Monday May 25th 2026
Cranhill Park
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Drew Sandelands
Water voles could be moved from a Glasgow park due to concerns for women’s safety when walking through the “overgrown” green space.
Funding has been approved in principle for the rehoming of water voles in Cranhill Park — where Jean Campbell was murdered in 2013.
Bailie Annette Christie, SNP, whose East Centre ward includes the park, said that due to a designated water vole habitat, there is limited grass cutting, resulting in “overgrown vegetation” and “trees and bushes obscuring the line of sight”.
This poses a “potential hazard for anyone walking through the park”, she said.
“Living in harmony with nature should not be at the expense of women’s safety. However that is the unintended consequence when wildlife can at times take priority.”
Bailie Christie said very little has been done to address safety issues in the park since Ms Campbell, who was walking her dog, was murdered.
It is a cut-through path to a main bus route on Edinburgh Road, which Bailie Christie said is “crucial” due to poor public transport links in Cranhill.
Water voles, one of the UK’s fastest declining mammals, are a protected species but they can be relocated with permission from NatureScot, a government agency.
Along with Cllr Laura Doherty, SNP, the council’s convener for neighbourhood services and assets, Bailie Christie has been advocating for relocation from Cranhill Park.
Funding for the rehoming plan would come from the council’s neighbourhood improvement infrastructure fund, which allocates £1m to each council ward.
The East Centre area partnership, which includes councillors and other community representatives, has approved funding in principle while it awaits site investigations which will determine the current level of water vole activity in the park.
Bailie Christie said Glasgow declared itself a feminist city in 2022 and is also committed to becoming a child-friendly city. Both visions focus on “putting women, children and young people at the heart of planning the public realm and public places”, she added.
“This wilderness is completely unusable for children and all residents, with no flat ground to kick a ball or have a family picnic. It is certainly not an attractive park for the public.
“We can live in harmony with the creatures that inhabit our greenspaces but that cannot be at the expense of women’s safety and our rights to have a good quality of life.”
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