pre-requisite for funding (although
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but eventually had to accept this apparently inadvertent this was implied by CCS) and Glasgow could have sought
fait accompli for the sake of the Burrell project as a whole. 90 CCS’s financial help without making Pollok a country
A further test arose in 1971, when a proposal was park. The other benefit identified from designation was the
mooted to extend the M77 motorway southward toward participation of CCS in the PAC, but Stormonth Darling
Ayr, a project that would require taking land from found this consistently disappointing in practice.
the western side of the estate. Although Stormonth 3.4. Haddo
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Darling deprecated what he described as a ‘most serious
intrusion,’ he was advised that defeat was inevitable – the Haddo is a country house in Aberdeenshire, around
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forces promoting the motorway were too strong to resist, eight miles from the nearest small town (Ellon) and 20 miles
and the best the NTS could hope for was mitigation. The north of the nearest large centre, Aberdeen. Designed by
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NTS contracted landscape architect Sylvia Crowe to advise William Adam, built in the 1730s, and set in around 75 ha
on suitable measures; her suggestions were accepted by of grounds, Haddo is an A-listed building, with extensive
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the proponents of the project, and the NTS waived its right formal gardens, and was formerly owned by the Earls of
to object in 1974. 95 Aberdeen (one of whom was Prime Minister of the UK).
The landscape includes open parkland, a large memorial
Nevertheless, the wider discussion on the motorway
dragged on for a decade, and ended up at a Public to a family member who died at Waterloo, a deer park,
Inquiry in 1988, with formal approval late in 1989; work and woodland managed by the Forestry Commission. By
th
only commenced on site in 1992. The project provoked the second half of the 20 century, it had an established
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widespread opposition from 1972 onward, culminating in reputation as an arts venue, with an active choral society,
the ‘Pollok Free State’ in 1994–96, a widely-publicised eco- and an annual concert attracting some of the biggest names
in classical music.
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protest employing direct action with protesters occupying
trees scheduled for felling, chaining themselves to diggers, In 1973, the earl opened discussions with Aberdeen
and the construction of a ‘car henge,’ a monument made County Council on possible new uses for the property;
by burying cars vertically in the land scheduled for the he was especially interested in creating a residential arts
motorway. The NTS was accused of neglecting its centre, building on the house’s reputation for musical
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responsibilities under the 1939 Agreement and ‘selling out’ excellence. The council was wary; however, and the idea
to the motorway interests, but this was a battle it could was shelved. Nevertheless, potential new uses for Haddo
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Volume 2 Issue 1 (2025) 8 doi: 10.36922/eer.5890